September 03, 2018, 06:15 PM 
Singapore's getai performances are getting increasingly international.
Besides the inclusion of performers from China and Malaysia in recent years, getai organisers have also been roping in some international acts in a bid to attract a newer demographic.
Other than renowned Hong Kong Cantopop singer William So, foreign guest singers this year included online celebrity Elie Kipanga from Congo and former British expat Mike Nigus.
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'African Jay Chou'
A 26-year-old singer, Kipanga, known as Su Yang (苏阳) to his Chinese fans, performed last Saturday, Sept. 1, at a getai organised by Yun Yin Dian Association, Lianhe Zaobao reported.
After the show, he was also seen interacting with local children.Kipanga was dubbed "African Jay Chou" for his covers of Mandopop singer Jay Chou's songs -- his cover of the song Dao Xiang has been viewed over 2.2 million times since it was posted in 2015.
He has even shared a stage with Singaporean Mando-pop singer JJ Lin on Chinese variety music show Come Sing with Me 3.
This is not the first time Kipanga has performed at a getai in Singapore.
Channel 8 News reported on his performance last year at a getai -- also organised by Yun Yin Dian Association -- which included four Mandopop songs, such as JJ Lin's She Says, and George Michael's Careless Whisper.
Former British expat a regular supporter of getai
As for 70-year-old British national Mike Nigus, he sang Chuck Berry's Johnny Be Good to overwhelming response from the crowd, who also enjoyed listening to his attempts at speaking Mandarin.
Unlike Kipanga, Nigus is not a singer.
The British national lived and worked in Singapore at a maritime engineering company for more than 10 years before moving back to London for retirement around eight years ago.
His love for local getai culture started nine years ago when he first attended a getai with his wife.
He told Lianhe Zaobao:
"When they invited me on stage to sing a song, the crowd's reaction was phenomenal.
Since then, they would always get me to sing each time I come back.
Besides his annual trips here to support the Hungry Ghost Festival where he would sing no more than one song, he even pays S$6,000 out from his own pocket each time to sponsor zodiac plushies for that particular year.
What is getai?
According to Infopedia, getai, which literally means "song stage" in Chinese, is said to have originated during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore.
It is now a popular form of entertainment that is mainly staged during the Hungry Ghost Festival to entertain both the living and the dead.
Top image adapted via Yun Yin Dian Association/FB
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