Concert review: How Joker Xue rose from jokester to Mandopop royalty

Joker Xue Extraterrestrial: Overseas Returned Concert In Singapore

National Stadium Feb 14

In recent years, few stars have risen as fast, or shone as brightly, as Joker Xue.

From a single night at Singapore Indoor Stadium in 2018, to now two shows at the Lion City’s largest concert venue, the Chinese singer has charmed his way to an ever-growing legion of fans.

Some 20,000 attended the first of his two-night gig at National Stadium on Valentine’s Day. Another 30,000 showed up for the second show on Feb 15.

What is the appeal? After attending four of his live performances and interviewing him once in 2018, I would say it is his authenticity, spontaneity and the fact that he can sing.

The 41-year-old released his first album, titled Jacky, in 2006, while still known as Jacky Xue.

He saw widespread commercial success only in the mid-2010s, when his songs Ugly (2013) and Actor (2015) became massive hits. Around that time, he changed his English name to Joker and became the fun-loving, joke-telling wisecracker he is today.

Xue’s distinctive style is deadpan and ironic. At live shows, he often emerges onstage donning sunglasses and a sombre countenance, belting out a serious song, only to remove the shades mid-number and flash a cheeky grin.

This duality in his persona has created an unpredictability, almost mystery, about what he is going to do or say next.

And this was true during his Feb 14 concert, which lasted 160 minutes and included

six numbers never performed before in Singapore.

Perhaps the most memorable portion was when Xue descended from the stage to interact with fans – shaking hands and posing for selfies – while singing a medley of hits that included Just Right (2016) and Talent (2018).

Although his 2024 concerts had a similar bit, 2025’s 27-minute segment was longer, and given the larger venue, involved many more fans.

With excerpts from 16 songs, the segment was originally slated to last 22 minutes. But towards the end of Forsaken Youth (2018), the last planned number, Xue had still not greeted fans in some sections.

So the star announced: “Something very awkward is going to happen soon – the music is going to end.”

Then he quickly told his band: “Can you play something to delay this?”, and asked the crowd: “What would you like to hear?”

Eventually, Serious Snow (2006), which opened the segment, was repeated another two times, just to eke out an extra five minutes so Xue could finish his rounds of the venue.

During the segment, he climbed onto barricades to get closer to concertgoers. He also pointed the mic to several of them, and when they did not know the lyrics, he replied good-naturedly with “thank you”, “that’s fine”, or “brother, you tried”.

No script, no filter, all in good fun. The very premise of Xue’s concert – where he plays an interstellar executive from an alien planet who is ordered to destroy the earth – is a comic one. It allowed him to pepper his banter with colourful one-liners about his concert attendees’ outfits, those who arrived late or left early, and the Singapore “chope” culture of reserving tables using tissue paper.

Commenting on one young man’s flowing black get-up, Xue said: “It looks a bit feminine, right? Very similar to something I have.”

When some workers were captured on camera sweeping the floor while the show was going on, he quipped: “Wow, they are so hardworking, toiling even during the show.”

And when the virtual leader of his alien planet, who appeared only in animated backdrops, dared Xue to go onstage without make-up, he replied: “I am already in my 40s. Please lower your expectations.”

At one point, he attempted to address the audience in broken English – “let me see your scream” – before he lapsed into Mandarin and admitted: “It is very tiring for me to speak in English. I have not practised in a long time.”

With his no-holds-barred attitude, Xue has delighted fans and won over naysayers with his authenticity and down-to-earth nature. While content to play the jokester, it is clear this Joker is now Mandopop royalty.