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New Paper
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New Paper
Taufik Batisah's first solo concert will also be his last
Twenty-one years after he became the country's inaugural Singapore Idol champ, local singer Taufik Batisah is finally staging his first solo concert. But the show - titled Taufik Batisah: One Last Dance and set to take place at The Star Theatre on Oct 25 - will also be his last, as he plans for it to be a one-and-done affair. "I strive to achieve clarity in my work and life. You have to be clear with your intentions, and you have to just work towards the intention," he tells The Straits Times in an interview at a press event to announce the gig. The event was held at the Prinsep Street outlet of Chix Hot Chicken, the restaurant brand he co-owns. The 43-year-old multi-hyphenate is a property agent, an actor and the owner of interior design company Ivory Cove. He also produces social media content with his wife and manager Sheena Akbal, 40. "If there are invites to shows here and there, if they still want me, I'll probably consider them. But my main focus is going to be real estate, my ID (interior design) team and Chix Hot Chicken." Taufik says he first had the idea to do a solo concert in 2018 but was held back by his busy schedule, as well as the challenge of organising a show that would meet his standards. Singer Taufik Batisah says that he wants to focus on his real estate career and various businesses. PHOTO: BERITA HARIAN It was Sheena, whom he married in 2015, who constantly encouraged him to get it done. "She told me, you have to commit to it. Do it for the fans because they've been asking for the longest time." Taufik admits it is "scary" to headline The Star Theatre, which has a capacity of 5,000 - especially as he will be the first Singaporean solo Malay act to take the stage on his own. "We have to be very realistic (about filling up the venue), but we're hoping for the best. We plan to give the fans the best experience." The closest he got to doing something similar was a solo showcase for 1,600 fans at Kallang Theatre back in 2005, less than a year after his Singapore Idol win. Plans for the upcoming show - which is slated to be at least 90 minutes long - started coming together earlier in 2025 after he had discussions with fellow home-grown singer Sufi Rashid, who runs SAH Entertainment. The company has in recent years organised shows by acts from Malaysian pop queen Siti Nurhaliza to American R&B singer Ne-Yo. Backed by a full orchestra, Taufik's set list will comprise songs dating back to his early music career. These will include the Singapore Idol finale number I Dream (2005), the cover songs he sang as a contestant on the 2004 reality singing competition, as well Malay radio hits such as Usah Lepaskan (Don't Let It Go), a ballad from his 2006 sophomore album All Because Of You. He will also sing tracks off his last album Fique (2014), which included hit song #AwakKatMane (Where Are You). "There will be moments where I hope (the fans) will feel as emotional as I will be when I'm on stage. I want to take them on a journey of what they have given me in the past 20 years because, ultimately, this is a concert for the supporters." Among other items on his bucket list? Starting a podcast with his wife that discusses healthy relationships, as well as venturing into new businesses. Taufik is also game to do a joint concert with the two Singapore Idol winners who succeeded him: Hady Mirza, who won the second season in 2006, and Sezairi, who won the third and final season in 2009. On Hady pivoting to becoming a realtor, having announced the news on Instagram on June 27, Taufik says: "I'm happy to see that he's progressing in the direction that I think he should be going. "It's important for us to be happy for other people, for us to not feel threatened. If you feel threatened, then you're not doing enough in whatever it is you're doing, be it music, entertainment or real estate. We should feel inspired to do better." Book it/Taufik Batisah: One Last Dance Where: The Star Theatre, 04-01 The Star Performing Arts Centre, 1 Vista Exchange Green When: Oct 25, 8pm Admission: Tickets via Sistic (go to or call 6348-5555), prices to be announced. Pre-sale for SAH Entertainment members start on July 9, from 10am to 1.59pm. General sales start from July 9, 2pm.
