Book review: Brian Chikwava's Shamiso captures immigrant experience in musical prose
Shamiso by Zimbabwean writer Brian Chikwava is an exploration of artistic passion and cultural displacement.
By Brian Chikwava
Fiction/Paperback/Canongate Books/170 pages/$26.26
Zimbabwean writer Brian Chikwava, winner of the 2004 Caine Prize for African writing in English, delivers a slim yet compelling novel that follows the journey of Shamiso, a young girl from rural Zimbabwe, to the streets of Brighton, England.
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Straits Times
4 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Gonna be golden: K-pop girl groups are taking over Singapore amid KPop Demon Hunters success
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox K-pop girl group I-dle (top right) will take the stage at the Bubbling & Boiling Music and Arts Festival Singapore on Sept 13 while 2NE1 will be performing at the 2025 edition of music festival Waterbomb Singapore on Aug 30 and 31. SINGAPORE – The season of K-pop girl groups is officially upon Singapore. Not only have fictional trio Huntrix from the hit animated movie KPop Demon Hunters become the first girl group to hit No. 1 on US Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart – for their ubiquitous banger Golden – since America's Destiny's Child almost 25 years ago, but a slew of South Korean all-female acts are also set to perform in Singapore every month until the end of 2025.
Straits Times
4 minutes ago
- Straits Times
2NE1 ‘so excited' for Singapore return – and all the K-pop girl groups heading to town soon
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Members (from left) Dara, Minzy, CL and Bom from South Korean girl group 2NE1. Dara, Minzy and CL are expected to perform at Waterbomb Singapore 2025. SINGAPORE – Eight months later, and K-pop girl group 2NE1 are already heading back to town. Leader CL, together with fellow South Korean members Dara, Minzy and Bom, last held two concerts at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in December 2024 as part of their Welcome Back Tour. They disbanded in 2016 and reunited in 2024. Come Aug 31, CL, 34, Dara, 40, and Minzy, 31, from the second-generation music act will return to the Republic as one of the headliners of Waterbomb Singapore 2025, the second edition of the water-themed music festival. Bom, 41 , will not be participating in the group's upcoming activities due to health issues, her agency announced on Aug 6. Ahead of their 40-minute set, likely punctuated by dazzling pyrotechnics and sprays from water cannons , The Straits Times gets up to speed with 2NE1 in an e-mail interview. What is 2NE1's secret to still going strong since forming in 2009, especially with the evolution of K-pop girl groups and the industry in general? CL: I think the key has always been staying true to our colour rather than chasing trends. Styles come and go, but authenticity lasts. We have always done things the 2NE1 way – our music, our stage, our energy. And the fans who connected with that energy are the reason we are still standing strong. Dara: We just did what felt right for us. I think that is why 2NE1 still have such a strong, clear image even now. And maybe the reason people still connect with us is that they can feel how much we genuinely enjoy being on stage. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Business Singapore banks face headwinds in rest of 2025, but DBS is pulling ahead: Analysts Singapore Allianz insures Singapore's first fully driverless bus amid challenges posed by autonomous vehicles Singapore Yishun man admits to making etomidate-laced pods for vaporisers; first Kpod case conviction Asia Malaysia's anti-graft agency busts arms smuggling ring masterminded by senior military officers Asia Mixed reactions among Malaysia drivers on S'pore move to clamp down on illegal ride-hailing services Business S'pore life insurance sales surged in first half, led by strong growth in investment-linked plans Asia Diamonds, watches and shoes: Luxury items at heart of probe into South Korea's former first lady Singapore SG60: Many hands behind Singapore's success story Minzy: Everything around us is always evolving, but I think what matters most is staying grounded. We have all grown in our own ways, but we never lost the meaning of what 2NE1 stand for. That is why even now, when we are on stage together, the energy still feels powerful. That's our strength. How does it feel to be returning to Singapore