SINGAPORE – Extra·Ordinary Stars was an inclusivity-themed concert held on 1 December 2023 to benefit Extra·Ordinary People, the Happee Hearts Movement and YMCA Singapore. For the first time ever, performers with special needs shared the stage with superstars like A-Lin, Cyril Takayama, and local talents Glenn Yong and Benjamin Kheng to a full-house 5,000-seater Star Theatre. Each performance was carefully curated and designed to feature both the artists and performers with special needs, blazing a brand new path for diversity and inclusion in Singapore’s performance arts scene. The live show was filmed and will be broadcasted to an international audience.
“Tonight, our audience members were visibly touched by the hard work and talents of our differently-abled performers, some of whom performed for the first time alongside international superstars. The spirit of 'Me' to 'We' filled the entire Star Theatre to its full capacity. Donations will go a long way in benefitting the underprivileged and special needs communities, but most importantly, the human connections made today form a firm foundation for a kinder and more inclusive society," said Wee Boo Kuan, Co-Founder of Extra·Ordinary People. Realising that special needs individuals cannot be thrown in the deep end after their education, and might require opportunities and guidance even in adulthood, Wee founded Extra·Ordinary People in 2017 to provide continual support to differently abled individuals and to inspire a more inclusive world. He also added, "many attendees approached me to ask how they can channel their talents and resources to help these beneficiaries.”
The evening was nothing short of star-studded, with Cyril opening the show with a titillating magic show, followed by Zanna’s piano performance of “Nothing Is Impossible”. Benjamin then sang “Do I Make You Proud” accompanied by Ng Kok Wee’s flute performance, while Glenn Yong performed "Break Out" with John Chan. The Unleash Your Light Taiwan crew put up an exciting performance of breakdance and singing, featuring The Story of Annie. A-Lin blew everyone away with four of her popular songs, “Best Friend”, “Big Hug”, “Forget Love”, and “Romadiw”, where 10 children joined her on stage for the performance. Wheelsmith, Adelyn, Giselle, May Jan, Annie Wang and the Cantare Choir also got together to perform “Unleash Your Light”. The show ended with Cyril’s trick of 5000 cards and raining hearts to end the night with a bang.
“It’s such a joy to be a part of a project like this. There’s so much meaning to what we’re doing, and with the people that we’re doing it with,” shared Benjamin Kheng, Singapore-based musician and artist. “And I really hope that this is setting the stage for future projects like this. I hope this is just the beginning.”
The Extra·Ordinary Stars concert is proudly brought to you by the new Unleash Your Light movement. Unleash Your Light is a new global movement that emphasises the importance of perceiving the world from “Me” to “We”. Our vision is that genuine human-to-human connections will form the key foundation for personal and societal transformation. When genuine human-to-human connections are present, they set in motion the possibility of shattering limitations, igniting individual potential, and empowering everyone to shine.
Extra·Ordinary Stars was made possible by generous sponsors, namely Cuushstone and Real Kaiten, Parkroyal on Beach Road, Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay, Pan Pacific Orchard, Pan Pacific Singapore, Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant and China Mobile International. A+E networks is also filming a documentary on Extra·Ordinary Stars, which will help share our light beyond Singapore and around the world.
About Extra·Ordinary People
Extra•Ordinary People was established in July 2017 as a registered charity. We enable and support children and individuals with special needs, striving for an inclusive society. Since February 2018, we have been operating at Extra•Ordinary Place @ Beach Road, which is a Performing Arts Centre providing students with special needs access to the performing arts. We call ourselves Extra•Ordinary People because we are all ordinary people who make the conscious decision to go the extra mile.
About Happee Hearts Movement
Happee Hearts Movement was founded by Dr. Chen Shiling to advocate for the healthcare needs of a very invisible and forgotten group of people amongst us - People with intellectual disabilities. It is the first and only non-profit organisation in Singapore that focuses on addressing the complex health needs of this vulnerable population and their ageing caregivers. Our goal is to reduce the barriers to positive health and well-being for this population by providing a health service that is accessible and appropriate for people with intellectual disability.
About YMCA Singapore
YMCA of Singapore serves local and overseas communities to enrich the lives of the less-privileged. YMCA also provides emergency financial assistance to needy families and provides purposeful work training opportunities for individuals with special needs. YMCA also reaches out to out-of-school youths and youths-at-risk to integrate them back into society with meaningful programmes and activities.