Woman Who Risked Her Life To Save Fiancé In 2021 Fatal Tg Pagar Car Crash Set To Return To Getai Stage

In the early hours of the second day of Chinese New Year in 2021, a white BMW travelling at high speed lost control and crashed into a shophouse along Tanjong Pagar Road before bursting into flames. All five men in the car were killed.

Raybe Oh, the fiancée of the driver, rushed into the blaze in a desperate attempt to save him, suffered severe burns to 80 per cent of her body. She was hospitalised for four months and, at one point, relied on a breathing tube to survive. The accident left her with permanent scars.

Now 32, the former Singapore Airlines flight attendant and singer is ready to continue pursuing her passion for performing.

Raybe, who competed in the 2018 Channel 8 reality singing competition Getai Challenge, will make her getai comeback this Friday (Feb 27) evening. The performance will be Raybe’s first time back on stage since the fatal accident. 

The show, organised by Zhenghua Community Club, will be held at the open community space next to Greenridge Shopping Centre in Bukit Panjang. She is set to appear as a special guest performer, with Qixian and Lee Kok Chan serving as emcees.

In an interview with Shin Min Daily News, Raybe shared that her respiratory tract was injured, leaving her dependent on a breathing tube at one point. Burns to her chin and neck later healed with tightened skin, which made singing extremely challenging. 

“At the beginning, my voice would crack even when singing the most basic notes, and I didn’t have enough breath support. After years of training, I can now sing properly, though high notes are still harder to reach,” she revealed. 

Raybe said that in the past few years, no other getai organisers had approached her. However, she continued to receive support and encouragement from her close friend, Qian Weijie, the son of getai host Qixian. Weijie, who is also the planner of the upcoming show, told her he would wait for her to make her return to the stage.

At first, Raybe felt she hadn’t yet recovered to the level she wanted, and didn’t dare consider returning to the stage. But she never gave up. She worked on her mindset, continued her singing training, and eventually reached out to Weijie last November about making her comeback.

While she admitted to feeling nervous about performing before a large audience for the first time in years, messages of support from the public have both moved and encouraged her.

Weijie told Shin Min Daily News that he has known Raybe since childhood, when he would accompany his father to getai shows. Over the past few years, they have grown closer.

“I asked her if she was ready to return, but she said she wasn’t. So I told her to let me know whenever she was ready,” he said.

When Raybe finally reached out, he was overjoyed, and was determined to prepare the best possible stage for her.

“In these past few years, I think she has changed a lot. This time, having the courage to stand up again — I think she’s truly moved forward,” he added.

Raybe, who wore a mask during her interview, also revealed her plans to perform during the Hungry Ghost Month this year. 

She now runs regularly to build her lung capacity and is steadily working to regain her form. She also revealed that she holds very high standards for her singing and spent nearly a year preparing before deciding to return to the stage.

“I run three times a week, half an hour each time, averaging five kilometres. Then every day at home, I practice for 20 minutes as a ‘bathroom singer,’” she added.

Raybe remains close with her late fiancé’s parents, who she says treat her like a daughter. They even travel together.

“They’re my family too. I stay over once or twice a week and celebrate Chinese New Year with them. They’ve been really good to me,” she said.

She confessed that she still deals with feelings of insecurity. As for a new relationship, she prefers to take things as they come, saying, “I have to love myself first before I can love someone else.”

Raybe still receives scar treatment every six weeks, receiving steroid injections and laser therapy, and has joined a burn support group, where she helps guide patients’ families.

Because of her severe burns and skin grafts, she developed thickened scars, which have hardened in some areas and even caused the skin to tighten, making movement more difficult. 

When asked about her outfit for the upcoming performance, she said that since she will be on stage, she wants to cover her scars and avoid drawing attention to them.

However, she emphasised that this doesn’t mean she hasn’t moved on — it’s simply for the sake of the performance. 

Raybe has also joined a burn support group and is willing to share her experiences openly to offer emotional support to other burn survivors and their families.

Her message for them?  “If I can do it, so can you.”

Photos: Lianhe Zaobao, TODAY/Ili Nadhirah Mansor, raybeohhh/ Instagram