Kit Chan enthralls at Spellbound concert in Singapore

Channel News Asia | By Han Wei Chou

At her first local concert in four years, Chan reveals that she had the "frightening" experience of thinking should could never sing again, after vocal cord surgery less than a year ago.\

 

SINGAPORE: It has been about four years since Kit Chan's last concert in Singapore, and on Friday night (Jun 12) at The Star Theatre, the songstress reminded fans that nothing has changed - not her technical prowess, nor her consummate showmanship.

Kit Chan performed to a massive crowd at her Friday (Jun 12) gig. (Photo: Aloysius Lim)

This was all the more impressive, considering she underwent surgery on her vocal cords just months ago. "Less than a year ago, I thought I could not sing anymore. I underwent a surgical procedure that left me barely able to speak," Chan revealed, towards the end of her gig.


"Very few people know this. It was a very frightening experience. I thought I could never get back up there again. I had to slowly speak again, then sing again. Am I back up to that level?" asked Chan.
The answer was deafening cheers and thunderous applause.

Kit Chan (left) sings a duet with Jimmy Ye (right) at her Friday (Jun 12) concert. (Photo: Aloysius Lim)

At the start of the show, Chan stepped in a white pantsuit and got things going with her classic hits Worry, as well as You Make Me Drunk.
She went on to perform most of her concert staples such as Show Off, Heartache and Like You as well as a special rendition of Dick Lee's Home - the National Day song which takes on extra significance as Singapore celebrates 50 years of independence this year.

If that was not enough, Chan wowed the audience by showing off her seductive side. Clad in a white sequinned number, she performed Marilyn Monroe's My Heart Belongs To Daddy, full on channelling the late sex symbol and performing like a seasoned cabaret showgirl.
"This song is very special to me. I performed this song with my old classmates when I was 16 at a charity event. The audience was full of older men. When we look back, it really made us go 'What the ****'. Now, I want to perform it for you, because I am of age!" said the 42-year-old singer playfully, prompting the audience to erupt in laughter.
In the unplugged segment of her concert, Chan also sought to reintroduce to the audience, a number of her songs which she felt were lesser-known gems, such as the upbeat Just Like This and Moist Eyes.

Towards the end of the gig, Chan invited special guest Jimmy Ye onstage to perform a duet, before rounding out the evening with Chase, the tearjerker of a song Come Home if the Weather turns Cold, and the titular Spellbound.
Post-concert, Chan's management agency explained that her surgery in the first half of last year was not due to illness but complications caused by acid reflux.
"She decided to share it on stage because it's a very personal spiritual journey of recovery, culminating in this concert," Like Communications wrote on Instagram.
As for why she did not announce it earlier, the agency said this is a "very personal thing, and she didn't want people to think that she's trying to garner sympathy or making news out of it".
"And she's that kind of person who prefers to solve her own problems - so now she's sharing it because it is solved and all is good."
Judging from her performance, all is good, indeed.