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 ‘Lion City Kia’ and ‘Tapau’ a few years ago, the latter of which was used in Esplanade’s FULL OUT!! da:ns festival performance last October.
MRGE (short for ‘merge’) 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 ‘365’ Mixed Reality live-streaming experience, ShiGGa Shay will don a motion-capture suit, adopting a bespoke digital avatar while transporting his audience to fantastical 360° environments concocted by the team at MRGE.
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 Shay’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.
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.
“Having 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.”
The new EP will be out at midnight on 23 September, while his ‘365’ Mixed Reality experience will be streamed live via www.shiggashay.com at 8pm.
Cover photo by: Timothy Sim
