Getai
Encyclopedia
A getai (Simplified Chinese: 歌台), is a usually boisterous live stage performance held during the Ghost Festival commonly held in Singapore
and Malaysia, in contrast to the generally solemn mood of the festival. However the performance is also routinely played at other Chinese festivals. The stage setup is usually composed of temporary structures and situated in the suburbs of the city in any empty field or even in parking spaces or housing estate.
In the past, performances were usually of Chinese operas or puppet shows. The performances are meant to be for the spirits but also for people during the seventh month. With the decline of Chinese opera and traditional puppet shows, the performances evolved to become what is known today as Getai.
Younger people in Singapore may relate to Getai as kitsch
, while older people enjoy dancing and singing along to familiar songs, often in Hokkien
. Traditional singers such as Liu Lingling tend to dress conservatively, while young performers drawn to getai may choose more revealing outfits.
The backdrop of the stage is usually made of cardboard and clothes painted in bright colours, vibrantly illuminated by coloured spotlights. The performers normally don loud and glittery clothing. Some compères indulge in crude humour; others maintain a quick-witted dialogue, joking about local and current affairs, sometimes switching between Mandarin, local Chinese dialects, and even English and Indian languages.
A groundbreaking Getai was held in 2006. This was a twelve hour marathon Getai that saw many famous performers gracing the stage and bringing the crowd to their feet. The organiser was Peter Loh, a veteran in the getai scene. The marathon was a one-of-a-kind and it really awed the whole of Singapore.
Getai has been increasingly accepted and celebrated by the mainstream media. Royston Tan's 2007 movie 881
is based on a pair of getai singers. The Straits Times's social networking and citizen journalism portal STOMP holds the Getai Awards annually to honour popular getai artists. These artists are selected via voting by the general public.
In recent years, getai has also been organized for other Chinese festivals, such as the Mid-Autumn Festival
. Resorts World Sentosa's casino included getai in its 2010 Chinese New Year
celebrations. Loyang Tua Pek Kong Temple arranged getai for the 2010 Mid-Autumn celebrations.
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and Malaysia, in contrast to the generally solemn mood of the festival. However the performance is also routinely played at other Chinese festivals. The stage setup is usually composed of temporary structures and situated in the suburbs of the city in any empty field or even in parking spaces or housing estate.
In the past, performances were usually of Chinese operas or puppet shows. The performances are meant to be for the spirits but also for people during the seventh month. With the decline of Chinese opera and traditional puppet shows, the performances evolved to become what is known today as Getai.
Younger people in Singapore may relate to Getai as kitsch
Kitsch
Kitsch is a form of art that is considered an inferior, tasteless copy of an extant style of art or a worthless imitation of art of recognized value. The concept is associated with the deliberate use of elements that may be thought of as cultural icons while making cheap mass-produced objects that...
, while older people enjoy dancing and singing along to familiar songs, often in Hokkien
Min Nan
The Southern Min languages, or Min Nan , are a family of Chinese languages spoken in southern Fujian, eastern Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, and southern Zhejiang provinces of China, and by descendants of emigrants from these areas in diaspora....
. Traditional singers such as Liu Lingling tend to dress conservatively, while young performers drawn to getai may choose more revealing outfits.
The backdrop of the stage is usually made of cardboard and clothes painted in bright colours, vibrantly illuminated by coloured spotlights. The performers normally don loud and glittery clothing. Some compères indulge in crude humour; others maintain a quick-witted dialogue, joking about local and current affairs, sometimes switching between Mandarin, local Chinese dialects, and even English and Indian languages.
A groundbreaking Getai was held in 2006. This was a twelve hour marathon Getai that saw many famous performers gracing the stage and bringing the crowd to their feet. The organiser was Peter Loh, a veteran in the getai scene. The marathon was a one-of-a-kind and it really awed the whole of Singapore.
Getai has been increasingly accepted and celebrated by the mainstream media. Royston Tan's 2007 movie 881
881 (film)
881 is a 2007 Singaporean musical-comedy-drama film written and directed by Royston Tan, based on the Singapore Getai scene. It is only the second Singaporean film that has been released in Japan....
is based on a pair of getai singers. The Straits Times's social networking and citizen journalism portal STOMP holds the Getai Awards annually to honour popular getai artists. These artists are selected via voting by the general public.
In recent years, getai has also been organized for other Chinese festivals, such as the Mid-Autumn Festival
Mid-Autumn Festival
The Mid-Autumn Festival , also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival or Zhongqiu Festival, is a popular lunar harvest festival celebrated by Chinese and Vietnamese people. A description of the festival first appeared in Rites of Zhou, a written collection of rituals of the Western Zhou...
. Resorts World Sentosa's casino included getai in its 2010 Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year – often called Chinese Lunar New Year although it actually is lunisolar – is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is an all East and South-East-Asia celebration...
celebrations. Loyang Tua Pek Kong Temple arranged getai for the 2010 Mid-Autumn celebrations.
Regulation
A Copyright Permit (for Ad-Hoc Events) is needed for public performances, like getai. This can be acquired from COMPASS - Composers and Authors Society of Singapore Ltd.Popular Getai singers/host
- Chen JinlangChen Jin LangChen Jin Lang is a Singapore 'getai' songwriter legend and King of Hokkien pop.-Personal life:Chen Jin Lang became a nightclub singer at age 9 to supplement the family income. At 16, he released his first Hokkien album. He would go on to release 80 more in Hokkien and Mandarin in his 36-year career...
- Zhong YaonanJohn ChengJohn Cheng You Nam is a Singaporean actor and Getai compére who made his debut in Money No Enough and is most notable for his role in Liang Po Po: The Movie.-Career:...
- Liu Lingling (刘玲玲)
- Lee Pei Fen(李佩芬)Lee Pei FenLee Pei Fen is a Singaporean Getai singer and Getai compére who started singing in getai when she's was 6 years old. She have since been in Getai industry for over 15 years. She's popular among the audience and netcitizens as videos of her singing performance was posted in youtube since...
- Hao Hao (皓皓)
- Lin Li (林利)
- Wang Lei (王雷)
- Zhuang Qing Yu （庄清玉）
- Lin Ru Ping (林茹萍)
- Ming Zhu Sisters (明珠姐妹)