SING JAZZ sweetens line-up with new acts

New acts include Estelle, Soul II Soul, Gogo Penguin, DJ Nu-Mark, Tompi, MAS1A, The Teng Ensemble, Tim de Cotta, Weish, DJ Drem, and DJ Jnr Tirso.

The second wave of acts have been confirmed for the fifth anniversary edition of The Singapore International Jazz Festival (SING JAZZ) at the iconic Marina Bay Sands, with more incredible artists added to the line-up, including Grammy Award winners, Soul II Soul co-headlining The Late Show on Friday night, with fellow multi-Grammy winner, and “American Boy” songstress, Estelle.

Also showcasing their talent on The Main Stage, this year is an impressive array of Singapore artists including MAS1A, The TENG Ensemble, DJ Drem, Tim De Cotta and weish, performing
with popular Indonesian-artist Tompi and band.

The Main Stage
Opening the waterfront festival on Friday afternoon, is Singapore’s very own weish. As an artist whose primary medium is live loops, is known for creating a multi-layered landscape of sounds with a mixture of singing, vocal percussion and occasional instrumentation. Having gained success early on, she has opened for Canadian indie rock band Tegan and Sara, and has played at the Singapore F1 Grand Prix, and more recently at Laneway Festival.

“I’m incredibly excited to be opening for such an amazing line-up of artists, some of whom will be in Singapore for the very first time. I’m also proud to be able to showcase the world-class talent of our homegrown artists performing alongside other world-class acts,” says weish.

Hot from sell-out shows around the world, is leftfield piano trio GoGo Penguin performing in Singapore for the very first time. The Manchester-based trio conjure richly atmospheric music that draws from their shared love of electronica, their grounding in classical conservatoires and jazz ensembles alongside indie bands, and a merging of acoustic and electronic techniques.

Over the past few years, it has earned them rapturous responses all over the world—The New York Times highlighted them as one of the 12 best bands at SXSW 2017— proving that they’re just as at home playing to muddy festival goers, as they are to jazz fans. Described as music for the heart, head and feet, there are acoustic-electronica elements, but they draw equally on rock, jazz and minimalism, game soundtracks and glitchy-electronica to create their unique music.

Saturday’s show will open in the late afternoon with The TENG Ensemble. At first glance they may appear to be a classical Chinese instrumental group, but once they start playing, things are not so simple. Inspired by Singaporean heritage and Asian sounds, TENG’s music marry traditional and contemporary sounds in innovative ways.

Creating a sound that is indeed unique to Singapore, TENG merges popular styles with classical techniques and gives a modern touch to fond tunes of yesteryear. “Over time, we’ve evolved beyond being a Chinese instrumental ensemble to that of an intercultural ensemble, inspired by music of our time and of our past,” explains Dr Samuel Wong, artistic director and pipa player for the ensemble.

Following The TENG Ensemble is the hugely popular Indonesian jazz singer, Tompi. Born and raised in Lhokseumawe Aceh, Tompi got his big break, gaining national recognition for a crispy, soulful performance on the world music album, Bali Lounge. Tompi’s vocal character is influenced by traditional Acehnese songs, and will no doubt be a hit with SING JAZZ festival-goers, especially after featuring with Bluey and Citrus Sun at The Late Show last year, for which he received rave reviews.

The Late Show
Opening to a sensational Friday night party at The Late Show, is vocalist, bassist, songwriter and producer, Tim De Cotta. Styled in R&B and Hip Hop, Tim draws influences from artists such as Maxwell, John Legend, Common and Mos Def while styling his bass-playing after the likes of Derrick Hodge and Stuart Zender. Having played with various bands, Tim’s music career constantly gets his hands dirty in musical diversity, pushing the boundaries in writing and production with current bands such as TAJ, L.A.B, neoDominatrix and Kilo Habit.

Tim’s introductory act will lead up to a nostalgic experience by the legendary Soul II Soul performing in Singapore for the very first time. The British musical group who have sold over 10 million albums worldwide, are best known for their 1989 UK chart-topper and US Top 5 hit “Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)” and “Keep On Movin’” which reached number 5 in the UK and 11 in the US. The twice-awarded Grammy Winners, have appeared at famous venues all over the world including Wembley and New York’s Universal Ample Theatre, and are expected to raise the roof with their hits that have made them household names around the globe.

Flying in from Los Angeles with her 8-piece band is none other than hit record maker, Estelle, whose international recognition came with the debut of her second album Shine, released under John Legend’s Homeschool label.

Estelle experienced mainstream success with her radio hit single “American Boy” in collaboration with Kanye West, reaching number 1 in the UK, and winning a Grammy Award for “Best Rap/Song Collaboration”, in addition to being nominated for “Song of the Year” among many other awards worldwide.

Known for her eclectic mix of various musical genres including R&B, soul, reggae, grime, hip hop and dance, such as her collaboration with David Guetta in “One Love,” the contemporary British siren is about to release her fifth album, which journeys her musical career back to some of its original reggae influences.

Drem, the DJ who has crossed cultural borders with his music will take the Friday night party to dawn. Born in the Philippines, raised in Singapore and immersed in the San Francisco scene, Drem is known for his appreciation of old school hip hop, his deep soulful roots and his Calitablist-style mixing. Packing the dance floor week after week with a set filled with chart bangers, remixes, and mash-ups, Drem will bring his own blend of hip hop to partygoers.

Fresh from performing at Laneway, and opening for American superstar Ms. Lauryn Hill on Saturday night is rapper, singer and DJ, MAS1A. Born in Singapore and raised in Canada, she was both the first female and the first Asian to be nominated for a Much Music Canada award in the male-dominated category of Rap. She went on to attract the attention of both Dr Dre’s label, Aftermath, in America and Bob Marley’s studio, Tuff Gong, in Jamaica and boasts song collaborations with celebrity acts including Pharrell, The Game, and Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ John Frusciante.

Most recently, her underground hit “Warriors Tongue” was sampled on Bass Nectar’s “Speakerbox”, the title track of the trailer for ‘The Fast And The Furious 8’. The Empress of hip hop and dancehall is back in Singapore to reclaim the throne at SING JAZZ.

Regarded as one of the most innovative DJ’s in music culture, DJ Nu-Mark takes the stage late on Saturday night at The Late Show with wicked sounds from the American hip hop producer. An original member of the critically acclaimed, gold-selling hip hop outfit, Jurassic 5, and the owner of Hot Plate Records, he has collaborated with and produced for a variety of artists across different genres, including J-Live, Aloe Blacc, Charles Bradley, and Bumpy Knuckles.

In 2013, he reunited with J5 for a staggering performance at Coachella, and has been featured in the critically acclaimed documentaries Scratch, KeepinTime, Coachella: The Movie, Rock the Bells – The Documentary and MacGrubber. The same year he created original beats and co-scored both ‘Battle Of The Year’ starring Chris Brown, and ‘Ride Along’ starring Ice Cube and Kevin Hart.

Having stepped up to the plate as one of Singapore’s electronic dance music purveyors, Jnr Tirso, closes The Late Show party for 2018 with his diverse style of music. His impassioned focus on soulful, feel-good, compositionally dazzling music is the core of all his creative endeavours, and party-goers can expect a massive finale performance from the musical impresario.

The majority of the Early Bird tickets for the highly anticipated SING JAZZ festival are now sold out, with regular tickets going on sale on Saturday 11 February 2018.