Getai Kitsch: Reinterpretation of Getai's Aesthetics as a Visual Language for Contemporary Culture. Act 1

GETAI KITSCH Act GETAI KITSCH 01 Getai Kitsch: Reinterpretation of Getai’s Aesthetics as A Visual Language for Contemporary Culture Understanding Getai through Research, Personal Accounts and Interviews

A Design Project by Sylvester Tan Powered by Co-Editors Sylvester Tan and Bridgel Sze Design Direction Sylvester Tan Special Thanks Candice Ng Ee Ching Sylvester is a multidisciplinary graphic designer with professional experience in art direction, brand identities, editorial design, information design and motion design. Apart from his commercial work, Sylvester’s own practice lies in academic research on social design, focusing on the impact of graphic design on society and culture. Having a background in research allows him to, through design, critique current day sociopolitical issues and provoke audiences into questioning them. It also aids him in delivering to clients well-informed designs, which are socially conscious and current. Visit Getaikitsch.com for all Open Source Materials.

GETAI KITSCH Act GETAI KITSCH 01 Getai Kitsch: Reinterpretation of Getai’s Aesthetics as A Visual Language for Contemporary Culture Understanding Getai through Research, Personal Accounts and Interviews

4 Coversations with Insiders

The rise and fall of Getai and its challenges Getai or song stage ahead is one of very few live stage performances in Singapore that is synonymous with Chinese festivities. Getai is typically known for its songs sung in Chinese dialect, over-the- top embellished costumes, and makeshift stages in open-air venues. Getai’s live performances are meant to entertain wandering spirits during the Hungry Ghost Festival which falls on the seventh month of the Lunar Calendar. However, due to its popularity amongst elderly Singaporean Chinese, Getai has gone on to be staged by various entities throughout the years, such as Residents’ Committees, Community Centres and Chinese temples. The predominant use of Hokkien—historically the most prominent Chinese provincial dialect in Singapore—in Getai festivities makes them some of the very few public occasions in which vernacular ACT 01 Understanding Getai through research, 5 personal and insiders’ accounts

languages are openly used.1 Getai is believed to 1 Liew Kai Khiun and Brenda Chen, Vestigial Pop, have originated during the Japanese Occupation Hokkien popular Music and the Cultural Fossiliza- of Singapore. Although the Japanese heavily tion of Subalternity in Singapore. Journal of So- controlled all local media and entertainment cial Issues in Southeast Asia Vat. 28, Na. 2 (2013), pp. 272-98. during this period, they allowed the proliferation of Getai because they, too, enjoyed these musical performances and entertainment. It caught on among locals as well, as it was a source of distraction from the hardships of the Occupation. After the Occupation and the end of World War II, due to the limited forms of entertainment available, Getai retained its popularity among the masses.2 In the post- 2 Koh, and Jaime. “Getai.” Infopedia, February war 1950s, Getai performances flourished 25, 2015. http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infope- due to their establishment at the three major dia/ articles/SIP_2015-02-25_161203.html. amusement parks, namely: Great World, Happy World and New World. These amusement parks featured forms of entertainment such as cabaret, opera, movies, gaming, sport matches, stunts and shopping, and were the go-to places for leisure among locals before the advent of television and shopping malls.3 From the 1960s, Getai in amusement parks began to decline in popularity due to competition 3 Omar, Marsita. “Gay World (Happy World)” In- from newer attractions and alternative forms fopedia, February 25, 2015. https://eresources. of entertainment such as the introduction of nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_1044_2006- 06-01.html black-and-white and colour television in the 1960s and 70s respectively. However, Getai managed to find its new space and purpose as a form of entertainment to appease the unseen during the Hungry Ghost Festival, giving rise The early Street Getai were usually to the Street Getai we see today. performed on makeshift stages built from wooden panels on stilts at various open-air venues around It has since become an identifying Singapore. The stages were decorated with wood feature of the festival. panels which were hand-painted with colourful motifs and calligraphic Chinese typography complemented by dazzling lights. On top of the musical performances, the performers adorned themselves with flamboyant costumes, and occasionally performed R-rated skits in Hokkien. From the late 1990s, Getai faced several restrictions imposed by local authorities which made it more difficult to stage performances. Getai organisers had to pay for copyrighted musical license fees, and the content of the live performances was heavily regulated. In 2000, a new rule came into effect that festivities must end at 10.30pm to reduce noise pollution. This meant less time for performances. There was also less time for auctions—which were a significant part of raising money for 6 The History of Getai and its aesthetics

