Celebrity couple David Foster, Katharine McPhee to play first Singapore concert together
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Songwriter and producer David Foster will be performing with his wife, singer Katharine McPhee, at The Star Theatre on Aug 8.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF DAVID FOSTER
SINGAPORE – Canadian hit-making songwriter and producer David Foster has played in Singapore several times, but his upcoming concert will be the first time he is performing here with his wife – American singer Katharine McPhee.
The star-studded line-up at The Star Theatre on Aug 8 also includes American singers Michael Bolton, Peabo Bryson and Loren Allred, and Malaysian singer Siti Nurhaliza.
Foster, 73, and American Idol runner-up McPhee, 39, got married in 2019. They have a two-year-old son, Rennie, who also happens to be one of their biggest fans, they tell The Straits Times in a Zoom interview.
The toddler cannot get enough of the couple’s version of musical standard Singin’ In The Rain, a song they performed when they took part in reality show The Masked Singer in 2021.
McPhee says: “So he started recognising my voice, and now, I have to pull it up on YouTube and play it for him all the time.”
The toddler also loves their version of Jingle Bells from their joint holiday album, Christmas Songs, released in late 2022. “It’s the middle of July and we’re still playing a Christmas song,” she says.
It is no surprise that he is a budding musician. Foster often posts videos of their son playing drums on social media. “I tried to show him things, but he just doesn’t want to learn. He’ll play on and off all day, every day,” says Foster, who also has five daughters from previous marriages.
The multi-award-winning music veteran, who has made hit records for acts ranging from American rock band Chicago and Canadian singer Celine Dion to late icons Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston, is looking forward to performing in Singapore again. He proudly points out that he was the first international act to headline The Star Theatre in 2012.
“It’s still my favourite acoustic sounding room,” says Foster, who last performed in Singapore in 2017. “If you’re up on stage, and you are enjoying the sound as much as the audience is enjoying it, it makes it a better experience for everyone because the artist is feeling the amazing ambience and acoustics of the room.”
The set list for the show will comprise some of the global hits that the music man – whose accolades include 16 Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe – has amassed in the last five decades. Foster will play the piano, while McPhee will duet with Bryson on Disney staples such as Beauty And The Beast from the 1991 animated film of the same name.
Bolton, best known for hits such as Said I Loved You... But I Lied (1993) and How Am I Supposed To Live Without You (1989), is part of the line-up because of his enduring popularity.
American singer Michael Bolton will be one of the singers at David Foster’s Singapore concert at The Star Theatre.
PHOTO: SUBARU ASIA
Bolton, 70, and Bryson, 72, are still at the top of their game, Foster says. “Michael and Peabo are both still killing it. Peabo, he doesn’t even change the keys in his songs, neither does Michael, actually, and that’s almost unheard of.”
Foster, who was one of the judges on reality show Asia’s Got Talent for three seasons in 2015, 2017 and 2019, has always had his finger on the pop pulse around the world. But he was surprised by the sudden rise of K-pop in recent years.
“I did have somebody tell me that it was coming. And I went, ‘No it’s not’, but they were right, and I was wrong. To me, it’s just American pop music, but done with beautiful, talented Asian kids.”
Malaysian pop star Siti Nurhaliza will sing at David Foster’s Singapore concert at The Star Theatre.
PHOTO: BERITA HARIAN
And while he regularly travels around the world today, Foster did not always have a global outlook on music.
“When I was younger in my music career, I never really paid attention to the rest of the world. And then, when I was producing for Chicago, we thought that everything centred on America. All of a sudden, I started getting royalty cheques from the Philippines, from Norway.”
As someone who has seen the music industry go through major upheavals over the decades, he is very much aware of the current discourse on how artificial intelligence (AI) might replace human musicians and artists.
“Honestly, the only thing constant is change,” he says. “I’ve seen the four track all the way to 48-track cassettes, vinyl, CDs, streaming and back to vinyl.
“AI will have its place right alongside every other tool we have been given. I’ve never been a fan of ‘pushing a button’ to get music and, so far, humans are still needed.”
Hitman David Foster & Friends Asia Tour 2023
Where: The Star Theatre, 04-01 The Star Performing Arts Centre, 1 Vista Exchange Green
When: Aug 8, 8pm
Admission: From $105 via Sistic (go to www.sistic.com.sg or call 6348-5555)
