Now into its 8th year, IGNITE! Music Festival was back this year with a slew of local acts. The Republic Polytechnic event drew quite the crowd with a mini carnival comprising of games, food and retail stalls. But more importantly, what musical lessons and trends did we learn from this year’s IGNITE! Music Festival? Well, let us share with you…

Hip hop is King

With such a heavy emphasis on hip-hop, the latest installation of IGNITE! Music Festival certainly showed that it had its fingers on the pulse of local music. With hip hop fast becoming the new music genre of choice for the youth (thanks Glastonbury and Kanye West), it was no surprise that the loudest and wildest crowds for Day 1 were reserved for headliner Shigga Shay and THELIONCITYBOY (aka Kevin Lester). Their high energy sets even inspired some intense crowd surfing, something that you usually wouldn't expect at a student festival. No surprise then when the IGNITE! crowd went hysterical when THELIONCITYBOY joined Day 2 performer Sezairi onstage. 

Singapore Showmanship: Level Up!

It might not be in our Singaporean nature to be showy and charismatic, but that notion was dispelled by this year’s IGNITE! Music Festival. Riot !n Magenta frontwoman, Eugenia Yip put on a mesmerising showing as she enchanted the crowd with a performance that we can best describe as deeply alluring and instantly mesmerizing. And she was not alone. Other IGNITE! artists such as Dru Chen, Take Two and Sezairi proved that the Singaporean acts are not only capable of writing good tunes, but also performing them live with incredible stage presence.

The Audience is Listening

If we are serious about inculcating a music culture and industry in Singapore, then we not only need quality local music artistes, but also an educated audience. And judging by the IGNITE! crowd, it seems that we are getting there. Not only did people turn out in full force, but it was heartening to see such a receptive festival crowd with their hands in the air, clapping and even crowd surfing! And witnessing the crowd out in full voice singing along to their favourite songs; priceless. 

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