Casting a Spell

She’s the voice behind one of the nation’s most beloved songs, so it’s only natural that Kit Chan will be performing Home at this year’s golden jubilee National Day Parade (NDP) in August, which will be helmed by Dick Lee, who is also the song’s composer. “The song has been amazing and I’m always happy to sing it. Dick and I, we’ve always wondered how it came to be how it is today. That’s the beauty of having a history—it’s wonderful to have a song that connects you with people and creates memories.” 

Before Kit serves her national service, she has to fulfil service of another kind—“fan service” that is. Four years after her 2011 concert, the songstress will delight her fans with a two-night concert, Spellbound, from June 12 to 13 at The Star Performing Arts Centre’s The Star Theatre.

This year has turned out to be quite a busy one for Kit, even more so after her much-talked-about stint on the latest season of China’s I Am a Singer, a popular reality singing competition. Her short appearance found her new fans. She enthuses, “China was a market that I never actively sought for all sorts of reasons. I think now is a great time because 10 years ago, China was never suitable for me. Things do sort of converge and as long as we keep the faith and keep doing our best, they always work out well.”

For the first time in her over 20-year career, Kit will also be doing a regional tour with confirmed stops in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou next month, and Taiwan and Hong Kong before the end of the year. 

With a name like Spellbound, how do you make magic happen on stage?
Whether you are a performer or in the audience, the ideal stage is when both go into a zone together. It’s not a physical thing, it’s atmospheric, and that really makes a live performance different from a recorded one. I’ll be doing the classics and hits like Heartache and definitely Home; some “B-tracks” that my fans love; and something I’ve not played anywhere else, along with a few surprises. What I can reveal is that, because of my musical theatre background, I will also be doing a musical number.

How has your stint on I Am a Singer influenced your career?
I really think of it as just another project and each one teaches me something different. I suppose one of the most straightforward outcomes is that it has introduced me to the Chinese audience. It also brought me back to basics, because with each episode, you are focused on that one song you need to perform and you share your thoughts as a singer and how music impacts you. I was clear on what I wanted to do - to reach out to a new audience, show them who I am now and not who I was 20 years ago. If they like it, great. If they don’t, that’s okay too. 

What is it like being an artiste today in the age of social media and reality TV shows, as compared to the ’90s?
I think, as an artiste today, you have to make a deliberate choice, to lean into this social media thing, or to stay under the radar and let your work speak for itself. You share moments of your life on social media, it’s almost like a creative process, and there are many ways to do it. In a way, I’m fortunate that I have my musical works to do it. I’m expressing myself through my performances, interviews, songs and shows. I started a Weibo account because it’s was in my contract for I Am a Singer, and I feel it serves a purpose since I don’t go to China often, and it’s a way for the fans to gather and know what I am up to.

Do you have a new album in the works?
There is a plan to do it but I’ve not had time to start work. But yes, it’s in the pipeline.