the following year’s Hungry Ghost Festival celebrations—resulting in lower revenue to fund future Getai performances. This caused a significant drop in the number of Getai performances in Singapore during the early 2000s. Since then, there have been multiple efforts made to revive Getai and preserve this uniquely Singaporean tradition. STOMP, a local online news source, holds the annual Getai Awards to honour prominent Getai performers and promote Getai to a larger audience. STOMP has also launched an online portal providing information on Getai performances, in an attempt to promote Getai to younger, predominantly English-speaking Singaporeans. Local filmmaker Royston Tan released the film “881” in 2007, a fictional narrative which accurately depicts local Getai culture. The campily-approached film features Hokkien Getai songs and heavy Hokkien dialogue, which helped Getai successfully reach out to a pool of younger audiences. Within the Getai community, much has been done to “renew” Getai in an attempt to attract bigger and younger audiences. Getai organisers have upgraded their equipment and stage designs, from analogue hand-painted backdrops to the current digital Light Emitting Diode (LED) panels. The LED panels allow organisers the flexibility to easily create digital graphics, giving a more professional and contemporary Makeshift stage built from wooden panels visual experience. There have been more youths joining the industry in on stilts. recent years as Getai performers, bringing with them more elaborate and Getai performers on stage during the early embellished costumes. Lex(s) Entertainment Production, the biggest Street Getai era. The hand-painted backdrop local Getai production company, also managed to bring Getai to Orchard are commonly used to decorated the Road—a popular area in Central Singapore—to reach out to younger makeshift stage. LED screens are used nowadays to enhance the visual exprience. audiences. They were also the first to live-stream Getai performances on social media, keeping up with the current digital age. While these initiatives have successfully captured some attention among local youths in recent years, they weren’t enough to sustain youths’ interest in Getai. Recent on-site observations at multiple Getai performances show that no Singaporean youths were present at any Getai performances. A survey, conducted among a pool of 77 Singaporean youths between the ages of 18 to 35, suggests that most young Singaporeans lack any personal interest in Getai and see Getai as being kitsch. A significant number of surveyees agreed that language, Westernisation, pop culture and societal progression in Singapore are reasons why young Singaporeans lack interest in Chinese cultural practices such as Getai. Some words used by them to describe Getai were “gaudy”, “low-class”, “non-progressive”, “old-fashioned”, “tacky”, “ugly” and “cheap”. Such perceptions indicate a lack of appreciation towards Getai among local youths, even with multiple attempts to renew it and improve its quality. ACT 01 Understanding Getai through research, 7 personal and insiders’ accounts

8 The History of Getai and its aesthetics

My Relation- ship with Getai My relationship with Getai started 22 years ago, at the age of four. My older sister won a popular televised singing competition which immediately led to her kick-starting her Getai career. According to her, performing in Getai was a big deal back then as there weren’t many platforms or opportunities for aspiring singers. The singing competition was a stepping stone for singers to gain popularity and get scouted by Getai organisers, with the hopes of attracting their interest and being invited for gigs. Growing up, I saw first-hand the amount of effort my sister would put in to prepare for a stage performance merely fifteen minutes long. Not only did she have to select and memorize three to four of her own songs, she also needed to constantly update her mental “music library” by memorising new popular songs so that she could sing them if ACT 01 Understanding Getai through research, 9 personal and insiders’ accounts

