Sounds Easy celebrates the golden years at Zirca

Date of Performance : 27th June 2009 (Saturday)

Sounds Easy was invited by the Ulu Pandan Community Club Youth Executive Committee (UPCC YEC) to sing for the community event called My Youthful Golden Years. This event is in conjunction with the YEC's efforts to celebrate the contributions of the older Singaporeans, and its highlight is a beauty paegent for five pairs of golden-aged couples. The other interesting thing is that this event is held at the very happening Zirca Mega Club, again attesting to the YEC's efforts to help bridge the old and young generations. Given this unique opportunity, Sounds Easy was very happy to take up the offer.

It was not easy preparing for this event, as our repertoire was mainly songs that were from our generation. We were told that the group is mainly Chinese speaking, so we can explore old Chinese songs. We researched a little, and came up with arrangements of the following :

(1) A medley of "Got My Mind Set On You" (George Harrison) and "Stand By Me" (Ben E. King) . Both are upbeat numbers that were made famous in the 70s and 80s. These songs should appeal to our golden agers, given that they should be in their 30s during this period.

(2) An arrangement of Kit Chan's " 喜欢你" ( Xi Huan Ni, Chinese for "Loving You'), a soothing ballad that was made famous in the 90s. Audience who enjoy Chinese songs should enjoy this. Our arrangment of this piece has a touch of bossa nova, so that even people who do not understand this piece will also enjoy the soothing harmonies.

(3) A rendition of "家后" (pronounced "Geh Au"; literally meaning "behind the house", but figuratively referring to one's lifelong partner), a popular Hokkien song that was featured in a local film “Money no Enough”. The song sings the love of a wife to her spouse, and we thought this touching piece will definitely strike a chord among the older folks.

(4) A medley of "Heaven is a Place on Earth" (Berlinda Carlisle) and "I think we're alone now" (Tifanny). These two energetic pieces, though written in the 80s, are still familiar favourites today, since they are still being played in clubs. We believe this medley should appeal to both the old and young.

The event was a bustling affair, as apart from supporting their friends in the pageant,the audience was treated to a magic show and was entitled to a lucky draw. Our performance was very well received as well, and we could tell that they enjoyed both the Chinese and Hokkien songs. Overall, we enjoyed every moment of presenting our unique brand of a cappella music in one of the hippest clubs in towns. Thank you UPCC (especially Denny who provided a lot of support for us), friends (Darren, Jane and Kee Leong), family, and the wonderful audience who were there for us that evening. We hope to have more of such opportunities to present our unique brand of music.