Tour Life Lessons

Travelling around the world performing with MICappella is glamorous and fun, or is it?

- Juni Goh

For the uninitiated, the term “a cappella” is Italian for “in the manner of the chapel” and refers to singing without instrumental accompaniment. Today, a cappella music has evolved into a more contemporary sound, infiltrating mainstream pop culture. One hears it in movies like Pitch Perfect, TV shows like Glee, and even while celebrating Singapore’s 53rd birthday. My vocal band MICappella was invited to perform the Evolution of NDP Songs medley, consisting of 26 National Day theme songs in all four official languages, during the National Day Parade this year. To date, not only have we performed on Singaporean stages big (The Float @ Marina Bay, Indoor Stadium, Esplanade Concert Hall) and small (void deck events, bars, weddings), we have also brought our own brand of high-octane vocal performance around the world to countries like China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Austria, Australia, America, Amsterdam, the UK, Germany, and most recently, Russia.

Going overseas for gigs may sound glamorous; friends would ask where I was flying off to next, and in their minds, they probably imagine me sipping champagne on the flight while browsing Instagram with the onboard Wi-Fi. When we touch down, we will be whisked away to our five-star hotel with a room each, where we will rest until the time comes to perform. The reality is so much bleaker.

With six of us in the group, plus our manager and a sound engineer, we are a travelling octet, and budget is always a concern. Flying in economy class with a full-fledged airline can sometimes be a luxury, especially when we have to pay our own way.