Singaporean heartthrob Nathan Hartono (also known as 向洋)’s long-awaited Chinese debut is finally set to take a whole new world by electric storm. Titled 《爱超给电》, which loosely translates to ‘electric love’, the song is an electrifying mandarin version of his 2016 single ‘Electricity’— completely recharged with a refreshing pop sound for the mandopop audience.《爱超给电》 will be released exclusively on Tencent Music Entertainment Group in China on 7 February and made available to the rest of the world on 9 February across all digital platforms, the latter distributed exclusively via Warner Music Singapore.
Heartened by his phenomenal success on the inaugural season of Sing! China—where he emerged as first runner-up under mandopop king Jay Chou’s mentorship—this is a bold step into uncharted territory for the seasoned singer-songwriter. For the first time in 12 years, he will be departing from familiar roots, and gamely embracing a whole new direction and sound.
“It feels amazing,” says Nathan. “I’ve been extremely excited for so long now to finally get the ball rolling with new music, so I’m curious to see how the audience responds to my new stuff. I’m going for something fun yet unpredictable. The journey so far into a new country has been such a learning experience, and it’s all just very exciting because I’ve never done anything quite like this before.”
《爱超给电》 is Nathan’s first ever mandarin release and marks his official debut into the China market. It will also be one of five tracks featured on a full mandarin EP slated to drop later this year, which consists of mandarin renditions of previously released songs, as well as exciting brand new material.
He says: “I’m hoping to bring my music to more parts of the world, and to connect with a completely new audience. I find that part of music so thrilling. Fans can expect to hear reinterpretations of English tracks I have done before, as well as a handful of originals in the realm of pop. It’s a new sound for me and I honestly have no idea how people are gonna react, but I can’t wait to find out.”
It has been almost two years since the now-famous Sing! China audition clip went viral, propelling ‘Nathan Hartono (向洋)’ into a nationwide household name. Nathan has since been busy working in and out of the recording studio, mainly on his highly-anticipated upcoming debut mandarin EP. The past year has also seen him appointed as the official ambassador for the Singapore’s Ministry of Education’s Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning, nominated as ‘Most Popular Overseas Singer’ at the 2017 MTV Global Chinese Music Awards, and make his relationship with MILO official as ambassador for their brand new bottled MILO Peng. He also guest-starred on an episode of DBS Sparks, the bank’s mini web-series, headlined Melbourne’s first ever Asia Pop Fest alongside K-pop sensation Ailee, and performed as the male lead on The Great Wall: One Woman’s Journey, a spectacular musical adaptation of the folklore of Meng Jiang Nü. Most recently, he has been named as one of the Brand Personalities for the Singapore Tourism Board’s new Passion Made Possible brand alongside singer Stefanie Sun.
