To support underprivileged women during the coronavirus pandemic, two women from the music industry have stepped up to organise a virtual charity concert that features 11 home-grown and international female singer-songwriters.
In collaboration with local indie label Where Are The Fruits, vocal teaching school Vine Music Studio will live-stream UNHEARD: An Online Charity Concert at 9pm on Saturday.
Ms Rachel Lim, 26, co-founder of Vine Music Studio, launched UNHEARD in 2018 to showcase the work of female musicians and composers. The concert had run twice in the US city of Boston, but was cancelled this year due to Covid-19.
Ms Lim and her co-founder Cherie Rui Min, 24, are full-time voice instructors at the studio. Ms Lim is also a soprano, actress and arts educator, while Ms Rui Min is a singer, songwriter and music producer. Both studied music in the United States. They decided to adapt this year's edition to raise money for Power Up Online, an initiative by the charity Daughters Of Tomorrow.
"We wanted to find a meaningful way to bring other women together to show our unity, empathy and resilience, through this global collective action of using our art for a greater purpose," said Ms Rui Min.
The Power Up Online programme will help underprivileged women find employment through career training and access to technology.
The online charity concert will feature independent performers and those under the Where Are The Fruits label, including Singaporean filmmaker, actress and singer-songwriter Annette Lee, who won "Best Feel Good Song" for this year's Youth Music Awards celebrating Singapore music; Malaysian singer-songwriter Cheryl Koh, who was featured on the soundtrack of Hollywood film Crazy Rich Asians; and Ivorian singer-songwriter Eva Sita.
Their performance during the 80-minute concert will be in the form of pre-recordings of their original music.While the concert is free, Ms Lim hopes those watching it will make a small contribution. All donations will go to Daughters of Tomorrow.
"Ultimately, we want people to enjoy the concert that we have put together where these amazing female artistes share their gifts and use their art for good," she said.
The concert has so far raised $1,500 for the charity and it hopes to hit the target of $5,000.
• UNHEARD: An Online Charity Concert will live-stream on the Facebook and Instagram of Vine Music Studio (vinemusicstudiosg.com/unheardfordot) at 9pm on Saturday. Until July 31, donations can be made by scanning the QR code on the live stream or on Give.asia (give.asia/unheardfordot).