Straits Times
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Singapore Idol Taufik Batisah's upcoming first solo concert will also be his last
SINGAPORE – Twenty-one years after he became the country's inaugural Singapore Idol champ, local singer Taufik Batisah is finally staging his first solo concert. But the show – titled Taufik Batisah: One Last Dance and set to take place at The Star Theatre on Oct 25 – will also be his last, as he plans for it to be a one-and-done affair. 'I strive to achieve clarity in my work and life. You have to be clear with your intentions, and you have to just work towards the intention,' he tells The Straits Times in an interview at a press event to announce the gig. The event was held at the Prinsep Street outlet of Chix Hot Chicken, the restaurant brand he co-owns. The 43-year-old multi-hyphenate is a property agent, an actor and the owner of interior design company Ivory Cove. He also produces social media content with his wife and manager Sheena Akbal, 40. 'If there are invites to shows here and there, if they still want me, I'll probably consider them. But my main focus is going to be real estate, my ID (interior design) team and Chix Hot Chicken.' Taufik says he first had the idea to do a solo concert in 2018 but was held back by his busy schedule, as well as the challenge of organising a show that would meet his standards. Singer Taufik Batisah says that he wants to focus on his real estate career and various businesses. PHOTO: BERITA HARIAN It was Sheena, whom he married in 2015, who constantly encouraged him to get it done. 'She told me, you have to commit to it. Do it for the fans because they've been asking for the longest time.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore NDP celebrations to be held at 5 heartland sites, including Bishan and Punggol, on Aug 10 Singapore NDP 2025: Tank that bumped into traffic light lost steering and braking power due to faulty part World 25% on Japan and Malaysia, 40% on Laos: Trump's tariff letters to Asia add pressure for deals by Aug 1 Asia China warns Trump on tariffs, threatens retaliation on supply chain deals Singapore Grab to trial driverless shuttle for staff between Media Circle office and one-north MRT station Singapore Ong Beng Seng's new pre-trial conference date set for July 23 Multimedia 'I suspect he's cheating': She finds proof when spouses stray Asia Thai authorities vow crackdown on cannabis-infused products after toddler hospitalised Taufik admits it is 'scary' to headline The Star Theatre, which has a capacity of 5,000 – especially as he will be the first Singaporean solo Malay act to take the stage on his own. 'We have to be very realistic (about filling up the venue), but we're hoping for the best. We plan to give the fans the best experience.' The closest he got to doing something similar was a solo showcase for 1,600 fans at Kallang Theatre back in 2005, less than a year after his Singapore Idol win. Plans for the upcoming show – which is slated to be at least 90 minutes long – started coming together earlier in 2025 after he had discussions with fellow home-grown singer Sufi Rashid, who runs SAH Entertainment. The company has in recent years organised shows by acts from Malaysian pop queen Siti Nurhaliza to American R&B singer Ne-Yo. Backed by a full orchestra, Taufik's set list will comprise songs dating back to his early music career. These will include the Singapore Idol finale number I Dream (2005), the cover songs he sang as a contestant on the 2004 reality singing competition, as well Malay radio hits such as Usah Lepaskan (Don't Let It Go), a ballad from his 2006 sophomore album All Because Of You. He will also sing tracks off his last album Fique (2014), which included hit song #AwakKatMane (Where Are You). 'There will be moments where I hope (the fans) will feel as emotional as I will be when I'm on stage. I want to take them on a journey of what they have given me in the past 20 years because, ultimately, this is a concert for the supporters.' Among other items on his bucket list? Starting a podcast with his wife that discusses healthy relationships, as well as venturing into new businesses. Taufik is also game to do a joint concert with the two Singapore Idol winners who succeeded him: Hady Mirza, who won the second season in 2006, and Sezairi, who won the third and final season in 2009. On Hady pivoting to becoming a realtor, having announced the news on Instagram on June 27, Taufik says: 'I'm happy to see that he's progressing in the direction that I think he should be going. 'It's important for us to be happy for other people, for us to not feel threatened. If you feel threatened, then you're not doing enough in whatever it is you're doing, be it music, entertainment or real estate. We should feel inspired to do better.' Book it/Taufik Batisah: One Last Dance
