For the horde of keshi kults that descended upon the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Wednesday (Mar 26) in the early afternoon, they did not have to be in “Limbo” as the kult korner, a fan engagement event held at Lavazza Cafe, provided a cosy respite for them “Right Here” at the Singapore Sports Hub.
Organised by the multi-purpose venue in collaboration with Universal Music Singapore, fans who came to watch the Houston-based musician’s performance, as part of his REQUIEM Tour, were able to enjoy a range of unique fan activities such as listening to his tracks on vinyl and customising fan signs while sipping on complimentary coffee.
Both clad in the charcoal Requiem graphic tee, university student Valone and his partner were among the first to pop by the event space, which also hosts the “Gustav Klimt: Falling in Gold” exhibition and was home to the former Sports Hub Library, when they spotted signs outside.
“It’s a nice and cosy space where you can listen to his songs and be with other fans, and write messages for keshi. I think it’s meaningful,” Valone said.
Meanwhile, for coffee enthusiasts and keshi kults Robert Martin and his partner Chia Hui Ru, the event felt like killing two birds with one stone as the pair were able to soak in the singer-songwriter’s sweet vocals on the record player while enjoying the selection of aromatic Italian coffee that came in a special custom-made keshi-themed cup sleeve.
“I went to the previous concert, so I was so happy he was coming back, and I am excited to share this experience with my girlfriend,” he said, as the pair posed for a picture with a life-sized cutout of the American singer.
keshi’s return to the city-state comes off the back of an eight-day China tour that took him through the Southern and Eastern parts of the country through Shenzhen, Wuhan and Shanghai and the central city of Chengdu. His performance at the 12,000-seater Singapore Indoor Stadium is a step-up from his 2023 Hell/Heaven tour, a testament to his growing popularity amongst local fans.
For fans like Robert, events like kult korner were the perfect prelude for the concert.
“I think there should be more such events because they help bring the community together and foster a sense of belonging,” he shared.
The event saw a constant stream of fans partaking in the festivities, most of them decked out in dark tones with splashes of white and chunky footwear, emulating keshi’s moody and sleek looks that he often parades on stage.
Among the range of activities, the standout favourite was the vinyl listening booth run by the founding duo of Avant Culture Club, Ivan Ong and Ryan Ling.
The local pop-up record store gave fans the opportunity to listen to keshi’s latest “Requiem” album and also throw it back to his 2022 album, “Gabriel”.
For 17-year-old Jonas Lee, the vinyl listening experience was a priceless one. “I have always wanted to buy a record player, but I don’t have the money to buy one. After listening to it, I feel it is much more authentic than the digital version,” he said, having tuned in to the recently-released track “War”.
Longtime keshi fans Clarisse Yeo and her partner Ong Kai Wen were full of praise for the vinyl booth, describing it as a “really cool” experience. “It’s super different, it feels really authentic,” she said.
For founders Ivan and Ryan, being able to participate in the fan event and provide unique experiences like these was a no-brainer.
“We are music fans ourselves so we put ourselves in their shoes and this is what we would want. Before a concert, we can freely vibe to the artiste’s music and get hyped right before entering the arena and seeing the person in real life. Especially being able to listen on analog rather than Spotify, to listen to the raw quality of the record, it creates a special experience for people,” Ling said.
“We love seeing their happy faces learning how records work, putting on the headphones, dancing in the corner. Seeing them interact and giving them a few minutes of happiness before a concert makes us both really happy,” he added.
The event also saw many passionate fans in the community turn up, such as social media fan site owner Joshua Chew, who has been running the fanpage @keshiupdates on Instagram (43k followers) and X (Twitter) (19.7k followers) for five years.
The 22-year-old is used to such fan events, having organised one himself in collaboration with Universal Music Singapore last year at the Projector. This time, he made certain to broadcast the kult korner event in his telegram channel with 700 subscribers. His active involvement in the fan community also led him to an exclusive meeting with keshi during his 2023 concert.
Chew was one of the earliest to stop by the Lavazza Cafe, where he took selfies with the keshi-themed backdrops. “I am very excited to meet other keshi kults. I got to meet some of my online friends, and it’s really amazing how I get to meet people from different walks of life and get to know them,” he said.
One of those fans who heeded Chew’s telegram broadcast was Nicole Guce from the Philippines.
The business analyst had attended his 2023 concert in her home country but has since moved to Singapore and was eager to attend with a friend who had flown in from the Philippines.
Most excited to try the 360-degree video camera booth, Nicole said: “I feel that the people and the space are very welcoming. I love fan events a lot because I can meet new people who share the same interests. I hope, in future, there will be more such events and activities that can help fans to get to know each other. Back in the Philippines, we like to play games (at such events).”
The event hit its peak in the mid-afternoon, when 987 DJ Ann Nicole hosted a short trivia session with exclusive concert merchandise up for grabs.
Right by the exit, there was also a kult wall for fans to decorate and leave heartfelt messages for their idol.
For polytechnic students Cyndi Chia and Ashera Ng, there was no prompting needed as the pair scribbled hastily, pouring their hearts out candidly.
“I thanked him for getting me through my dark times and for blessing my ears (with his music),” Cyndi said.
The Singapore Sports Hub had previously put together roving fan experiences at Olivia Rodrigo’s The Guts World Tour and Imagine Dragons’ Loom World Tour, but kult korner signifies a first for the concert venue in terms of a dedicated fan event. Through this, they brought fans closer to their idols through a suite of interactive activities.
Ryan added: “I think it’s really cool to have an event like this, especially before a concert… With Universal Music and Sports Hub doing an event like this, it increases the excitement for fans and gives them a place to hang out, leave a message for the artiste, sit down and get a coffee while listening to music. It just increases the excitement for fans and I hope to see more of such events.”
