Joanna Dong Finishes Third In Sing! China Finals
And we can't be more proud of the local jazz singer who dazzled on stage.
A nation cheered collectively as Singaporean singer Joanna Dong, the first of four local representatives, made the cut for the blind auditions of the season two of Sing! China. A nation swelled with patriotic pride as the 35-year-old then edged out fierce competition to become Team Jay Chou's rep at the finals of the popular Chinese singing contest. A nation watched with bated breath as she ascended the Bird’s Nest aka the Beijing National Stadium on Sunday (Oct 8) to perform to an 80,000-strong crowd (not to mention the millions more tuning in worldwide). Would the sassy songbird clap back against her critics (“Oh, as if they would ever let a Singaporean win a competition held in China!” said some netizens) by taking home the title to bookend a triumphant 2017?
Alas, the jazz crooner failed to make it to the Grand Final where the Top 2 would battle it out for the ultimate crown. Last night, Joanna was up against four other finalists from the other mentors’ teams: Zhaxi Pingcuo from Team Liu Huan, Guo Qin from Team Na Ying, as well as Xiao Kaiye and Ye Xiaoyue from Team Eason Chan. In the end, Joanna finished third while Tibetan teacher Zhaxi Pingcuo, 31, edged out 17-year-old student Guo Qin to emerge the champion.
Each contestant sang a duet with their respective mentors for Round 1 and a solo song for Round 2. Joanna and her mentor, Jay Chou, performed a mash-up of Jay’s ‘Simple Love’ and The Carpenters’ ‘Top Of The World’.
Joanna singing a duet with mentor Jay Chou during the Sing! China finals
For the next round, she sang Fong Fei Fei's ‘Applause’, which was a showcase for her solid vocals, her pristine poise and her breezy stage presence.
Joanna singing Fong Fei Fei's 'Applause' during the Sing! China finals
For both rounds, the results were based on the votes from the 80,000 audience members. The two finalists with the highest votes for both rounds would advance to the Grand Finals. Joanna and Guo Qin had the most audience votes after the first round, but Joanna was eliminated in the second round. The eventual winner was then decided by the votes cast by a panel of 101 professional judges and the 80,000 audience members.
Joanna is the second Singaporean to make it into the Sing! China finals. Her predecessor, Nathan Hartono, finished second place last season.
But guess what, Joanna? You're every bit the winner in our eyes.
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