Nathan Hartono not afraid of “sounding stupid” when speaking Mandarin
Post Date: 21 Jun 2018
Without a doubt, English is the most frequently used language at home in Singapore. According to the last population census conducted in 2010, English was the most frequently used language at home for 51.9 percent of Chinese Singaporean residents aged 5 to 14.
While majority of Chinese ethnic citizens are able to understand and converse in Mandarin, most are more comfortable with reading English publications and content as they are educated in English medium schools.
Local singer Nathan Hartono, who finished second in Sing! China 2016, has been an ambassador for the Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning (CPCLL) for the second year in a row. Prior to joining the popular singing competition, he was struggling with mastering the language.
Said Nathan: “I was just very closed off to the idea of getting better at Chinese. I was never really good at it, never used it in my daily life. Unfortunately, it took me going to China and joining a competition to realise just how much I needed to improve my Chinese.”
Nathan slowly grew to love Mandarin, saying he started having more fun the more he learnt about the language.
“I find it very exciting like all of a sudden a whole new country is open to you, a whole population is open to you, a whole bunch of TV shows and movies are open to you – and yeah it’s interesting, it’s fun,” he said with a smile.
Currently, Nathan and fellow singer Joanna Dong are working together as ambassadors for SPOP Sing!, – Mediacorp Channel 8’s new singing competition hoping to uncover the next Chinese music star. The third ambassador for the competition is singer-songwriter Boon Hui Lu. The judges include Billy Koh, Lee Si Song and Jimmy Ye, all veterans in the local Mandarin music scene.
Joanna, who clinched the third spot in Sing! China 2017, encouraged youths who are struggling with Mandarin to continue trying.
She said: “If you don’t have a Mandarin speaking environment back at home then what you can do is try singing and listening to Chinese music. Watch more television programmes in Chinese or find a sort of occasion to be immersed in a more Chinese-speaking environment. It’s really not so hard once you get the ball rolling...I mean just look at Nathan! How much he’s improved in just less than a year.”
Indeed, Nathan has continued his efforts to improve his proficiency in Mandarin and even as he develops his career in China, he has been using his social media platforms to encourage Singaporean youths to learn the Chinese language.
“Just dare to speak it really. Like really – don’t be afraid to sound stupid. You get used to learning from your mistakes. You get used to people not quite understanding you, then you explain yourself further and they will give you the word that you are looking for. This way you can have more conversations – like people helping you out and really, yeah!” Nathan said.
Joanna added: “I think it’s important for young Singaporeans to embrace whatever their culture is. It’s not just Chinese but if you’re Malay, if you’re Indian. I think it’s just important for people to have some kind of connection to their roots and their past. It’s a really good anchor.”
Auditions for SPOP Sing!, which is targeting aspiring singers between 13 to 25 years old, begun in May.
By: Syarifah Salmah Nadhirah
Video by Dylan Foo and Abdul Muhaimin
