The 30-year-old artist has released three albums, starred in a feature film and been mentored by Mandopop superstar Jay Chou
In 2016, Singaporean musician Nathan Hartono was catapulted to the global stage when he made it to the finals of Chinese TV singing competition Sing! China. The reality contest, which featured famous Mandopop stars as judges, such as Jay Chou and Harlem Yu, broke television and online viewing records that year. It topped ratings for seven weeks in a row and recorded billions of views online.
Hartono eventually emerged as the first runner-up of the competition, which launched his Mandopop career. In 2019, he made his major record label debut with Warner Music China.
We break down five things to know about the artist and his more-than-decade-long career in music.
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His music journey began when he was 14
Hartono has been performing for more than half his life. When he was 14 years old, his parents took notice of his singing talent during a karaoke session. They encouraged him to enter a teen magazine talent contest, where he would later win the top prize.
A year later, he became the youngest performer to headline a show at the Esplanade’s Late Nite series in Singapore. He also studied music production and engineering at the esteemed Berklee College of Music in Boston. Today, Hartono has released three albums and performed on hundreds of stages across Asia.
He has also tried his hand at acting, debuting in a musical titled Spring Awakening, about teenage sexuality, in 2012.
