in::music – Serene Koong
Esplanade Recital Studio/Sunday

Just because you can sing and have recorded a promising debut album does not automatically make you an engaging live performer.
Local singer-songwriter Serene Koong’s inexperience in a live setting showed at her Huayi concert. Her nerves were palpable at the start and her energy flagged over the 100-minute set before a near-capacity crowd.
And, really, there was no need for her to say something about her journey as a singer-songwriter after almost every song. It breaks the rhythm of the show, instead of letting the songs speak for themselves.
The good news is that her powerful pipes generally sounded good as she took on a range of material – songs from her 2010 debut 55:38:7 and covers of songs such as Stefanie Sun’s I’m Not Sad, Tanya Chua’s If You See Him and David Tao’s Airport In 10:30.
Thankfully, she had also ditched the Lolita-esque styling on her CD for a more elegant and sophisticated look in a black strapless dress and high heels.
Backed by five musicians on guitar, bass, cello, keyboard and drums, she belted out ballads such as Knowing, theme song for the MediaCorp drama New Beginnings, the R&B-inflected Voodoo Doll as well as the jaunty Charlie.
The effervescent duet Lala – with Malaysian singer-songwriter Wu Jiahui on the album – worked as a perky solo number, and the track To:, her duet with Hong Kong singer-actor Jaycee Chan, was performed as a mash-up with Chang Yu-sheng’s Miss You Everyday, as Koong played the piano.
She also showcased some new material including the opening ballad Freedom and the English number One Last Try.
While the light touch of whimsy on her record was missing here, one hopes that the new album will have room for that side of Koong.
Towards the end, her performance perked up again, thanks to a few uptempo numbers and a warmed-up Koong cutting loose with some moves.
Perhaps with more experience under her belt, her future gigs will groove along from start to finish.
(ST)