Getai star Hao Hao shares surprising reason to why the elderly watch his shows

If you wonder why getai shows here are so popular among the elderly, one of the stage veterans has an answer.

AsiaOne spoke to Taiwan-born Singapore-based getai singer Hao Hao recently at the roadshow for the new Chinese dialect drama Whatever Will Be, Will Be.

The 41-year-old has hordes of fans scrambling to give him food and gifts to show their affection, and while he himself was surprised when he first started his getai career here in 2007, he has developed an understanding of why the elderly audience enjoy getai and his performances in particular.

Hao Hao told AsiaOne: "One reason why they like to watch getai is that they can listen to popular songs and then connect with their grandkids. If the latter are listening to particular pop songs, they may recognise it and say, 'Why would I not know? I know! I heard it at getai!'

"I think they are putting a lot of effort into connecting with their children and grandkids."

As to why the seniors enjoy Hao Hao's performances in particular, he feels that it's a combination of his personality and choice of songs.

"Maybe it's my personality, I like interacting with the elderly and disadvantaged people. I think it's because of my family background that I feel a drive to help people," he explained.

"My dad died in his forties, and my mother was young, and she's also handicapped, so I was more independent and will care for those who are weaker. When I see people needing help, I will reach out, so many people feel that I am thoughtful."

He added that he usually chooses songs that resonate with his elderly fans and will talk about things they enjoy talking about.

Whatever Will Be, Will be follows the life of 70-year-old fortune teller Liu Dafu (Zhu Houren), who was given three lottery tickets by vendor Hu Nanshan (Richard Low). Dafu then gives a lottery ticket each to his three children, Bishan (Chen Hanwei), Bizhen (Yvonne Lim), and Birang (Richie Koh). The siblings fight over the prize money when they find out that one of the lottery tickets has won the jackpot.

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Hao Hao plays a security guard alongside Andie Chen, who plays Lin Guangjian, another security guard.

The main characters speak in various Chinese dialects such as Hokkien, Teochew and Cantonese, as well as Mandarin.The drama is a collaboration between the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) and Mediacorp, as part of the ministry's efforts to keep seniors entertained in familiar dialects and update them on the latest government policies and schemes.

The elderly will also be able to spread awareness of scams among their peers after watching the drama, Hao Hao said.

'If our tone is bad, they may feel we are blaming them'

Hao Hao feels that children should be more empathetic and less calculative towards their parents as the latter get on in years.

"If our tone is bad, they may feel that we are blaming them. But if our tone is right, they know we are just concerned. We should give in to them more," he said.

In his view, the elderly loving themselves more is the best way to love their children, as counter-intuitive as it seems.

Hao Hao elaborated: "Old people should treat themselves better. In the past, people had children as insurance for old age, but now, they need to take care of themselves in old age to avoid being taken advantage of by their children.

"They can earn and spend their own money (instead of saving it for their children), eat better food and health supplements. There is a saying that goes, 'When we die, we are in heaven but our money is in the bank'.

"By taking care of themselves, they are giving their kids the best gift possible."

The drama will be shown on Channel 8 every Friday from 11.30am to 12.30pm from July 21.

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jolynn.chia@asiaone.com

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