so soon? CL: Every time we perform in Singapore, the energy is unreal. The fans lift our spirits so much, it's like they give us wings. It just felt right to come back, like, 'We need to do this again.' Dara: I love Singapore. After the last concert, I just wanted to feel that energy again. I'm so excited that we are coming back this quickly. I'll be ready to have even more fun this time. Minzy: Our last show in Singapore was unforgettable for me. I felt so connected to the fans, and truly alive being on stage. I knew I didn't want to wait too long to come back. I'm bringing even more energy this time. Both CL and Dara performed at Waterbomb Singapore 2024. How different is it performing at an outdoor festival, and how do you feel about Minzy's inclusion? CL: Waterbomb was insane – in the best way. The energy was so real and raw. I'm so happy and excited that Minzy is joining us this time. Dara: Waterbomb feels like a summer party. It wasn't just a performance, it was like we were playing and having fun with our fans. That made it even more special. This time, we will show you an even more exciting stage with Minzy. Minzy: I'm really excited because it's the kind of stage where we can just be free, have fun and connect with our fans. That's what I'm looking forward to the most. K-pop girl power in Singapore: Other groups on their way to slay Le Sserafim South Korean girl group Le Sserafim comprise (from left) Sakura, Huh Yunjin, Hong Eunchae, Kim Chaewon and Kazuha. PHOTO: LE SSERAFIM/FACEBOOK They might not have held a solo concert here before, but their maiden one at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Aug 16 sold out within hours of the tickets' release. It is part of their Easy Crazy Hot Tour, which kicked off in Incheon, South Korea, in April and is set to make stops in Asia and North America. There will be a Le Sserafim pop-up store at Funan mall from Aug 13 to 24 selling items such as official light sticks, photo cards, card holders, ball caps, umbrellas and tumblers. Debuting in 2022, the quintet consist of Sakura, Kim Chaewon, Huh Yunjin, Kazuha and Hong Eunchae. Their first studio album Unforgiven (2023) soared to the top of South Korea's Circle Album Chart and peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200. It also won the Best Album Bonsang at the Golden Disc Awards in 2024. Stayc Stayc members (from left) J, Sieun, Seeun, Isa, Sumin and Yoon are coming back to Singapore for their second world tour. PHOTO: LIVE NATION SINGAPORE The Star Theatre was where Stayc held their first Singapore concert, part of their Teenfresh world tour in 2024. The sextet are returning to the same venue for their Stay Tuned world tour, which started in Seoul in April 2025 and has travelled to cities like Osaka and Jakarta . Sumin, Sieun, Isa, Seeun, Yoon and J debuted in 2020 with the single album Star To A Young Culture – the acronym for which is Stayc. The two-track album contained the electropop single So Bad and hip-hop number Like This, and peaked at No. 6 on the Circle Album Chart. Stayc have since released a studio album, Metamorphic (2024), as well as three EPs – Stereotype (2021), (2022) and Teenfresh (2023). The members are also among the participants of the new reality series KPopped, premiering on Apple TV+ on Aug 29. The show features Western artistes re-imagining their hits with the help of K-pop groups in front of a live audience in Seoul. Stayc are reportedly going to work with American R&B girl group TLC, known for their 1995 hit Waterfalls, and English singer-songwriter Boy George, whose band Culture Club famously put out Karma Chameleon in 1983. Book it/2025 Stayc Tour Stay Tuned In Singapore Where: The Star Theatre, 04-01 The Star Performing Arts Centre, 1 Vista Exchange Green When: Aug 16, 6pm Admission: $138 to $308 via Ticketmaster (go to or call 6018-7645) Exid, Team Bebe, Jam Republic, and Sorn and Seungyeon at Waterbomb Singapore 2025 There will be plenty of girl power at the two-night Waterbomb Singapore 2025 music festival. The Aug 30 line-up is packed with girl groups, with Thailand's Sorn and South Korea's Seungyeon, both former members of CLC, taking the stage at 3.55pm. Catch Thai singer Sorn, a former member of K-pop girl group CLC, at the Waterbomb Singapore 2025 music and water festival. PHOTO: VIU SINGAPORE Both artistes appeared in the 2024 edition, with Sorn performing a 30-minute set, during which Seungyeon made a special appearance during the pop number Rowdy (2023). This time, the