they were requested by the audience on the spot. Costumes were, and still are, a big deal in Getai. While youths today see these costumes as tacky and over-the-top, singers have to personally come up with funds for these painstakingly customised and made-to-order costumes every year. Acting as her manager, my mother always ferried my sister around for her Getai performances. I grew up in the unique Getai environment by accompanying my mother and sister as they participated in various Getai events. It eventually became normal for me to see performers wearing heavily embellished costumes, to listen to loud Hokkien music and to be familiar with the religious rituals that Getai stakeholders had to perform during every Hungry Ghost Festival. From a very young age, I was regularly experiencing the visual culture of Getai and fully understanding Chinese traditions related to the Hungry Ghost Festival. I could also speak fluently in Hokkien dialect and was very familiar with most of the Hokkien and old Chinese songs. It therefore allowed me to grow up with a unique childhood, being fully immersed in the Getai environment. I didn’t realise it was “not normal” growing up in this environment until I started entering my teens at about 13 years old. Telling people about my family background was not a pleasant experience at all; I was laughed at a lot whenever I told peers in school about my sister being a Getai performer. To them, it was considered weird and low-brow. My peers in school were also surprised that I didn’t know much about Western pop culture and I was constantly made fun of for listening to “old-fashioned” music. Slowly, I became ashamed of my family background. I gradually grew apart from Getai and stopped going with my family to Getai performances. A few years back, I attempted to reconnect with Getai by conversing about it with my mother. I found out that not a lot has changed, other than the colourful, decorated wood-panelled stage designs that I remembered from my childhood being replaced by digital LED screens. The over-the-top costumes, the “tacky” visuals and the musical numbers have 10 My Relationship with Getai

pretty much remained the same. It also made me realise that my decision to distance myself from Getai years ago directly reflects the general negative perception of Getai among local youths. As an aspiring graphic designer, I started paying more attention to Getai’s kitsch aesthetics and wanted to incorporate them into my body of work. However, there weren’t any archives that properly documented Getai’s visual culture, especially the beautiful hand-painted backdrops. Therefore, Getai Kitsch: Reinterpretation of Getai’s Aesthetics as a Visual Language for Contemporary Culture is a self-initiated design project which proposes an alternative design method to preserve Getai’s visual culture without compromising on its kitsch aesthetics. It focuses on the documentation and deconstruction of Getai’s visual forms, to create an open-source graphic library which encourages users to re-interpret these graphic forms for their own use. It will also consist of my take on these graphics as an attempt to break the negative connotations that are attached to Getai, by applying them to contemporary consumables. I hope this will help younger Singaporeans overcome the cultural estrangement they feel towards Getai and form an appreciation towards it. ACT 01 Understanding Getai through research, A picture of my mum, sister and myself 20 personal and insiders’ accounts years ago. it was during the time when my mum frequently brought my sister around for singing competition. My sister singing forr a Getau performance. 11

12 My Relationship with Getai

Conversations with 1. Struggles of a new generation Getai singer 2. From a young Getai audience perspective 3. Getai stage design production lead share his design process 4. Unfiltered conversation with the new gen Getai organiser Insiders To understand people’s perception of Getai from multiple perspectives, I chatted with four individuals who have rich knowledge on the Getai industry. They shared their views on Singaporeans’ perspectives on Getai, along with other unfiltered, insightful information on the industry that illustrates the current and future challenges faced in preserving this unique aspect of Singaporean Chinese culture. ACT 01 Understanding Getai through research, 13 personal and insiders’ accounts

