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Getai stars to battle it out for S$20,000 prize in Channel 8’s GeTai Challenge singing contest

SINGAPORE — Mention getais, stage shows laden with music and humour, and most people will automatically associate them with the Hungry Ghost Festival. Now, Channel 8 will bring a piece of Singapore’s getai culture to the television screen for the first time with the GeTai Challenge singing contest.

SINGAPORE — Mention getais, stage shows laden with music and humour, and most people will automatically associate them with the Hungry Ghost Festival. Now, Channel 8 will bring a piece of Singapore’s getai culture to the television screen for the first time with the GeTai Challenge singing contest.

Hao Hao, the Bao Bei Sisters, and Marcus Chin are among the ten well-known getai acts who will battle it out to win the contest and take home the S$20,000 cash prize, while the televised competition’s judges include getai veterans Wang Lei as well as Liu Ling Ling.

“I am happy yet nervous about being part of the contest because I mainly do hosting work now. The last time I sang competitively was over a decade ago!” said Hao Hao.

“Who will be the best? We have had all sorts of televised singing contests before, but never had one which focuses on getai singers. They are immensely talented artistes who can sing, dance and build up the atmosphere at any event, so we decided to try it out,” said GeTai Challenge producer Elaine See.

Although it is a competition, See stressed that who wins or who loses is secondary as the show “is really about celebrating getai culture and educating the public, about how it has evolved into a form of mainstream entertainment for the community”.

“We also hope to dispel the misconception that it is a ‘low class activity for the elderly’ through the power of television. Nowadays, there are a lot of younger getai performers out there and they sing both contemporary songs as well as the dialect classics. Things have changed and we hope to make people more aware of that through our show,” said See.

While getais are traditionally staged during the Hungry Ghost Festival, these stage shows have evolved over the years. Today, getais are held all year round in Singapore and have become events that bring together people in the community.

They have also grown in technical sophistication, though the bawdy humour and dazzling costumes continue to be highlights of these shows.

“In addition to performances by the contestants, there will also be informative segments that will shed light on the history of getai, which is intertwined with Singapore’s past. We really don’t want to see getai culture fade out.”

GeTai challenge will air in May on Channel 8. CHANNEL NEWSASIA

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