SINGAPORE - Singaporean singer Nathan Hartono has gone through to the Sing! China final at the Bird's Nest in Beijing with flying colours.
In the semi-final broadcast on Friday (Sept 30), he charmed the crowd crooning the Eagles song Desperado and segueing in and out of the Angus Tung song Can't Forget.
His coach Jay Chou said he had chosen a risky combination of two different songs, released more than 10 years apart but sharing the same chord progression, to give Hartono a chance to impress the judges.
And the strategy paid off.
Hartono had the highest score in the semi-final, 93.65, after winning 47 votes from 51 professional judges and 333 votes from 350 audience members.
Guangzhou's Wang Chenrui from coach Na Ying's team was second, with 89.28, and Shenyang's Xu Geyang from coach Wang Feng's team third, with 88.36. Malaysian singer Jeryl Lee, also from Team Na Ying, secured the fifth of six spots in the final.
The Zhejiang TV singing contest formerly known as The Voice Of China has been renamed this year. Hartono is the only member from pop superstar Chou's team to have made the Sing! China final on Oct 7.
Jay Chou is his mentor: Singapore singer Nathan Hartono impresses judges at Sing! China competition
