Coronavirus pandemic forces Singapore’s getai concerts for the dead to go online

Getai shows are mainly held during the Hungry Ghost Festival in the seventh month of the lunar calendar, when spirits of the dead are believed to return

Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the popular form of entertainment in Southeast Asia is now being broadcast over the internet

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Getai singers Leon Lim, Wang Lei and Liu Ling Ling perform a getai show at a studio in Singapore. The Covid-19 pandemic has forced getais, or free concerts that are traditionally staged outdoors for the living and the dead during the Hungry Ghost Festival, to go virtual. Photo: Reuters

Published: 2:01pm, 8 Sep 2020Updated: 2:08pm, 8 Sep 2020

The studio lights dim, the band begins to strum, and it’s showtime for a Singapore getai concert – a popular form of entertainment in Southeast Asia that features songs, skits and over-the-top costumes to celebrate the dead.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, instead of being watched by a live audience of thousands, the performance is taking place in a studio and broadcast over the internet.

The live-stream is a lifeline for performers like Febe Huang, who earns her living staging getai with her husband across the region.

Crew members monitor the live streaming of a getai show on social media platforms at a studio in Singapore. Photo: Reuters

“When this pandemic hit, there were two or three months where we just didn’t have any income at all,” she said. “We started selling things online so we had a little bit of a salary. And now this live-streamed getai has started.”

Getai shows are mainly held during the Hungry Ghost Festival in the seventh month of the lunar calendar, when spirits of the dead are believed to return to wander the Earth.

Performers say without the thrill of a live crowd, it’s not quite the same.