Anderene Choo Struggles of a new generation Getai singer Q1 Tell me about yourself. My name is Anderene, I’m 21 years old and I’m currently pursuing my university degree Q2 Tell me about how you started off as at a local private university. I have been in the Getai a Getai performer. What was the industry for about 7 to 8 years. In Getai, I usually sing motivation behind it? Why do you Chinese dialect songs and Chinese oldies. choose to perform for Getai? The reason why I wanted to join this industry is because there weren’t many platforms in Singapore to sing live on a daily basis, except for places like pubs and bistros. Getai is one of those places where you can perform live with actual live audiences and bands. Unlike bistros and pubs, performing for Getai is a one-of-a-kind experience where the audiences are mostly older Singaporeans. The interaction between sing- ers and audiences is very different and is much more casual. I think I am more comfortable performing for Q3 ​What kind of people do you Getai because since I was young, I have been listening normally see attending Getai to Chinese dialect songs due to my parents’ influence. performances? Do you see younger It’s the type of genre that I am most familiar with. people your age attending Getai performances? Most of the audience are Singapor- ean elderly. Occasionally there will be younger audi- ences who accompany their family to watch Getai, and Q4 Do your friends/schoolmates know even passers-by who are just curious about Getai. I you are a Getai singer? What was don’t encounter any youth my age specifically attend- their reaction when they found ing Getai to watch the performances. out? Actually, most of my close friends are quite supportive of my Getai career. They actually think that it’s quite cool to have friends that perform for Getai and always make fun of me for being the most well-known person in Singapore among our circle of friends. However, I did encounter a bad experience with my schoolmates back when I was still in polytechnic. One of them happened to find out that I was a Getai singer. He started Googling my name and found all my performance videos on You- Tube. I’m not sure if it was intentional but he chose “I always get laughed at videos that dated back a few years, when I was still whenever I introduce myself as a rookie singer, and started playing them out loud in a Getai singer. Singaporeans class. I felt really embarrassed because it really wasn’t generally have a bad impression a good performance. I guess it did hurt my feelings as of Getai; they think Getai is a well, because it was an intentional act to shame me in front of my classmates. cheap, low-end concert.” 14 Coversations with Insiders

Q5 Do you think younger Singaporeans will enjoy these performances and aesthetics? Why? I think in terms of stage designs, younger Singaporeans might enjoy them because of the current LED lights and better stage production. However, I really don’t think they would enjoy the costumes as much. We are at the stage where Q6 Some young Singaporeans think we consume a lot of content from pop culture; younger Getai is distasteful and “kitschy”. Singaporeans are influenced by those cultures and Do you receive these kinds of use it as standards for what is considered trendy and comments as well? beautiful. They mostly think Getai costumes are too I do. I always get laughed at when- old-fashioned and over-the-top. ever I introduce myself as a Getai singer. Singaporeans generally have a bad impression of Getai; they think Getai is a cheap, low-end concert. I saw comments on Q7 Where do you think Getai an online news article where people said that Getai is is heading? Is it thriving or for low-class citizens. It definitely affected me a little. diminishing? Why? I think Getai will definitely face challenges in the future because currently, the audiences are mainly older Singaporeans. After the Pioneer Generation (Singaporeans born before 1950), there will no longer be audiences that watch Getai any more and eventually Getai will be phased out. Actually, all along, this has been an issue for Getai. This is why we see a slow decline in the audience numbers. Q8 Do you think it is important to “One of my classmates happened appeal to the younger audience? to find out that I was a Getai Why or why not? singer. He started Googling Yes, I do think it’s important. As my name and found all my mentioned earlier, younger Singaporeans will be taking performance videos on YouTube. over the Pioneer Generation, and if we don’t find ways I’m not sure if it was intentional to target these younger audiences, Getai will no longer but he chose videos that dated exist without a substantial amount of audience mem- back a few years, when I was bers. Singers, like myself, are constantly trying to bring in more content that attracts a younger crowd by sing- still a rookie singer, and started ing Chinese pop songs. Recently, more Getai organ- playing them out loud in class.” isers have started to live-stream Getai performances on social media in order to target younger audiences and people from overseas. However, I think this is a short-term solution. We have to find sustainable ways Q9 In your opinion, what are some to appeal to the younger audiences. ways we can preserve this unique culture of Singapore? I don’t have the answer right now, but I feel that we have to try different methods to attract the younger crowd in order to keep Getai culture alive. Ultimately, Getai is part of Singapore’s unique culture and it should be preserved for as long as we can. ACT 01 Understanding Getai through research, 15 personal and insiders’ accounts

