Who: Home-grown singer-songwriter Joie Tan, 29, is an avid Taylor Swift fan.
Together with Singaporean pop-rock band 53A, she will lead a sing-along of Swift’s songs at a free concert held at Shiseido Forest Valley at Jewel Changi Airport on March 1. Registration for tickets has closed.
Tan learnt instruments such as the tabla and drums as a child and started putting up music videos of cover songs on YouTube at 14.
She released her debut album, Joie, in 2018 and an EP, Joie (Acoustic), in 2021. She has done several collaborations, such as Never Knew, a 2022 single with fellow singer-songwriter Lewloh and Japan-based producers I Love You Orchestra Swing Style.
The singer, a music graduate from Lasalle College of the Arts, lives with her 28-year-old husband.
“Because of my busy schedule, I thoroughly enjoy chill downtime with my family.
A lot of my weekends include cuddles in bed with my husband, cat and dog. When we make it out of the house, we like to have picnics at Tanjong Beach in Sentosa because it is dog-friendly, or at the Botanic Gardens.
My husband and I are creatures of habit, so we often visit the same places for food. They include Mrs Pho for its dry noodles; Oriental Chinese Restaurant in Chinatown for dishes such as sweet and sour fish slices and fried noodles with mushroom and vegetables; and Riverside Indonesian BBQ at 313@somerset for the ayam and ikan panggang (grilled chicken and fish).
Other places we like are Van Leeuwen and Apiary for ice cream, Shake Shack, Din Tai Fung, Fuel Plus for its tom yum pasta and maple wings, Wingstop and Gokul Vegetarian.
We also like Ikea. It has the best curry puffs – they are so soft and the filling is spicy and flavourful.
If I had to build my ideal day, it would be breakfast at Dunkin Donuts, Huggs Coffee, Toast Box or Fun Toast.
For lunch, we would go to Nana Thai or Fuel Plus.
For dinner, we would go to Gokul Vegetarian and I would order its butter chicken, gobi Manchurian, aloo gobi, fish curry and basmati rice. These are non-negotiable.
Dessert would be kunefe at Derwish in Arab Street, paired with its peppermint tea. This is easily one of the things I would include in my last meal in life, if I had to choose.
For supper, we would head to Upper Thomson for prata or fishball noodles at Ming Fa, a classic.
Somehow, my girlfriends and I always find ourselves having hotpot. Hotpot and bubble tea is the best combo, especially when we do it at home and play board games after.
I love going thrift shopping in Haji Lane at stores such as re.drmg and Kaeru Thrift, and Honsie Ponsie at Queensway Shopping Centre. If there are any art markets, I will be there.
Another place I love is Kinokuniya bookstore at Ngee Ann City because it is huge, and I like browsing every section with my friends. We can spend hours there looking at books, toys and stationery.”
