Papaya Duck Concert - 15 Mar 2025

Papaya Duck (木瓜鸭) held their first ever concert on 15 March 2025 at The Singing Loft, New Bahru.

The band, with the main duo consisting of violinist Audrina (吴玢) and singer-keyboardist-guitarist Grey (刘秀颖), performed ten songs (and a reprise) at the concert. These songs, from my understanding, convey the different stages of life, from childhood, to the teenage years and then adulthood. From the innocent romantic song 喜欢看着你, to the fun-and-quirky 圆先生, and then their latest single, 我终于变成大人了, the order of the songs is well-thought out and organized neatly, I would say.

A bit of background on Papaya Duck - the band was formed following the post-Covid resumption of busking. Grey was looking for partners to busk together, and there came along Audrina and Sheng Li. And so began their musical journey on the streets. Along the way, Sheng Li went on to participate in the SPH Radio's UFM 1003 singing competition Busk King (which he emerged as the winner) in 2023, and later that same year the main duo took part in Mediacorp's Battle of the Buskers (which they ended up in the top 5). And more good news the following year, with two new members - James and Kian Yong - roped in to be supporting band members for busking. So now, you get it. Outside busking and performing in gigs, Audrina is a training specialist and Grey is a workshop trainer.

The focus of tonight will be the main duo, who are holding their first-ever concert in the lead-up to the release of their new single. And I must say, The Singing Loft, apart from having classrooms and recording studios, also has a performance stage for students and up-and-coming musicians to showcase their talent! While the venue may be small, it is also relaxed, refreshing and intimate - which means plenty of audience interaction.

There are also some familiar faces in the audience - including Sheng Li (who is the soundman of the concert), Pew (啊飘) (the one in charge of the lights and slides), as well as Evan Goh (吴宇凡), who is the opener for the concert.

For the opener, Evan performed two songs which he had written, of which the first song would never see the light and the second I really liked because of its emo rock vibe. You'll hopefully find out the song I'm referring to sooner or later, if and when it is really released. (More about Evan in a later post.)

Fun fact: Before Evan and Papaya Duck crossed paths in Battle of the Buskers he used to do a couple of performances together. He chose the duo for their collaboration round in the second quarter-finals.

And then is Papaya Duck's performance proper, where they begin with an acoustic version of 我终于变成大人了. It is a song about adulting - some things people love, things people hate, and things people learn when they become an adult. They take us on a journey through the different stages in life, from childhood to the teenage years and then to adulthood, performing not just their originals, but also covers like Doraemon's Song (yes, you saw that right) and Azora Chin's 是你想成为的大人吗. All in all, it gives the audiences some food for thought - about the things they will understand when they are older.

Here's hoping for more original songs from the band! 😊