Joanna Dong, the Singaporean singer is on her dream run to win the second season of China's musical show "Sing! China". She will be performing in the finale which will be held at the Beijing National Stadium, on Sunday, October 8. It will be aired by Zhejiang Television.
The 35-year-old singer could make history if she wins the competition. However, she is the second Singaporean artist to reach the finals after the first season runner-up Nathan Hartono. While she will be performing at Bird's Nest Stadium her friends and family will definitely hoot for her from Singapore.
Lim Sing Yuen, the dance teacher of the singer taught her an American dance form called lindy hop. While exploring the dance world, Joanna found her interest in jazz music which became the key to success.
"The lindy-hop event will have dancers from all over Asia - Vietnam, China, Hong Kong - not just Singaporeans. We will all watch it together," the 55-year-old dance teacher said, as quoted by The Straits Times.
"We've seen her work hard throughout her career, from a small-time singer to a not-so-small-time singer, doing weddings, corporate gigs and theatre. When we knew she was going to the finals, we were so happy for her," she further added.
In the finals at Beijing, she will be performing against four other contestants, Xiao Kaiye, Ye Xiaoyue, Doris Guo and Zhaxipingcuo. Five of these performers have been coached by Jay Chou, Liu Huan, Na Ying and Eason Chan.
Mandarin popular music star Jay Chou coached Joanna for the talent show. Few of her Singaporean friends will also attend the grand finale to support her including her family members.
Each of the contestants has to perform once with their coaches and then a solo. The judgment will be given by the audience and they will select the best singer via voting.
Jeremy Monteiro, the veteran Singapore jazz singer and the winner of the "Cultural Medallion" award, recently worked with her for Stefanie Sun's Encounter. According to The Straits Times, although, he is suffering from flu, he will not miss her final performance and will watch it on iPhone or iPad.
"I think Joanna will do great. She has such a beckoning style, which makes the listener think that she is singing directly to him. It's a rare attribute that endears singers to their audience members," he said.
