Wednesday 21 January 2015

ON THE ROAD WITH MICappella


MICappella is Goh Mingwei, Tay Kexin, Peter Huang, Calin Wong, Juni Goh & Eugene Yip

(Pic by Goh Mingwei)


MICappella is going on the road with a Europe tour from 23 Jan to 8 Feb 2015. This Singapore-based acapella group will be performing in Germany and the UK, in places like Berlin, Hiddenhausen, Hamminkeln, Freiburg, Baden-Baden, Wilhelmshaven & London.

SG Music Mine decided to talk to the 6 of them about the group, their music, their new line-up, their favourite holiday destinations, and what we can expect to hear from them during their Europe tour.

Every journey needs to start somewhere, so we began by asking this lively bunch about the origins of their group, because we wanted to know... just WHO is MICappella?

 
How did MICappella get started as a group? And with the recent addition of 2 new group members, Mingwei & Kexin, how do you think that will affect you as a group?

The mastermind was Peter who had then, returned from Taiwan. He first met Calin at an interview where she was the interviewer. The irony is that they started chatting after finding out each other's acappella background and she ended up quitting her job to pursue this full-time.

Eugene was introduced through a close friend of Peter’s.

The group then met Juni for the first time at a local competition where his group got 1st place. When MICappella needed a tenor, we decided to give him a call.

Mingwei was really a stroke of luck when he kind of wrote back in response to our search for a new bassist.

Kexin has been a long time friend of the group and our previous Soprano Ein Ein. When we knew Ein Ein was considering to further her studies, we decided to give Kexin a shot, and here we are!

We are very supportive of Ein Ein pursuing her dreams, and are definitely still very close to each other. As with all changes, we need time to adapt to the new person. But because Kexin is also very professional, she definitely brings about a great energy, and we can't wait to see how our sound will evolve.

 
Briefly describe yourselves.

Calin: Rock chick that likes purple.

Juni: Black wearing colourful individual.
Peter: Hobbled, baseball-playing musician.
Eugene: Slightly colour-blind, collected and polished crooner.
Mingwei: Spec-wearing, blond, bass nerd.
Kexin: A petite dynamite and a small girl with a big voice.

 
Describe MICappella as a group in one sentence.

We are easily motivated by food and can get really crazy if we're allowed to.

 
So what is MICappella’s music like?

#vocalsonly #notkidding #nojoke


MICappella seems to be a bilingual group, the songs you sing are in English and Mandarin. Was it a deliberate decision made by the group to be bilingual? How did that come about, and why?

It was a deliberate decision to do more Mandarin songs than usual, because we always felt that there needed to be more groups doing Mandarin songs, since we are effectively bilingual and all of us are Chinese. We also saw the lack of Mandarin songs, even in China and Taiwanese groups, since this started predominantly in USA and later, Europe. So we kind of saw a small gap in the scene and wanted to fill that gap.
 
However, the fact that we are Singaporean means that we can and still love to sing English songs as well! Therefore, we wanted people to know this unique quality that we, as Singaporeans, have and should be proud of.
 
 
We understand that you’re touring Europe. What songs will MICappella be singing for this “East Meets West” themed concert tour?

We will be singing quite a lot of the latest pop hits, such as “Happy”, “Shake It Off”, mash-up of a Linkin Park and Jolin Tsai song, Iron Maiden, Mayday, and Mandarin classics, such as “One Night In Beijing”, to showcase our type of music, energy and languages. Not forgetting our own original song, “Here We Go” as well!


MICappella has sung onstage in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Europe & the USA. Which is the most memorable place in the world you’ve performed in, and why?

Juni: USA, coz we sang in Mandarin but the audiences who didn't understand what we were singing were still moving and waving their lights to the song.

Calin: Shenzhen, when we took part in the Sing-off. It's an experience that we can never get anywhere else.

Mingwei: Shanghai, coz there's my first show.

Eugene: Hong Kong’s HKAMF, where we performed alongside many stars, including SNSD. Another place is Chengdu's AMC Live Rock Festival where the crowd was huge and the line-up included Suede, FIR and more.
 
 
Are there any interesting on-the-road stories to share with us?

That would be our first-ever overseas trip together to Europe back in 2011! We lived in a motorhome, where 8 of us squeezed into 1 van. We had to drive, eat, poop, live, sleep, cook together, and it really allowed us to very quickly get to know each other on a very intimate level. We shot a music video with scenes all over Europe, and we all sky-dived while Eugene was the domestic god who stayed behind to cook up a feast.


What touring advice can you give a group that’s just starting out now?

Don't be over-rehearsed before going for a trip, because you will burn out before you get there. There will be a lot of time on the road with each other, so instead of going off to do your own thing, it's a great time to also work on your music as a team and bond!
 
 
Since we seem to be talking a lot about travelling, what is your favourite holiday destination, and why?

Calin: New Zealand, I like nature and there are lots of exciting outdoor sports I can do.
Juni: Hongkong in December, because it's nice and cold and there are lots of sales.
Peter: Taipei, because I spent quite a few years there, so it feels like home.
Eugene: New York, because I lived there for a few years, so it feels like home.
Mingwei: Taiwan, as it's easy to communicate and the locals are very hospitable.


What is your favourite thing to do while on holiday?

Calin: Try new food.
Juni: Get to know the locals, make new friends and get to know their cultures.
Peter: Eat the local cuisine.
Eugene: Ransack the local gourmet grocery stores for local ingredients that cannot be found in Singapore.
Mingwei: Eat.


If you had to recommend to your fans a place of interest in your favourite holiday destination for them to visit, where would it be, and why?

Calin: Rotorua in New Zealand. You can visit the hot springs and the multi-coloured geothermal pools. It's a sight that you can't get almost anywhere else.

Juni: City gate outlets in Hongkong. It's at the foot of the mountain where the Giant Buddha is at, so you can fulfill your spiritual needs in the morning, and your material needs later in the day.

Peter: Nan Ji Chang night market in Taipei! It's a night market that only the locals know how to go to, accessible only by cab or your own transport. The food is good and very cheap!
 
Eugene: Metropolitan museum of Art in NYC, they actually transplanted an entire Egyptian temple into the museum compound, and there's a lot of great street food along the corner.

Mingwei: Fengjia night market in Taiwan. There's a lot of good food and shopping.


Promote MICappella in one sentence.

See it to believe it, hear it to love it.

 
For the latest updates on MICappella, check them out in Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube & Weibo.

Their first full length album “Here We Go” is available here!
 
MICappella recently released a cover video of Taylor Swift’s “Style”, and it features their newest group member Tay Kexin.
 
 
 
SG Music Mine wishes them all the best as they leave for their Europe tour today!
 
Bon Voyage MICappella!

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