Ysanne Tan From a young Getai audience perspective Q1 Tell me about yourself. My name is Ysanne, and I just graduated from a local university. Honestly, I don’t really listen to music on a day to day basis but I do enjoy watching Getai whenever possible. Q2 When did you start watching Getai “The Getai posters performances? How often do you you see on social watch Getai? Why do you enjoy media are usually watching it? My mum loves watching Getai performances, so from very badly done, with a very young age, I had been following my mum around to watch Getai. bad cropping and I personally understand Chinese dialect quite well, hence I was able to unpleasing design.” understand the dialogues and the songs they play which is very interesting to me. Now, even though not as frequently, I still attend Getai performances because I find it quite nostalgic. Q3 What kind of people do you Even though there have been many changes to Getai normally see attending Getai throughout the years, the vibe remains pretty much performances? Do you see younger the same. people your age attending Getai performances? It is quite sad nowadays, because Q4 Getai is also associated with whenever I attend Getai, I don’t see young people elaborate costumes, and colourful around my age. The audiences are mostly older Un- lighting and backdrops. What do cles and Aunties. you think of the general aesthetic of Getai? Do you like it? Why? I personally enjoy seeing all these elaborate costumes that the singers wear because it is part of Getai’s identity and the style doesn’t really deviate much from the past, unlike the lighting and backdrops which have slowly become pretty much the same as professional concerts nowadays. Sometimes performers wear these costumes for a partic- ular purpose; for example, they would dress up as deities if the Getai show is organised to celebrate the anniversary of a particular temple. I find them really interesting. I particularly love this Taiwan- Q5 What are some of the significant ese singer who moved to Singapore to become a Ge- changes in Getai you have observed tai performer; his name is Hao Hao. He always wears throughout the years? very over-the-top outfits for his performances and he There were a lot of changes to Getai became popular in the Getai scene because of that. in the past few years and LED lights are a good example. In the past the stage designs were mostly analogue, decorative wood panels, with minimal laser lights. Ev- ery Getai uses LED lights now and it has become very modernised. They also try to make it more elevated and entertaining by inviting background dancers. 16 Coversations with Insiders

Q6 Do your friends know about your interest in Getai? YES! They do. I always get very excited talking about it. I remember telling my colleagues about Getai and they were quite sur- prised. “Huh, I thought Getai is for old people?” was their first reaction, and I shut them down by telling them Q7 Young Singaporeans like yourself how interesting Getai is, haha! are generally quite unfamiliar/ not interested in Getai and the purposes behind it. Why do you “Hao Hao has been banned think that is the case? from performing cross-dressing I think it is mostly due to Western- performances as they are seen isation and pop culture, which are causing younger to be promoting queer culture, Singaporeans to not see the importance of our local even though cross-dressing heritage and culture. I think language is causing it as performances have been a part well. Young Singaporeans don’t really understand or speak Chinese dialects because Singapore doesn’t of Getai’s culture for many years.” actively promote speaking these languages. English and Mother Tongue take priority in our education sys- tem. Hence, they are not interested in Getai because Q8 Do you think Getai Culture can be they can’t understand what the Getai performers are sustained? saying. Music genre is probably another reason. The Based on what I gathered through songs they play are catered to the elderly audience, word of mouth, many restrictions have been imposed usually oldies and dialect songs. It is not something by the authorities nowadays. Less licenses have been youth are listening to nowadays. issued this year for Getai performances. They also only allow Getai performances to be situated at certain locations due to the complaints the authorities received from the residents. Hence, it is even more difficult now for younger people to see all these performances physically. Because of these restrictions, many live auctions—which are a significant part of raising money for the following year’s Hungry Ghost Festival celebra- tions—have been cancelled. Hence organisers are not Q9 In your opinion, what are some able to fund future Getai performances subsequently. ways we can preserve this unique This jeopardizes the sustainability of Getai culture. The culture of Singapore? authorities also heavily regulate the content of Getai; I think Getai needs more exposure for example, Taiwanese performer Hao Hao has been and better publicity. The Getai posters you see on so- banned from performing cross-dressing performanc- cial media are usually very badly done, with bad crop- es as they are seen to be promoting queer culture, ping and unpleasing design, hence I think the publicity even though cross-dressing performances have been materials can be improved. I also think that Getai or- a part of Getai’s culture for many years. ganisers need to try inviting local music artistes to oc- casionally perform, to help promote Getai to a younger audience. Lastly, I think the Getai organisers need to come together and create a centralised online platform to provide all the information about where to watch Getai performances. Currently it is very difficult to find out where Getai performances are located. ACT 01 Understanding Getai through research, 17 personal and insiders’ accounts

