MICappella is a Singaporean a cappella group. They made their debut after competing in the Chinese edition of The Sing-Off, where they won second place.
The band appeared at National Day Parade 2018 and 2022 Celebrations and Singapore Day 2019 in Shanghai. That same year, they were also invited to perform their rendition of the National Anthem during the Singapore Grand Prix Flag-off ceremony.
MICappella has released three albums till date. Their latest 2019 EP “LOVE, MICappella” was awarded Outstanding Asian Album and Best Original Song by a Professional Group. The band has performed in Europe, Australia, China, USA, Russia, Malaysia, and many more.
History
Early years (2009–2010) Peter Huang was the leader of the a cappella group Skritch during his schooling days and had toured United States, Canada, and Taiwan as a solo artist. In 2009, wanting to continue doing a cappella, he came up with the idea of forming an a cappella group with a distinctive focus on rock and pop music, performing in both Mandarin Chinese and English. This idea stood in contrast to the prevailing jazz-centric a cappella groups in Singapore. Huang met Calin Wong when the former came to the latter's company for a job interview, and proposed his idea to her. Their initial interactions, facilitated by chance encounters and mutual acquaintances, led to the establishment of MICappella in April 2009. The group's name, a blend of "microphone" and "a cappella," also carries linguistic nuances, interpreted by its members as a playful reference to the Hokkien phrase , meaning "don't be noisy." This clever wordplay reflects the group's energetic and dynamic nature. In its nascent stage, MICappella was rounded up by Tan Soon Heng (bass), Eugene Yip (baritone), Alex Tan (tenor), and Phay Su Hui (soprano), with only half of them being full-time musicians.
The group marked their debut public performance at the finals of the DrumZout 2009 percussion competition, held on June 20, 2009, at the VivoCity Amphitheatre. Following this, they showcased their talents at the National A Cappella Championships in July of the same year. During the preliminary round, they secured the top score and Gold Award, later earning the position of runners-up in the finals, along with the prestigious Best Soloist prize. This period also marked a significant change in their lineup, with Celeste Syn replacing Phay Su Hui as the soprano vocalist. In October, they furthered their international presence by participating in the Taiwan International Contemporary A Cappella Festival, where Peter Huang was honored with the Best Vocal Percussionist Award.
MICappella received an exclusive invitation to showcase their talents at the 2010 Hong Kong International A Cappella Extravaganza, spanning from March 27 to April 22, where they stood out as the sole representative from Southeast Asia. During this prestigious event, they shared the stage with renowned singer-songwriter Khalil Fong. On May 14, the group independently launched their debut EP, Feng Kuang, featuring four tracks that primarily comprised cover versions of popular Chinese and English songs. Simultaneously, they participated in Esplanade's Late Night Series, marking Tan Soon Heng's farewell performance with the group. Vocaluptuous bass vocalist Timothy Huang temporarily joined MICappella for this event as a special guest until they secured Ng Wei Jin, who had previously sang with Peter Huang in Skritch, as his permanent replacement. With this lineup, they performed a medley at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics held in Singapore and the grand finals of the Chinese Challenge 2010, where they did a rap together with hosts Guo Liang and Danny Yeo.
On November 27, 2010, MICappella delivered a memorable performance as part of the 25th-anniversary celebrations for the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE). Notably, this marked their first performance without Alex Tan and Celeste Syn, who had respectively held positions as the tenor and soprano vocalists. Their roles were assumed by Juni Goh and Lee Ein Ein. Following this event, the group's manager and Peter Huang's wife, Diana Tan, officially confirmed the departure of Tan and Syn from MICappella via their official Facebook page.
Rise to fame and Here We Go (2011–2013)
In 2011, the group represented Singapore during the fifth season of Taiwanese singing competition Super Idol, where their exceptional performance led them to clinch victory in the challenge, garnering the highest scores among all competitors. In April of the same year, they were honored to serve as the opening act for the Singapore e-Awards 2011, organized by the Singapore Press Holdings. Continuing their momentum, they released their self-titled second EP in July and held two shows titled "MICappella Featuring:" on July 15 at the Esplanade Recital Studio to promote their work. Subsequently, they showcased their talent on an international stage in Graz, Austria, where they represented Singapore in Europe's largest international a cappella competition, vokal.total.2011, earning a prestigious Bronze Diploma for their outstanding performance.
In July 2012, MICappella embarked on a journey to Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, where they took part in the inaugural season of The Sing-Off China, a regional spin-off of the renowned American reality television competition The Sing-Off. Immersed in the competition for close to three months, the band showcased their talent and dedication, culminating in their achievement as the competition's first runner-up in September. This pivotal moment marked the transition of the band into a full-time professional a cappella group, signifying their commitment to their craft and passion for music.
