Contributed by Kuek Jinhua as part of his Arts & Cultural Journalism class 

Foreign acts in Singapore often find themselves warned about a tamer audience that warms up slowly. Such was the case when indie singer Cao Fang performed at Huayi last Friday. Despite having two energy-charged songs in her opening set, she only received polite applauses from the audience of 160. It was as though they were un-energetic “Little Patients”, like the title of the last song in the set.

But that did not dampen her spirits. “This feels like a big class gathering,” she said. This ice-cold congregation of ‘classmates’ only started to defrost towards the second half of the one-hour gig. They eventually responded and cheered on as their ‘class monitor’ belted out a total of 12 songs from her albums.

Born in Xishuangbana Prefecture in Yunnan, China, Cao Fang moved to Beijing in 2002 to become a recording assistant. Her self-composed album, Black Perfume, was released the following year, winning many accolades. She then went on to produce another self-composed album, Encounter Me, in 2005, before releasing an EP, Farther Than The Sky, under her own label in 2007. 

Her dress style during the performance—a causal white tee and a flowing lilac dress—epitomised the free-and-easy music she makes. A five-man band accompanied Cao Fang in the showcase. They were her long-time friends who saw her through her musical journey. Among them was drummer Wang Lan, whom Cao Fang had idolised for his percussion skills since her teenage days. As he was being introduced, the long-haired percussionist wowed the audience with an attention-grabbing one-minute extravaganza, proving his mettle as the best drummer in China.

Yet the same person challenged Cao Fang’s performance in some instances. For example, the drums proved too strong for her softer vocals at times as demonstrated in the struggle she had during her second piece, “Excuse Me”. An unsuspecting audience member may also find himself startled by the heavy percussion in the bridge linked this song with the opening number “Night”, a soothing instrumental.

However, one must commend the attempt to recreate this tune inside the Recital Studio – it was originally recorded in an open field with two guitars and an organ. Wang Lan’s ride cymbals gave a bright glaze to the ending of the tune. Apparently, Cao Fang also needed time to warm up—and this came in her fourth song, “Encounter Me”. Despite its catchy tune and her efforts to motivate the audience to clap along with her, not many did.

Despite this, Cao Fang later scored in the audience interaction department when she spoke freely to the audience—mostly made up of teenagers, Chinese nationals and locals, and fans requested for song renditions. When a female fan asked for “Spring Flowers Blooming in Autumn”, she playfully rejected the request, saying that it would be performed later. Before she began the above song, she revealed a background story that even Mainland Chinese fans were not aware of.

After terminating her university studies prematurely, she moved to Beijing knowing no one but her superior at the record company. Feeling blue during autumn and thinking of home, she penned the song in the hope that other people in autumn could possess their own blooming flowers. She avoided this song at concerts till last year, as it touched a raw nerve. Another bonus for the Singapore audience was an English song, “Trouble”, which she rarely sings at performances in Beijing.

Soothing songs were definitely Cao Fang’s forte—a series of slow-rock and sentimental tunes enchanted the audience as they swayed along in their seats. “Transparent Dialogue”, a slow number, felt decadent yet charming. The band also helped to build up the atmosphere—gentle guitars, softer drums, lighter cymbal strikes. Another song that enchanted listeners was “In Summer”. Despite being a short one-minute piece, the arrangements of guitar chords and the organ introduction was simple, yet attention grabbing.

Cao Fang also scored some points when she sang “ICY is a Lady” and dedicated this song to the bassist who recently became a father. In her rendition of this catchy number, she emphasised the words “I Love You”—which left people wondering if the emphasis was for her fans or for fathers. While Cao Fang was trying to link to her next song “The Smallest Ocean”, she used a metaphor that flopped: “I just saw Singapore’s smallest ocean at Marina.”

However, the use of electric guitars gave a new feeling to the song, which was otherwise more airy and carefree. In her parting number, she finally managed to get the audience to stand up and wave from side to side to the tune of “Farther Than The Sky”. When the cast took the bows and left the stage, there was an awkward silence before calls for an encore could be heard from the audience. The band then returned on stage sheepishly as they had not prepared for this segment. Still, they went on and performed an unrehearsed cut of “Loly” (Lost + Lonely). Such an attempt, even with minor flaws, felt better and more natural than other rehearsed encores.

The performance was casual, with Cao Fang sitting on a high chair and turning around to see her band members as she sang. But when drummer Wang Lan motivated the audience to clap in triplet-notes, it ended in a messy overture—probably a rhythm too complex for the layperson. Ice-cold fans seem to be the last things on Cao Fang’s mind as she signed off with a breathtaking rendition of an ethnic song in her Jinuo minority tribe.