SINGAPORE - Home-grown singer Jasmine Sokko was disappointed when she could not get tickets to Coldplay’s six upcoming Singapore shows after they sold out quickly in June 2023.
But what happened next went beyond her wildest dreams. The 28-year-old will be one of the opening acts for the British pop-rock band when they play at the 55,000-capacity National Stadium.
Sokko will take the stage on Jan 23, 24 and 26, while fellow home-grown singer Rriley will do so on Jan 27, 30 and 31. Indonesian artiste Jinan Laetitia, known for songs such as Timeless (2022) and Gemini (2020), will perform on all six nights.
Concert promoter Live Nation did not reply by press time when asked how the opening acts were selected.
Coldplay will also have opening acts at their other sold-out South-east Asian stops. Filipino singer Jikamarie will perform at the Manila concerts in the Philippines on Jan 19 and 20, while Thai-Italian singer Valentina Ploy will take the stage at the Bangkok shows in Thailand on Feb 3 and 4.
Sokko, whose real name is Jasmine Wong, says she was bingeing on Coldplay songs with her friends when Live Nation contacted her some time in July 2023 and offered her the opening act gig.
The songwriter and electronic music producer tells The Straits Times: “It was one of the most surreal yet serendipitous moments of my life.”
When she first picked up the guitar at the age of 13, one of the songs she learnt to play was Yellow, Coldplay’s breakout hit from their debut album Parachutes (2000).
Sokko says: “Coldplay songs like Paradise (2011) and Charlie Brown (2011) soundtracked my secondary school days, at a time when the feeling of always being out of place resonated deeply with me. Even today, songs like Fix You (2005) and Magic (2014) remain my go-to remedies when I need some catharsis.”
Backed by a two-piece band, she will play a half-hour set on each night of her Coldplay gig. Her set list will include her signature electronic pop songs such as Tired (2019), which has more than 11.2 million streams on Spotify, and Hurt (2018), which has 4.7 million streams.
“I shiver every time I pass by the National Stadium,” she says, adding that the upcoming gigs will be the biggest shows she has played.
Sokko is a fan of Rriley, who first came to fame as a member of home-grown pop band The Sam Willows. “I’ve followed The Sam Willows since I was in school, and they pushed the ceiling for what music could be in Singapore, so Rriley has always left an impact on me.”
Sokko does not know if she will get to meet singer Chris Martin and the rest of Coldplay after her set, but she is looking forward to watching them perform for the first time.
Known for her cyberpunk-inspired image, Sokko says her live set has been reworked to be more vivid and immersive than her other shows.
“Set in a futuristic Asia-centric universe, I envision the set to follow a distinctive narrative of how a character comes to find her own voice and identity through her music. Through this cinematic journey, I hope to leave the audience with a lingering sense of having teleported to a different dimension, and get pumped up before the main show.”
To ensure her singing voice is at its best, she is laying off some of her favourite dishes.
“I haven’t had any spicy or fried food since December. I miss nasi lemak’s sambal chilli the most. I find tons of joy and fulfilment fine-tuning the performance and losing myself in the music.”
Sokko debuted in 2016 with a self-released single, 1057. Over the years, the self-taught producer rose from local cult favourite to regional pop star, amassing a large following after reaching the finals of Rave Now, a 2018 Chinese reality TV programme for electronic music acts. In 2019, she became the first Singaporean to win MTV Europe Music Awards’ Best South-east Asia Act.
While she is not the first Singapore artiste to open a concert for a major international act, such occurrences are rare. In 2008, for example, a concert by American rapper Kanye West at the Singapore Indoor Stadium featured home-grown acts such as hip-hop turntablist DJ KoFlow and beatboxer Dharni.
American pop star Taylor Swift, too, had local musicians opening her past concerts here, including singer-songwriter Sezairi for her 2011 show at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Sokko hopes that the experience of singing to Coldplay’s large audience will give her a new perspective on being a stage performer.
“There is so much for me to learn in being their opening act. I’m already going through a very transformative process of learning to think bigger even before stepping onto the stage.”
