S'pore singing class student, 70, allegedly lent S$80,000 to help organise concert, yet to get money back

Students from a singing class in Singapore have alleged that they lent tens of thousands of dollars to help organise a concert, but claimed that they have yet to get their money back.

One 70-year-old student has since reported the matter to the police, Shin Min Daily News reported, adding that she reportedly received a liquidation notice from a company that could not repay the debt.

Singing teacher

Prior to this, the concert in question was reportedly held in November 2025, where local artists performed songs from classic local television dramas in the 1980s.

Speaking to Shin Min, one 70-year-old student, Jian (transliterated), said she previously lent a large sum of around S$80,000 to the concert organiser, but alleged that the money was never returned.

Jian had earlier joined a singing class in 2024, where she sang for the elderly for free, Shin Min reported, adding that Jian met the singing class teacher at that time.

After joining the teacher's private singing class, Jian was introduced to a middleman, and she learned from him in 2025 that he would be organising a concert for the artist.

Lent money for concert

The middleman, who raised funds from a number of students for the concert, was said to have initially borrowed S$20,000 from Jian before increasing the amount to S$80,000 on the grounds of cost overruns.

"I agreed because I trusted them," she said, adding that several other people had reportedly donated between S$500 and S$1,000 for the concert.

However, Jian claimed that since the concert in November 2025, she repeatedly asked the middleman to repay the money, but he did not do so, Shin Min reported.

She alleged that he later proposed an instalment repayment plan to repay S$500 per month for five years, which she rejected.

"It's too long and the amount is not enough, so of course I won't accept it," she said.

Police report

Later in February 2026, Jian said she reported the matter to the police after not receiving any repayment.

Shin Min reported that Jian subsequently received a letter from a company under the middleman's name stating that the company was undergoing liquidation and was unable to repay its S$80,000 debt.

Artist claimed to also be victim

Claiming to also be a victim, the artist told Shin Min that she felt like she had been "tricked" by the whole incident.

She argued that she had never handled the S$80,000, with all financial arrangements being handled by the middleman.

"I didn't make any money from this concert," she said.

"In fact, I had to pay for the costumes and other expenses out of my own pocket."

Middleman

The artist also revealed that she had collaborated with the middleman many times in the past, and everything had gone smoothly until this time, when problems arose.

Speaking to Shin Min, the middleman admitted to borrowing S$80,000 from Jian in 2025 due to funding issues for his concert.

He claimed that he never said he would "not repay the money," and added that the company is currently undergoing liquidation, with subsequent debts to be handled through relevant procedures.

Top photo via Shin Min Daily News