Local jazz singer Joanna Dong advances on Sing! China

SINGAPORE — Local jazz singer Joanna Dong continues to power her way through Sing! China, earning high praise and advancing to the next round on the televised reality competition alongside fellow Singaporean Olinda Cho.

In her latest performance, which aired on Friday (Sept 8), Dong sang a bilingual rendition of I Want You to Be My Baby accompanied with her trademark “vocal trumpeting”. This time, she "trumpeted" to the chorus of mentor-Mandopop superstar Jay Chou's hit song Tornado, which was released in 2000 on his debut album titled Jay.

She won votes from 47 out of 51 panel members, including industry professionals, beating Chinese-American duo Frank & Annie (Chuan Hu) who performed Falling Slowly and are on Chinese singer/songwriter Liu Huan’s team.

Dong, 35, was initially apprehensive about covering a “well-covered Mandarin jazz standard” that Chou chose for her from a list of songs she suggested. However, the risky move paid off.

In an interview with TODAY, the singer, who is currently in China, said: “Rather than to play the novelty card (of rearranging a non-jazz song like in my blind audition), he wanted me to take a classic in the genre, and make it stand out on my own terms.”

In fact, Chou declared on the episode that he was “unable to listen to the opponent’s music” after hearing her sing.

Despite receiving an overwhelming majority of votes, Dong, however, wasn’t as wowed by her own performance, describing it as a “nervous” one with “shaky bits here and there”.

“I would say it was a seven out of 10... However, given the stress of the situation, I am mostly relieved I managed to get through the song without any major mishaps because it is a tricky song to nail live.

“I am honestly very contented having come this far in the contest. If there is anything I have learnt, it is that singing is so subjective... My goal isn't to win, it's to showcase my breadth and depth as a singer on this platform,” said Dong.

Fans of her “vocal trumpeting”, however, may miss seeing that aspect of her singing in upcoming performances.

“The trumpet brings a novelty factor to my performance, but both Jay and I agree it would be more tasteful to give it a break for awhile,” she explained.

Moving forward, Dong will have to vie for a spot against her fellow teammates, including Cho, to represent Chou in the finals.

Describing Cho as a “great singer with explosive power, emotional depth and a distinctive alto timbre”, Dong shared that both singers “often harmonise with each other when singing just for fun”.

“I think we make a great duo…  What we do have in common, and which is both our strengths, is that we have accumulated a good amount of stage experience over the years.

“I've also been on an emotional roller coaster ride, developing strong bonds with my teammates, then having to watch some of them leave,” said Dong.

Last year, Singaporean singer Nathan Hartono took second place in the finals of Sing! China. Hartono also chose Chou as a mentor.

Hartono competed against five other finalists and performed the song Nunchucks with Jay Chou and a cover of the latter’s The Longest Movie at Beijing’s National Stadium.