Funnelling from its first batch of finalists earlier in November, Vans Musicians Wanted Singapore revealed its top five artists for this year.

For the first time this year, there were 15 shortlisted acts from over 400 entries in Singapore.

Comprising a broad spectrum of genres across pop, rock, hip-hop, R&B, five finalists remain in the competition for 2020. Here’s who they are:

Ultra Mega Cat Attack

Hard-hitting rock band Ultra Mega Cat Attack formed by Boey Yinghao, Cassandra Tang, Daniel Chan, Keith Sootho, with sessionists Christal Kuna and Jolina Fernandez are no strangers to charming the audience with their thick guitar tones and explosive drums. Their latest original release, ‘009’ demonstrates their capabilities to produce gritty yet colourful sounds as rockers.

Opus Renegade

Opus Renegade’s musical journey began seven years ago, when the rap artist followed his love for hip-hop and never looked back. Now armed with impeccable flow and a welcome flexibility in incorporating elements from boom-bap to trap, Opus Renegade is on his way to lead the charge in hip-hop, showcasing his resounding thoughts and energy in ‘Oculus’, his latest single with Knwn. 

Woes

The local indie and math rock scene has never been short of bustling, but Woes, a five-piece outfit, are here to bring a refreshing perspective of their own. Layering solid dance-like bass riffs over soft, but soulful vocals, Woes bring in their backgrounds in funk, jazz and indie rock to create tracks that resonate with our daily lives and make us feel less alone. Check out Wake Up Pls, a four-track EP they released in May this year.

Kitty Purrnaz

Attributing Frank Sinatra, Melanie Martinez, and Charlie Puth as her influences, Kitty Purrnaz is on her way to become the next pop sensation. With her feather-like vocals and affinity for fun and lush synths, Kitty broke into the scene with ‘cry.’ this year, after garnering interest from listeners through a range of demos, covers, and making an appearance on the Noise Music Mentorship 2019 roster. 

Louie Indigo

Couple slick vocals together with groovy melodies, and you’ll find earworm-worthy bops from rising hip-hop and R&B talent, Louie Indigo. With a modern twist on the honest, and sometimes dark genre, Louie Indigo recently put out ‘NO SAFETY’, a slick track that comes half a year after his lockdown creation, ‘FREE ME’ in April.

Yesterday, Vans Musicians Wanted announced the top five finalists in Asia-Pacific (APAC), namely Ultra Mega Cat Attack from Singapore, Num Num and H4RDY from Seoul, Niko Niko Tan Tan from Tokyo, and PurpleSoul from China.

Vans Musicians Wanted Singapore announces 15 finalists including Ultra Mega Cat Attack, Opus Renegade, Khally, Woes, and more

Moving onto the main event, the Vans Musicians Wanted Global Showcase on 9 December, Singapore representative, Ultra Mega Cat Attack, will put on their best show for a chance to share the spotlight at the House of Vans with hip-hop star Anderson .Paak, on top of receiving Vans products, Fender gear, global music distribution, Spotify and Apple Music playlisting, a music video produced by Universal Music Group, and one year of free and unlimited global music distribution from SPINNUP.

 

 

 

 

 

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The remaining finalists will also have the opportunity to perform and showcase their music on various platforms provided by Vans in the next few months. For starters, check out performances by Opus Renegade and Woes on Culture Cartel’s digital platform happening this Saturday, 5 December.

Tune in to the Vans Musicians Wanted Showcase on Wednesday, 9 December, and catch Atlanta-based rapper, J.I.D, Chinese-born US-based artist, Bohan Phoenix, European based singer-songwriter, Nilüfer Yanya, and Grammy award-winning artist, Anderson .Paak. Streaming times are available here.

For more information on the finalists and the schedule, click here.