http://www.todayonline.com/Entertainment/Music/EDC110804-0000195/Id-like-to-
organically-evolve
Kit Chan walks to the beat of her own drum
by Christopher Toh 04:45 AM Aug 04, 2011
IT'S been one busy year for Kit Chan so far.
Just after helming the Total Defence music video campaign in February, Chan
did a successful two-night stint for the Huayi Festival at the Esplanade,
performing in collaboration with the Singapore Chinese Orchestra.
She then released an album, Reinterpreting Kit Chan, a collection of her
favourite covers, popped in at the Ocean Butterflies gala concert, will do
her bit at the upcoming Singapop concert on Aug 20, and thanks to unexpected
positive response to her album in Hong Kong, she's compiling a special Hong
Kong edition of the album.
Oh, and she's also going to hold her first pop concerts, entitled The Music
Room, which will be held at the Grand Theater in Marina Bay Sands on Oct 13
and 14.
Unlike most Chinese pop concerts, which usually comes along with a lot of
spectacular bells and whistles in the form of stage props, lighting and
pyrotechnics, Chan's shows, organised by MediaCorp Vizpro, will be far
simpler. Although she will be singing her familiar Cantonese, Mandarin and
English hits ("and some songs you've never heard me sing live," she added),
and there may be some costume changes and special guests, Chan said it's not
going to be a glitzy, glam affair.
"I've seen so many different types of shows, but I realise that the things
that strike a chord with me are the ones that are more musically evocative,"
she explained about the format of the show. "Well, the whole show ... should
evoke something in me. Those are the shows that I remember.
"Of course, sometimes it's nice to watch spectacles," she said. "So when I do
a show like this, I'm sure people will be thinking: 'Why is she doing it like
this? Is she digging her own grave'?
"People want more stuff. But the SCO show - which was just me and the
orchestra - did really well. So you never know. Anyway, I'd like to offer an
alternative (to what's out there)."
And no, she's not worried about the turnout. "It's become SOP (standard
operational procedure) for me, I don't think about turnout. It's something
that you have to trust the marketing team to do, and whether one person or
1,000 people turn up, you still have to do the show."
In any case, Chan said, the first person the show had to satisfy was herself.
"In any business, whether you cook food or make clothes, you have to do it
for yourself first. Because how can you guess what people want? You can't.
I'd like to think I'm a discerning person, and there is a time or place for
(this kind of show). That's why we picked Marina Bay Sands. Maybe if I did
the show at the Indoor Stadium, it would be a bit off."
Of course, with all this activity in the music front, is this a sign that Kit
Chan is coming back full steam into the music biz? Don't hold your breath
just yet, she said.
"I have been really busy, but that doesn't mean I will go on like that
consistently," she said. "I've said it before, that I kind of like the idea
of work being seasonal. And this is something that I don't take for granted.
But right now, I'm in my summer phase, this is my Indian summer (and) I'm
enjoying the summer of my contentment.
"After this, I think I need to have my autumn and winter, chill out a bit,
and then think about the next cycle, whatever form it might take," Chan
added.
"It's not that I want to keep people guessing; I'm just marching to the beat
of my own drum. I'd like to organically evolve. I think it's nice to keep
your distance and not let your whole life be dictated (by what others
expect)."
Kit Chan's The Music Room will happen on Oct 13 and 14, 8.30pm at the Grand
Theater, Marina Bay Sands. Tickets at S$68 to S$168 available from Sistic on
Aug 8 onwards.