Temasek Junior College Wednesday, 12 April 2017

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TEMASEK PRESS Let’s Rock It! BY SHANNA LIM (4B’16), TSANG ZI XUAN (4B’16) PHOTO CREDITS: INFOCOMM CLUB, ASHLEY YEO RUI YIN (4B’16)

Nathan Hartono guesting our Mandopop concert, ‘Let’s Rock It’.

Who would have thought a lone voice from our little red dot would emerge as first runner-up in a high-profile competition like Sing! China? Yes, he is Nathan Hartono, and TJC is honoured to have him as our special guest at our Mother Tongue Fortnight Mandopop Concert this year.

The dashing heartthrob performed his signature covers of popular songs, (有没有

，爱。爱。爱。), and blew the crowd away with his unique mash-up of hit songs like ‘Let Me Love You’ and ‘告白气球’. During the hour-long session, he also shared some special moments with the star-struck audience through games like charades.

As the ambassador for the Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning

(CPCLL), Hartono embodies the spirit of fortitude and passion. Something Singaporean youths can adopt towards learning Chinese. This can be seen from how he overcame his own dislike for Chinese by giving the language a chance. From someone who was barely able to utter a proper sentence in Mandarin, Nathan persevered during the 4 months of the Sing!China competition, actively speaking Mandarin, and gaining confidence in the process. He is now proficient in the language. Through Hartono’s own experience, he has learnt first-hand how useful and indispensable the Chinese language is. Chinese language was once his “unclimbable mountain”, as it is for many of us. But he

Temasek Junior College Wednesday, 12 April 2017

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successfully overcame it and the experience has rewarded him with many opportunities. Through his visit, we have definitely gained some valuable insights. One of which being his steadfast attitude towards learning Mandarin, something that is definitely worth emulating.

Besides Hartono’s outstanding performance, TJ’s talented tutors also won the hearts of the crowd with their amazing rendition of a range of Chinese pop songs. Mr Kwok Zhen Yuan, Miss Lim Xuan Han and Miss Fong Shi Ning sang songs from three iconic bands from the Mandopop industry: Mayday (五月天), S.H.E, and Sodagreen (苏打绿), accompanied by Joshua Ang Jun Xian from 4D’16 on the piano and Mdm Li Hwey Ping playing the violin.

During an interview with Mr Kwok, he mentioned that the songs were picked not just for their long-lasting fame, but also because they raise awareness of social issues and invite listeners to reflect on different aspects of life.

Our teachers collaborating with Nathan Hartono to perform 知足 by Mayday.

“As we all face challenges in life, I thought it would be good to encourage students to be vibrant and adopt a positive mentality through pop culture,” Mr Kwok quipped.

Miss Lim covered childhood favourites songs by S.H.E, such as 不想长大,五月天, with an addictive beat that got the entire audience bobbing their heads and tapping their feet to the rhythm. One of the songs, however with a slightly slower melody and melancholic feel to it, is 爱我的每个人. The message behind the song is a meaningful one

Temasek Junior College Wednesday, 12 April 2017

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where one of the band members, Selina, thanks her fans for supporting her while she was recovering from serious burn injuries sustained during a television shoot. Miss Lim chose this song as she wanted to convey the message that people are not defined by their failures and that, with courage, it is always possible to overcome adversity.

Miss Fong covered songs by Sodagreen. One particular song that left a deep impression would have to be 小时候. The song was written in memory of the singer’s late father and how they maintained a distant relationship due to his father’s strict method of disciplining him. Fortunately, they were able to reconnect before his father passed away, leaving him no regrets.

Knowing the backstory of this song, Miss Fong expressed her own sentiments:

“When I was younger, I was afraid to convey my true feelings to my parents. I feared that I would not live up to their high expectations. But later on in years, I realised that behind the strict fronts they portray, parents do truly love us. They are just not good with expressing their care and concern, and the love they hold deep in their heart”. She reminds us that parents are the ones that raised us and shaped us to who we are today. We should seize every chance we have, to cherish and love our parents.

Lastly, Mr Kwok quotes a line from a song by Mayday. He urges students to pursue their passions, to be ambitious and to never give up on their dreams. Mr Kwok ends by saying, “On your journey towards your goal, there are bound to be people who will drag you down, people who dissuade you from pursuing your dreams. People will criticise you for being naive, but that’s okay because you have tried your best and there is no regret. You will still be happy.”

Truly, the concert was not just a chance for students to appreciate the Chinese language through songs, but also a platform for them to enrich their lives.