CNA
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNA
Taufik Batisah shares why he's staging his first, and possibly final, solo concert
It's official: After weeks of teasing, Singaporean singer Taufik Batisah has confirmed that he will indeed stage his first-ever solo concert, One Last Dance, on Oct 25, 2025 at The Star Theatre. Speaking in a mix of English and Malay to members of the media on Monday afternoon (Jul 7) at his fried chicken joint, Chix Hot Chicken, Taufik candidly divulged his reasons for finally pulling the trigger on the much-requested concert. Joining Taufik Batisah at the light-hearted session was singer Sufi Rashid – who is also the founder of the concert's organiser, SAH Entertainment. Taufik Batisah admitted that in recent years, he has been "more focused" on his other ventures, such as real estate and his interior design company. That is not to say that the Singapore Idol winner has discarded his singing roots; he still enjoys performing and has been a constant presence on television till today. Taufik shared that during property viewings and at his restaurant, there would always be clients and customers who say that they had voted for him during Singapore Idol and ask him if he ever plans to release new music or hold a concert. After all, the last time he released new music was in 2014. "So [staging a concert] was always at the back of my head," Taufik said. He revealed that a few years ago, he and Sufi had talked about staging one. However, things did not work out. "As a promoter, we have considerations like dates and the concept," chimed Sufi. "Especially when you're gonna work with a conceptual person like [Taufik], you have to make sure that there's has to be such that when people buy tickets, it's worth it." He added: "We don't want people to come to us, saying 'Why must we buy tickets when we can just watch Taufik in Mediacorp?'" Fast forward a few years, Taufik has decided that now is the time to finally stage the concert, after seeing SAH Entertainment's track record – and after much prodding from his fans and wife. One Last Dance will be the first time that SAH Entertainment stages a concert for a Singaporean artiste. It previously held concerts for global and regional acts such as Ne-Yo and Siti Nurhaliza. Sufi revealed that he plans to hold concerts for other Singaporean artistes, saying: "This is part of my contribution to support industry artistes in Singapore, not just for who they are but also their talent." The team shared that, for now, One Last Dance has 31 songs on its set list, though that number might get reduced to fit the concert runtime. Taufik himself is aware that certain songs from his repertoire appeal to certain age demographics. For instance, he notes that his 2006 song Sesuatu Janji (A Promise) is now viral in TikTok among Malay-speaking users in the region. "I want to take [the audience] on a journey on what they have given me for the past 20 years," said Taufik. "Ultimately, this is a concert for the supporters, [to thank them] for the privilege of performing on stage and listening to my songs which they made popular." As the session became more introspective, Taufik finally addressed the elephant in the room: Why does the name of his inaugural concert allude to a finality? In a pensive tone, he shared: "When I joined real estate in 2019, I was consciously making an effort to be out of the [entertainment] industry. "It took me so long to wanna do a concert [and] to find the right person to do it with." According to Taufik, One Last Dance could very well be his first and final concert. "I feel that as someone from Singapore, as someone from a small country, as someone who's a minority, it's hard to last in the entertainment industry," said Taufik. "I've seen cases where artistes, both in the acting and music fields, don't make financial preparations to retire and end up defeated. This makes me very sad." In Taufik's view, because the industry is small, there is only a certain period of time when an artiste will be relevant. "You need to prepare for the moment when you're no longer need to be aware that this will happen," he admitted. "In my mind, this concert is my last concert, unless God blesses me with a longer career in music." Citing a desire to focus on his other endeavours, Taufik added: "I want to be able to take care of my family. I'm being very, very practical. In all honesty, I'm doing this concert for my fans." View this post on Instagram A post shared by SAH ENTERTAINMENT (@sahentertainment) Tickets for One Last Dance will go on sale on Wednesday (Jul 9) via Sistic, with prices ranging between S$78 and S$228.