duo are set to bring more fierce choreography to the beach event. South Korean singer Seungyeon, a former member of K-pop girl group CLC, will be performing at Waterbomb Singapore 2025. PHOTO: VIU SINGAPORE At 5pm, expect an adrenaline-pumping 30-minute set from South Korean female dance crew Team Bebe and international dance crew Jam Republic. Known for their razor-sharp precision, seven-member Team Bebe were also part of the 2024 edition, where they nailed a K-pop medley that included snippets from Kiss Of Life's Sticky (2024), Riize's Boom Boom Bass (2024) and Babymonster's Sheesh (2024). South Korean female dance crew Team Bebe members (back row, from left) Tatter, Cheche, Sowon, (middle row from left) Kyma, Lusher, Minah and (front) Bada. PHOTO: VIU SINGAPORE They will be joined by the five-member Jam Republic, who confirmed on Instagram they are 'ready to set the stage on fire' with their explosive energy and 'next-level' choreography. International dance crew Jam Republic is made up of members (from left) Ling, Audrey, Kirsten, Latrice and Emma. PHOTO: VIU SINGAPORE At 7.10pm, Exid will enter the arena. The quintet debuted in 2012 and found fame with the trip-hop single Up & Down (2014), which topped South Korea's Gaon Singles Chart. Although Exid disbanded in 2020, they reunited in 2022 to commemorate their 10th anniversary, and will be performing at Waterbomb for the first time. South Korean girl group Exid comprise (clockwise from left) Solji, Elly, Jeonghwa, Hyelin and Hani. PHOTO: VIU SINGAPORE On Aug 31, 2NE1 are expected to close the night with a 40-minute set starting at 9.20pm. Book it/Waterbomb Singapore 2025 Where: Siloso Beach, Sentosa When: Aug 30 and 31, doors open at 1pm on both days Admission: $228 for a one-day general pass and $388 for a two-day general pass via Ticketmaster (go to or call 6018-7645) or Pela go ( I-dle South Korean girl group I-dle consist of (clockwise from far left) Miyeon, Yuqi, Soyeon, Shuhua and Minnie (foreground). PHOTO: BUBBLING & BOILING MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL The quintet – consisting of Miyeon, Minnie, Soyeon, Yuqi and Shuhua – are among the line-up of the RWS Bubbling & Boiling Music and Arts Festival Singapore at the Resorts World Ballroom on Sept 13 and 14. They will perform on the festival's first day. I-dle previously performed at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in 2023 as part of their I Am Free-ty World Tour. Since then, they have released their second studio album 2 (2024), containing the singles Wife and Super Lady, and the album has topped South Korea's Circle Chart. Their I-dol World Tour, which was in support of 2 and their seventh EP I Sway (2024), began in Seoul in August 2024 and ended in Sydney in November 2024. Book it/RWS Bubbling & Boiling Music and Arts Festival Singapore Where: Resorts World Ballroom, Resorts World Convention Centre, 8 Sentosa Gateway When: Sept 13 and 14, 2 to 10pm Admission: $235 to $345 for a one-day ticket, $355 to $525 for a two-day ticket via Ticketmaster Twice Twice, comprising (from left) Jeongyeon, Chaeyoung, Sana, Momo, Dahyun, Nayeon, Mina, Jihyo and Tzuyu, performing at the Inspire Arena in Incheon, South Korea, in July as part of their This Is For World Tour. PHOTO: JYP ENTERTAINMENT This third-generation group will be living up to their name and performing twice at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, where they staged two shows – in 2023 and 2019. The nine-member group, which debuted in 2015, consist of Nayeon, Jeongyeon, Momo, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, Chaeyoung and Tzuyu. Twice released the studio album This Is For in July 2025 , which their current This Is For World Tour is in support of. The tour started on July 19 , 2025 in Incheon, and has travelled to Osaka in Japan. The work topped the Circle Album Chart and also peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200. Twice also sang the numbers Takedown and Strategy on the KPop Demon Hunters' soundtrack. Book it/Twice This Is For World Tour In Singapore Where: Singapore Indoor Stadium, 2 Stadium Walk When: Oct 11 and 12, 5pm Admission: $188 to $378 via Ticketmaster (go to or call 6018-7645) from Aug 14 Blackpink Blackpink members (from left) Lisa, Rose, Jisoo and Jennie performing at the Rogers Stadium in Toronto, Canada, in July as part of their Deadline World Tour. PHOTO: YG ENTERTAINMENT Trust the world's biggest girl group to cap 2025's girl group season with two sold-out