Hip hop star, rapper and filmmaker ShiGGa Shay will drop his brand new two-track EP 365 on September 23 along with a groundbreaking real-time interactive performance created by digital entertainment company MRGE.

Known as a force to be reckoned with in Southeast Asia, the talented hip hop star creates earworms through his use of his hometown vernacular – Singlish – and his storytelling gift of witty punchlines. The music artist stormed into public consciousness by delivering classic hits like โ€˜Lion City Kiaโ€™ and โ€˜Tapauโ€™ a few years ago, the latter of which was used in Esplanadeโ€™s FULL OUT!! da:ns festival performance last October.

MRGE (short for โ€˜mergeโ€™) is a fully virtual end-to-end platform for thematic virtual live shows, conceived by a Singapore-based collective of Multimedia Artists, Animators, Developers and Technical Specialists.

Set out with the goal of bringing back to life (albeit digital) all possible live show elements – from immersive stage sets, live audience interaction, epic lighting & effects design, imaginative performer avatars, live sound mixing and much more.

In the โ€˜365โ€™ Mixed Reality live-streaming experience, ShiGGa Shay will don a motion-capture suit, adopting a bespoke digital avatar while transporting his audience to fantastical 360ยฐ environments concocted by the team at MRGE.ย 

This virtual concert marks the first time the hip-hop artist performs as a digital persona and is the first virtual live concert of its kind in Southeast Asia.

ShiGGa Shayโ€™s EP launch transforms the audience experience by merging fantasy with reality, creating a visceral experience where viewers have the immediacy of interacting live with the performance and participating in co-creating the show.ย 

Produced and mixed by RiiDEM and mastered by Midas, the 365 EP showcases ShiGGa Shay’s versatility in crafting earworms and taking on a more experimental approach to his music.ย 

โ€œHaving recently released my S$ mixtape 3 months ago, I felt like now would be a good time for me to share these songs with the world.โ€

The new EP will be out at midnight on 23 September, while his โ€˜365โ€™ Mixed Reality experience will be streamed live via www.shiggashay.com at 8pm.

Cover photo by: Timothy Sim