It’s been awhile since Ding Dang (丁当), better known as Della, last step foot into Malaysia – 2 years to be exact. Last Saturday (19th May), thousands in Kuala Lumpur were thrilled to welcome the Chinese entertainer back to the stage.
Aside from an impressive setlist of 25 songs, Della’s “Give Me One Love” concert at KLCC Plenary Hall had plenty of highlights throughout the 2 hours and 30 minutes show. We had 2 guest performers as well as a surprise proposal! As Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal wedding was going on, another Malaysian couple got engaged.
The 35-year-old Taiwanese singer kicked off the show with a vivacious opening number “Give Me One Love” (想恋一个爱). A mermaid version of herself (yes, that same one in her music video) accompanied with bubbles, rotating starfish, and spinning hearts were projected unto backdrop. Della was dressed in a white top with long sleeves and a denim blue swallowtail skirt. However, her best accessory was her bright smile.
It was interesting to note that Della’s concert was strategically broken down into smaller themes throughout the show. For example, the first 3 songs were uptempo numbers (such as “Night Cat 夜猫”) that audiences could easily dance to. The next 3 songs including “Palm手掌心” (from the 2013 Chinese period drama “Prince of Lan Ling”) and “Why Did You Lie 你为什么说谎” were emotional ballads, whereas the following segment were acoustic songs.
Between each segment, the vocalist paused for a moment and interact with the audiences. As we followed her trip down memory lane, Della shared about the trials and tribulations she has experienced as a singer since leaving home at the age of 18 to pursue her dream.
During those early years, she would sing at pubs before signing to B’in Music company. It’s no secret that she often credits Mayday (五月天) for helping to launch her music career, and that night was no different as she paid tribute to them.
It was easy to singalong to the pop star’s songs as the lyrics were plastered on the backdrop. It also helped that most of her music videos were played during her performances. Yours truly personally found it instrumental in conveying the storyline. Storytelling was a big theme during Della’s “Give Me One Love” concert. One of the high points was when the singer came down from stage to hear some stories from the fans.
One loyal female fan named Amy Ang took the mic to publicly declare her love to her boyfriend, David Ooi. Throughout their 8-year relationship, Amy told everyone in the venue that her beau would faithfully take her to every Della activity in town. Despite her trembling voice, she shocked the audience when she announced that she was going to proposed to her lover.
The venue erupted with thunderous applause. However, David then got down on one knee and popped the question, and of course – she said yes! Thus, Della gave the newly engaged couple her blessing together with a LED balloon.
The excitement didn’t stop there. As aforementioned, 2 special guest performers were invited on stage to duet with Della. The first was Taiwanese singer Grover Lu Kuo-Wei (鼓鼓), who calls himself GBoySwag. The duo delivered “勇敢一次 Brave Once”. Their music video was released last December.
Not long after, Annabella Chua (蔡咏琪) was invited on stage. For those that don’t know, this young singer who hails from Johor competed in “The Voice” (Singaporean and Malaysian version). She was coached by Della herself. Although she didn’t win the singing competition, she made it to the finals on team Della. That night, they both sang LaLa (徐佳瑩)’s ” 你敢不敢”, which was also the song Annabella performed before she was eliminated.
It was truly a musical treat with so many nostalgic moments. Our favourite spine-tingling moment was – hands down – her “I’m a Little Bird 我是一只小小鸟” performance. Many waited for the moment she hit those high notes, and undoubtedly, Della gave us major goosebumps when she let it all out.
With more than a decade of music experience under Della’s belt, her 10-year anniversary journey showed us that there’s more to come.