concerts at the National Stadium on Nov 29 and 30 – repeating their feat at the same venue in 2023 for their Born Pink world tour. This time, the quartet's Deadline World Tour kicked off in South Korea on July 5 , and has stopped by cities such as Chicago, Toronto and New York City . Since their last outing here, the members have notched up more achievements as soloists in 2025 . Lisa and Jennie gave solo performances at US music festival Coachella in April, and Lisa made her acting debut in the third season of American TV series The White Lotus. Jennie released her debut studio album Ruby in March, while Jisoo dropped her first EP, Amortage, in February. Jisoo also landed her first movie role in the South Korean action fantasy film Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy, which is showing in Singapore cinemas. Rose released her debut studio album Rosie in December 2024, which debuted at No. 3 on the US Billboard 200, clinching her a Guinness World Record as the highest-charting female K-pop artiste on it. At their November shows, the quartet are expected to showcase solo works, as well as new group releases such as Jump, which dropped on July 11 . Lisa shared in May that Blackpink will be releasing a mini album in November .
Straits Times
4 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Four films with Singapore participation to screen at Toronto International Film Festival 2025
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Four films made with Singapore participation will be screened at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), which runs from Sept 4 to 14, 2025. Singaporean film-maker Tan Siyou's feature debut, the coming-of-age drama Amoeba, will be screened in the Discovery section, a showcase for film-makers making their first or second features. Amoeba, about four misfits who form a gang at their all-girls school, is produced by Fran Borgia of Singapore-based label Akanga Film Asia. More Than Happy, an animated short film from Singaporean Tan Wei Keong, will be screened in TIFF's Short Cuts programme. The seven-minute film is set in a queer utopia and shows two couples waiting in a restaurant, where they talk about time, happiness and their dreams. The voice acting is done by film-maker Kirsten Tan (Pop Aye, 2017) and novelist Amanda Lee Koe (Ministry Of Moral Panic, 2013), among others. In 2019, Tan Wei Keong received the Young Artist Award from the National Arts Council, and his work reflects on LGBTQ+ issues in South-east Asia. Among them is the short film Kingdom (2018), which was nominated for Best Short Film at the 2019 Berlin International Film Festival. The other two films with Singapore participation screening at TIFF are coming-of-age drama Renoir and black comedy A Useful Ghost. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Business Singapore banks face headwinds in rest of 2025, but DBS is pulling ahead: Analysts Singapore Allianz insures Singapore's first fully driverless bus amid challenges posed by autonomous vehicles Singapore Yishun man admits to making etomidate-laced pods for vaporisers; first Kpod case conviction Asia Malaysia's anti-graft agency busts arms smuggling ring masterminded by senior military officers Asia Mixed reactions among Malaysia drivers on S'pore move to clamp down on illegal ride-hailing services Business S'pore life insurance sales surged in first half, led by strong growth in investment-linked plans Asia Diamonds, watches and shoes: Luxury items at heart of probe into South Korea's former first lady Singapore SG60: Many hands behind Singapore's success story Directed by Japanese film-maker Chie Hayakawa and co-produced by Akanga Film Asia, Renoir is a Japan-Singapore-France-Philippines-Indonesia production and is set in 1987 Tokyo. It follows Fuki (Yui Suzuki), an 11-year-old girl living with a terminally ill father and a harried mother. A Useful Ghost is co-produced by Singapore-based Momo Film Co. The Thailand-Singapore-France-Germany co-production is directed by Thai film-maker Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, making his feature debut. It tells the story of Nat, played by Thai actress Davika Hoorne (Pee Mak, 2013). Following her death from dust pollution, Nat returns in the form of a vacuum cleaner. As the appliance, she forms an unconventional bond with her still-living husband. Amoeba, Renoir and A Useful Ghost were made with the support of the Singapore Film Commission and the Infocomm Media Development Authority.
