Inaugural Seniors Got Talent Competition By JT Chen

JT is a karaoke king, an expert in the field. He also writes well. So what you will read below is a combination of both his vocalizing and literary abilities merging as one. 

Thank you, JT for contributing to this blog. And congratulations on winning the competition.

The Bright Spot in My Life

Andrew Goh, 54, who sang Frank Sinatra’s My Way, was among the 10 solo contestants and one
group who vied for the top three spots in the finals of the Inaugural Seniors Got Talent Competition
at Hotel Royal yesterday. The contest was organised by the Singapore Association for Continuing
Education. Ms. Irene Wee, chairman of the competition organising committee, said,  "Our main driving force in undertaking this project is to help people – both the public at large and the seniors
themselves – to see our senior citizens as potential stars and not write them off as not worthy of our
attention or admiration. We think the five minutes or so in the spotlight will be a bright spot in their
lifetime, and for their supporters, the memory of sharing this experience and cheering them on will
be cherished long after the moment is over."

JT Chen sings He'll Have To Go, a Jim Reeves classic hit, during the competition.

The youthful expression and the snazzy outfit of Andrew captured the expectation and the adrenalin
that coursed through us in those five minutes mentioned by Ms. Irene Wee. We seized these
challenging five minutes of fame on that day on 29th December at the Hotel Royal stage. As I
awaited my turn, I witnessed what could be viewed to be an attack of nerves for some of us.
After what seemed to be a long time, I barely bounded onto the stage when the compere called out
my name, JT Chen (image below). I attempted a bit of humour in giving myself this moniker of Jurong Town Corporation to help anyone remember me better.

Then as the backing strain wafted onto the stage, I sang the first line ‘Put your sweet lips a little
closer to the 'phooone’ on cue, as I had done hundreds of times in my practice.

As I stretched on ‘phooone’ I looked in front of me and could hardly make out the audience blacked
out by the spotlight, leaving me to see the three judges quite clearly. As they nodded, my confidence
grew and I responded by marshaling some meaningful gestures in sympathy with the words which I
could begin hearing clearly myself singing. It was a balance between remembering the lyrics and
holding the notes the way they were taught. Thankfully, I remembered the last time singing ‘he’ll
have to go” and thanked the audience before walking woodenly off the stage.

The rest was history. The skit team was announced the 2nd runner-up. Alvin was the 1st runner up
with ‘You Raise Up’. To my surprise, well not totally, I was declared the winner. MY friends and
supporters believed that I had a good chance. Chiefly among them were Anthony Tan, Cecilia Tan, and Den Klass. I must thank my other supporters, Russel Tay, and fellow karaoke kakis for their
support as well. It was a bright spot in my life.

60s pop songs, sexy food, great friends and a peaceful entertaining culture among SGs

I would like to end on Irene’s prophetic note about experiencing and cheering being cherished long
after the moment was over. Indeed, ten individuals remained in contact in a chat group. This chat
group was spawned after twelve individuals attended a voice training course conducted by Singing
Lodge and sponsored by SACE. The photo below showed most of the members. Two went on to
capture the two top placings at the 2018 SGT competition. That will be another story.

The youthful expression and the snazzy outfit of Andrew Goh captured the expectation and the adrenalin of most members in the audience.

The article, Images and YouTube Video: JT Chen.

Other KARAOKE articles that are fun to read:

https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2018/01/mariah-carey-ken-lee-bobby-helms-sang-4.html

https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2010/02/image-of-empty-karaoke-joint-family.html

https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2019/01/billy-yap-sings-like-como-bennett-by.html