PCN 2024: Two Stars with One Goal
On Sunday, 6 Oct, local and international stars will gather at the 2024 edition of Mediacorp’s flagship fundraising event, the President’s Challenge Night. Formerly known as the President’s Star Charity, this year’s showing will be hosted by CNA presenter Steven Chia and CLASS 95 radio DJ Yasminne Cheng.
As preparations for the big day continue, the Catch+ team spoke with local footballer Hassan Sunny and the TikTok viral pianist Jovanna Yam over a video call to find out more about how they came to be involved with the charity concert, and what audiences can expect from them this Sunday.
For Sunny, who will be participating in an informal football game with the president Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, 67, this all began with a call.
Source: CNA
“I received a call from my team manager of my football club, saying that there’s a request for me to take part in this President’s Challenge Night, and they would create a segment for myself and Mr. President to do a kickabout together,” Sunny explained.
“So, obviously when you have the opportunity to work with the president… that’s something that you can’t not do, right?”
Though the 40-year-old had worked with the president for a talk show project a few months prior, he is still excited for Sunday’s game, for a reason many would not expect.
“I must say… President Tharman is not someone who I can take lightly, because I know how much he loves football and how much he knows about football. And I’m sure he has some skill in him.”
The retired Singapore Premier League goalkeeper recounted: “I still remember when we spoke at my talk show. He was talking about the UEFA European Championship? He was talking about the penalty kick and stuff, so that’s when I knew that the president knows some things about football.”
As for what inspired him to get into charity work, the father of four explained that he is fond of working with children, and has been to several orphanages to share his stories and life lessons with the less fortunate.
“Seeing the children there is something that I’m gonna say… hit me hard, so it’s quite emotional when I had the chance to speak to them and hear stories about their life journey, so charity work is always something that I wouldn’t mind doing all-year round if I had the opportunity.”
Sunny hopes that his participation in the President’s Challenge Night would generate public interest in the event, and consequently raise funds for the 65 beneficiaries under the President’s Challenge, helping to make the event a success.
“If I have the opportunity to just create that positive societal change, I’ll be glad to achieve that.”
Source: TikTok (@migraineyy)
Meanwhile, for 21-year-old Jovanna, her journey to the 2024 President’s Challenge Night had a more awkward start. After going viral on TikTok for her piano covers and eye-opening ability to play the piano while upside down, a Mediacorp producer reached out via TikTok to invite her to play at the concert.
However, the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) music education student initially thought the message was a scam attempt, so it took her some time to reply. Fortunately, she eventually came to realise the invitation was legitimate and gladly accepted it, having never taken on a gig of this scale before.
“It’s my first time performing for such a big event, and it’s also for a good cause. So, being able to perform in a fundraising event, it’s really meaningful to me,” Yam elaborated.
“For me, I received my own fair share of help and support from the people around me, as well as from the government, so to show my gratitude, performing in this fundraising event is a big step for me to give back to the community,” she added.
“I really hope our performance could inspire more people to contribute for a good cause and donate if they can. Every effort counts, so that we can make a positive impact for our community.”
Source: Instagram (@macgrainey)
As for what audiences can expect during the show, the TikToker teased: “I will be on the piano, and there’ll be two other artists: Jack and Rai.”
“They’ll be singing and playing the guitar, and we’ll be performing a few hit songs there, that we think people would enjoy. So, there’s some slight artistic twists here and there that could be…”
She pauses, before continuing with a cheeky grin: “…entertaining for our audience.”
As the interview comes to an end, the Catch+ team asks her to share any advice she may have for young musicians looking to use their talents for good.
“Speaking from my personal experience and from my observations, what I would encourage is for young musicians to digitalise their talent, through means such as posting covers on entertainment apps; YouTube or TikTok. Anything that helps you to expand your outreach.”
“Because you never really know where it’s going to take you.”
Source: Mediacorp
The President’s Challenge Night 2024 event will air live on Channel 5, YouTube and meWATCH from 7.30pm to 9.30pm on Sunday, 6 Oct. If you would like to lend a helping hand, please click the button below to make a donation from now till Sunday, 6 Nov, 11.59pm.
