The Sam Willows Reunite and New Performances at Sing60 Festival

The first day of the Sing60 Music Festival offered something for every music enthusiast, from light pop to heavy post-hardcore, energetic hip-hop, and ethereal ambient music.

Celebrating SG60 in Singapore, the two-day outdoor festival featured over 60 local artists performing across two stages at Fort Canning Park.

A standout moment was the reunion of The Sam Willows. Singer Benjamin Kheng had previously hinted that “special guests” would join his set. His sister Narelle Kheng and fellow musicians Sandra Riley Tang and Jonathan Chua surprised the audience with their performance. The band had gone on hiatus in 2019. Performing their popular track Take Heart, they delighted fans once again.

Another highlight was the performance by sixty guitarists. Beneficiaries of the local charity ‘The Music Society, Singapore’ in partnership with ‘The Rice Company Limited’ performed the newly composed song Just Me And My Guitar, led by Benjamin Kheng and Danny Loong. Afterward, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong joined them on stage to present an electric guitar he had donated to the charity.

Collaborations among local musicians were also a highlight. Joint performances by Charlie Lim and Corrinne May, sets by post-hardcore bands Caracal and A Vacant Affair, and back-to-back DJ and live acts demonstrated the connection between generations of performers.

A particularly unusual sight was a person in a black chicken costume enjoying the music, later revealed to be Barci, the mascot of the food and beverage chain Nando’s.