Gui Ping Getai stage design production lead shared his design process Q1 Tell me about yourself. My name is Gui Ping, and I run a stage production company that mainly specialises in Getai stage production. Q2 Tell me about how you started off as a Getai sound and lighting Q3 What kind of people do you specialist. How long have you been normally see attending Getai in the industry? performances? Do you see No significant reasons actually, I younger people attending Getai have just been doing this for the past 20 odd years. performances as well? No, I don’t really see many young Q4 What are some of the significant people hanging around watching Getai performanc- changes in Getai you have observed es. The viewers are mostly elderly Singaporeans like throughout the years? Why do you myself. think they changed? Getai production has slowly be- come more advanced these days. In the past, we were only able to provide basic sound systems and lighting equipment, and if the budget allows, we would use decorative wood panels as a backdrop for the stage. With better technology nowadays, we are able to use Q5 As a Getai sound and lighting higher quality, more advanced types of equipment, like specialist, how do you create the LED lights, and we have more control over the light- graphics and the lighting? Where ing and the things we want to display as a backdrop. do you get your inspiration from? I think these changes are necessary to keep up with We usually use Photoshop to create current technology and it is also a way for us to remain all key visuals for the backdrops. We try to make the competitive in this small industry. backdrop as eye-catching as possible because it acts as a decorative element for the stage. We play moving images as well, to accompany the music. The graphics are usually taken off the Internet; we add text over it and apply some effects over the text to make it more outstanding. We put the graphics together based on the event it is for. If the Getai show is for a temple’s annual celebration, we will search for more traditional graphics online and Q6 Young Singaporeans are generally choose a traditional-looking font to go with it. quite unfamiliar/not interested in Getai and the purposes behind it. Why do you think this is the case? I think it is mainly because of the music genre, which doesn’t suit young peoples’ tastes. The Getai organisers should bring in more young per- formers to perform pop music items which might help to reach out to the younger crowd. 18 Coversations with Insiders

Q7 In that case, do you think it is important to appeal to the younger audience aesthetically in terms of stage production? Yes, I think it is important, which is why we are constantly upgrading our equipment to cre- ate a professional live concert experience. I would say the current stage design in Getai is on par with those of big concerts. “The graphics are usually taken off the Internet; we add text over it and apply some effects over the text to make it more outstanding. We put the graphics together based on the event it is for. If the Getai show is for a temple’s annual celebration, we will search for more traditional graphics online and choose a traditional-looking font to go with it.” ACT 01 Understanding Getai through research, 19 personal and insiders’ accounts