In January 2013, MICappella solidified their professional journey by signing a contract with record label S2S Pte. Ltd. They appeared during the finals of the fourth season of singing competition Campus SuperStar, in which they provided a cappella accompaniment for the top four contestants during the first round, with YK Teng stepping in temporarily for Ng Wei Jin as the bass vocalist due to Ng's absence. Shortly after, the band received an invitation to showcase their talent at the prestigious 2013 Spring Vocal Festival in Taiwan on April 7, where once again, Teng filled in for Ng.
On April 16, 2013, MICappella released their debut album Here We Go, featuring two original songs, the title track and "Whatever", with the rest being cover songs which they have frequently performed and were featured in their earlier two EPs. On May 31, 2013, the group held a sold-out concert titled "Late Nite @ Esplanade: MICappella – Here We Go" at Esplanade Recital Studio. Following this event, Ng made the decision to depart from the group, leading to Teng's promotion to a full-time member.
In July 2013, MICappella is slated to act in The Hospital, a Chinese-language slasher genre film produced by Lion City Film Studio, alongside Michael Chua, in what would be their first acting roles. However, not much has progressed since the pre-production stage.
In 2013, MICappella showcased their talent at various international festivals, including the Strawberry Festival in Beijing and Shanghai, China, the Borneo Cultural Festival in Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia, the AMC Live Rock On Music Festival in Chengdu, China, the 4th Fringe Festival in Shenzhen, China, and the SoJam A Cappella Festival 2013 in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States, in which they were the first group in Asia to participate. Their excellence was recognized with the title of Favorite Asian A Cappella Group at the 2013 A Cappella Community Awards (ACAs) and the "Local Media Nominated Singer" award at the Singapore Hit Awards 2013.
Lineup changes and MICappella Reloaded (2014–2017) On May 23, 2014, MICappella announced that they would be holding auditions in the month of June in search of a bass vocalist, in light of YK Teng's impending departure in August. With Teng (later known as Judah Teng) transitioning to a career in web development while continuing to contribute his musical talents as a bassist for Christian worship community Relentless Grace, they reunited with former bass Ng Wei Jin on August 1 during a performance at the launch of the now-shelved mixed use project Dagon City 1 in Yangon, Myanmar. Eventually, photographer-singer Goh Mingwei was selected as their new bass vocalist. On October 11, MICappella graced the stage as the guest performer at the Singapore leg of Khalil Fong's "Soulboy Lights Up" concert tour. The group embarked on a tour of China, commencing with their debut performance at the Daning Music Festival in Shanghai on October 19. Notably, MICappella was recommended by Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean to perform at the Suzhou Culture and Arts Centre in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park on October 26, 2014. This recommendation propelled the band into an active touring schedule throughout the region.
In January 2015, Lee Ein Ein departed to pursue music studies in Los Angeles, and Tay Kexin, the younger sister of singer-songwriter Tay Kewei, joined the group as her replacement. Tay debuted with the group at ITE College East's Orientation Show on January 13. Additionally, the band announced its forthcoming European tour, with scheduled stops in the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Netherlands, including one at the London A Cappella Festival 2015 on January 30, in which they were the first Singaporean group to perform.
In December 2015, MICappella unveiled a mashup video featuring Hu Xia's "Those Bygone Years" from You Are the Apple of My Eye and Hebe Tien's "A Little Happiness" from Our Times. The video garnered one million views on Facebook within five days of its release. Additionally, the group announced plans for new material slated for release in 2016.
On February 29, 2016, MICappella released "One Of These Days" as the lead single from their highly anticipated second album. Titled MICappella Reloaded, the album was announced for release on May 26, showcasing a collection of original tracks alongside a cover of JJ Lin's "If Only." Following this milestone, in June 2016, MICappella secured a record deal with Universal Music Singapore. To promote MICappella Reloaded, the group embarked on a concert tour from October 26 to November 3, making stops in Taipei, Shenzhen, and Beijing. Concurrently, the album earned the prestigious title of Best Asian A Cappella Album at the 2017 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs) in the United States.
From March 12 to 16, 2017, MICappella undertook a tour across Hamburg, Berlin, and Munich in Germany. Their journey culminated in representing Singapore at the Chinese-Bavaria Spring Festival 2017 held in Munich on March 16. In May of the same year, they participated in the inaugural Moscow Spring A Cappella Festival, where they stood as the sole Asian representative in the medium group category, competing among groups with six to ten members. Throughout the week-long festival, featuring performances at various iconic locations in Moscow, MICappella emerged victorious, claiming the championship title over more than 160 finalists.
On July 17, MICappella released a video titled "Evolution Of NDP Songs," featuring a four-minute medley of Singapore's National Day Parade songs. The video gained viral traction on social media platforms, surpassing 1 million views by August 9 and garnering hundreds of thousands of shares on Facebook. Notably, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong shared the video on August 2, praising their "ambitious" rendition of the patriotic tunes.