HONG KONG — Sixteen emerging vocal artists from the hit reality competition Sound Show are preparing to transition from contestants to professional performers this Sunday, January 18, with a highly anticipated “Graduation Concert” at MacPherson Stadium in Mong Kok. The sold-out event will see the top finalists—including Fung Hei-sip, Ko Yu-fei, Betty Wu, Cheung Chun-ming, Tsui Wai-ching, Bo Tsz-yan, Jeffrey Luk, Sin Yik-yu, Wu Kong-fung, Szeto Yat, Chan Cheuk-yi, Lam Kit-sum, Jenny Yan, Chow Chi-man, Siu Hoi-yan, and Wing Kiu—pay tribute to their mentors and showcase their newfound status as industry professionals.
The concert serves as a crucial inflection point, moving the artists from the rigid structures of competition to the collaborative and audience-focused demands of live performance. Mentors Deep Wu and William So have emphasized that this show requires a higher level of discipline and stage presence than their previous performances.
Mentors Stress Professional Conduct, Audience Connection
During a recent rehearsal with three participants—Betty Wu on keyboard, Jeffrey Luk on guitar, and Jenny Yan on vocals—mentors William So (Ah Gung) and Deep Wu offered crucial insights into mastering the shift from academic training to a professional career.
Deep Wu stressed the elevated expectations for the concert, comparing it to entering a broader professional arena. “Your demands now must be stricter than during the programme,” Wu advised. “You are now professional singers. In the competition, a fumble only determined if you stayed or left. But in this concert, we expect you to genuinely enjoy the stage, which was a difficult ask before. Now, it is a key expectation.”
William So underscored the importance of coordination and camaraderie cultivated over the past eight months. “You must do your best to perfect your individual songs, but this is a collaboration. It demands coordination,” So said. He highlighted that true graduation means embracing the meaning of the journey. “You must highlight not only yourselves but the friendship and mutual support developed over these unique months. This experience will only happen once in your life, so cherish it.”
Mastering the Shift: From Judges to Fans
The primary challenge lies in shifting their performance mentality from serving the panel of judges to engaging a paying audience.
“Previously, you had to please the judges, who held your professional fate,” So explained. “As professional singers, you must train in the essential skill of interacting with the audience. In the competition, you could often just close your eyes, perfect your part, and move the judges. That is insufficient for a concert. Connection with the audience is built through experience.”
The mentors fielded pressing questions from the singers regarding the logistics of large-scale professional venues. Jenny Yan asked how their approach should change now that they are professionals on a large stage.
So advised them to adjust their projection commensurate with the venue size. “Before, I told you to imagine the audience eight rows back could hear you. Now, you need to reach 80 rows back,” he stated. “If you rehearse with the same power for a small venue as you would for the Coliseum or Kai Tak Stadium, it’s wrong. That experience is cumulative.”
Deep Wu added a practical tip on stage projection: “Even if I’m performing in a 1,000-person venue, I project as if I’m in a 20,000-person arena. Always prepare for the largest possible scale.”
Performance Integrity Beyond The Score
The participants also sought advice on handling technical issues and maintaining artistic integrity. When Jeffrey Luk inquired about handling poor ear monitors during rehearsal, Deep Wu’s response was direct: “Never show any dissatisfaction on your face.”
Addressing Betty Wu’s question about the difference between singing a competition song and performing an identical piece at a concert, William So returned to the core objective: connection. “It relies heavily on your ability to move people during the competition. If you managed to move them, you succeeded.”
The mentors concluded by reminding the singers that moving forward, their greatest competitors are not their former classmates but the industry’s thousands of established artists. Deep Wu emphasized that success is measured by continuous improvement. “The question is: will your performance be better than the last? That is what is required of you moving forward.”
The Graduation Concert marks a symbolic launch for these artists, testing their stage maturity and their ability to connect emotionally with a mass audience—a vital step in cementing their place in the competitive music landscape.
