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4-year-old getai star
SHE is only four years old but her asking price is already $50 for just 20 minutes.
She is Cody Lim, Singapore's youngest getai performer to date.
The New Paper reported that the Nursery 2 girl has won over fans with her emotive intepretation of Hokkien songs which she memorises but does not understand.
'I just love going on stage to sing. I want to be a superstar kid,' Cody said in fluent English.
Her natural showmanship has attracted bookings for roadshows, charity shows and even corporate dinner-and-dance events.
Cody's talents were discovered when she followed her aunt, Madam Jenny Tan, to a karaoke session. Madam Tan found the girl singing along with the adults.
'Her diction was clear and she pulled off the high and low notes easily,' said Mdm Tan.
Cody's mother Caline Lee said she was apprehensive at first and did not set out to groom Cody into a performer saying 'it's just something she enjoys'.
While Cody has fans, there are also parents who felt that the getai setting is inappropriate for a young girl.
Mrs Goh Hwee Hwee, 36, said, 'Getais are definitely not the place for a 4-year-old.'
The public relations manager, who has 6-year-old twin girls added, 'it does not help that getai (banter) has always been associated with sex and sleaze.'
Logistics manager Christopher Ang, 49, also felt that the getai circuit 'reeks of sleazy banter'.
The father of a teenage son and a 10-year-old daughter said, 'Whether its just a misconception or otherwise, you still can't deny that the audience are mainly men.
'I don't think I'd want to subject my daughter to such lecherous ogling.'
Other parents The New Paper spoke to felt that child performers tend to lose their innocence and mature too quickly when thrust into the spotlight.
They are also worried that the child may end up picking up the wrong values.
SHE is only four years old but her asking price is already $50 for just 20 minutes.
She is Cody Lim, Singapore's youngest getai performer to date.
The New Paper reported that the Nursery 2 girl has won over fans with her emotive intepretation of Hokkien songs which she memorises but does not understand.
'I just love going on stage to sing. I want to be a superstar kid,' Cody said in fluent English.
Her natural showmanship has attracted bookings for roadshows, charity shows and even corporate dinner-and-dance events.
Cody's talents were discovered when she followed her aunt, Madam Jenny Tan, to a karaoke session. Madam Tan found the girl singing along with the adults.
'Her diction was clear and she pulled off the high and low notes easily,' said Mdm Tan.
Cody's mother Caline Lee said she was apprehensive at first and did not set out to groom Cody into a performer saying 'it's just something she enjoys'.
While Cody has fans, there are also parents who felt that the getai setting is inappropriate for a young girl.
Mrs Goh Hwee Hwee, 36, said, 'Getais are definitely not the place for a 4-year-old.'
The public relations manager, who has 6-year-old twin girls added, 'it does not help that getai (banter) has always been associated with sex and sleaze.'
Logistics manager Christopher Ang, 49, also felt that the getai circuit 'reeks of sleazy banter'.
The father of a teenage son and a 10-year-old daughter said, 'Whether its just a misconception or otherwise, you still can't deny that the audience are mainly men.
'I don't think I'd want to subject my daughter to such lecherous ogling.'
Other parents The New Paper spoke to felt that child performers tend to lose their innocence and mature too quickly when thrust into the spotlight.
They are also worried that the child may end up picking up the wrong values.