Chew Jian Hao Unfiltered conversation with the new gen Getai organiser Q1 Tell me about yourself. My name is Jian Hao. I currently hold a full time job, but on the side I am heavily involved in helping my dad, who is a Getai organiser, to run his Q2 Tell me about how you started off Getai business. as a Getai organiser. I got involved with Getai because my dad needed some helping hands in managing the business. My dad is not tech-savvy, so most of our Getai shows done in the past have been for traditional temples. However, there are now more Residents’ Committees and Community Centre engaging my dad to organise Getai performances, so all corre- spondence for bookings have to be done through email. Hence, I gradually got more involved in Getai by helping him manage all this administrative work. Since then, I have helped to Q3 What kind of people do you expand the business to cover non-Getai stage perfor- normally see attending Getai mances and production for corporate events. performances? Do you see younger people your age attending Getai performances as well? I do see young people sometimes Q4 What are some of the significant but it’s a rare sight. changes in Getai you have observed throughout the years ? Why do you think they have changed? I have been exposed to Getai since I was 5 years old, so I have seen all the different phases of Getai over the past 25 years. The costume design didn’t really change much. In terms of stage design, it is of course more advanced now with better sound and lighting quality. People involved in the Getai business in the past were mainly Chinese hooli- gans, what we call “Ah Bengs” and “Ah Lians”, which made it seem like Getai was a chaotic environment. Maybe this is why some older Singa- poreans see Getai as cheap and distasteful. Today, Q5 Did you have any influence over the people involved in Getai are more well-educated. those changes? They are younger and have better knowledge on how I think everyone involved in Getai to improve Getai’s visual experience. has had an influence over those changes. Ultimate- ly, the Getai business itself is competitive. Everyone wants to be the first to introduce certain elements to “People involved in the Getai showbiz. I strongly believe that this competition drives business in the past were mainly these changes throughout the years. Chinese hooligans, what we call ‘Ah Bengs’ and ‘Ah Lians’, which made it seem like Getai was a chaotic environment.” 20 Coversations with Insiders

Q6 Getai is associated with elaborate costumes, and colourful lighting and backdrops. In addition, singers usually perform oldie Chinese, Hokkien or sometimes even pop “Man Yao” songs. As “I think the word Getai is a Getai organiser, do you think younger Singaporean will enjoy loaded with a lot of negative these performances and aesthetics? connotations that have I would like to believe that I am still developed throughout the years, considered a young Singaporean; hence, from my and it is not something that can perspective, I think young Singaporeans are still not be changed immediately.” yet able to accept Getai. They would not enjoy these performances no matter how much effort we put into reinventing Getai. Young people attending Getai are usually doing so for cultural experience; there is no way Getai could become something that is a part of young peoples’ usual night activities. These days, there are many forms of entertainment that cater specifically to younger Singaporeans. With places like air-conditioned cafes hosting live performances which play pop songs, compared to open-space venues like Getai, it’s more Q7 Some young Singaporeans think difficult to attract young audiences. Getai is distasteful and “kitschy”. Why do you think they see it that way? Q8 Do you think it is important to I think the word Getai is loaded with appeal to the younger audience? a lot of negative connotations that have developed Why or why not? throughout the years, and it is not something that can I think that Getai should cater to the be changed immediately. I remember once experienc- older generation of Singaporeans. Younger people al- ing a client specifically requesting not to include any ready have a lot of entertainment venues catered to Getai elements in their performances. I do feel that them so I think it’s a waste of time to target them. Getai Getai’s production quality is way better than most mod- has always been a good platform for the government to ern stage productions and entertainment in Singapore. promote certain messages to the Pioneer Generation But, the word Getai has always been associated with and I think it should be kept that way. low-class, cheap entertainment for old people, and it might be because it doesn’t align with what young peo- Q9 In your opinion, what are some ple are used to seeing nowadays, and the association ways we can preserve this unique with Chinese dialect. culture of Singapore? I don’t have an answer to this question. I personally don’t think keeping Getai live performances running would preserve the culture in the long run. It’ll ultimately come to an end eventually. ACT 01 Understanding Getai through research, 21 personal and insiders’ accounts

22 Coversations with Insiders

ACT 01 Understanding Getai through research, 23 personal and insiders’ accounts

Getai Kitsch: Reinterpretation of Getai’s Aesthetics as A Visual Language for Contemporary Culture 24 Coversations with Insiders