Gurmit Singh co-hosting NDP watch party with burlesque dancer daughter

 Singapore actor-presenter Gurmit Singh will be getting patriotic in an alternative way this National Day.

The one-time regular emcee of the National Day Parade (NDP), who has hosted the ceremony close to 20 times by his own estimate, will be poking fun at the annual festivities at the irreverent Watch It Wet – NDP 2024 Watch Party held on Aug 9 at indie cinema The Projector at Golden Mile Tower.

The 59-year-old will be doing so alongside local drag queen Becca D’Bus, Singapore-based British TikToker Daisy Anne Mitchell and his eldest child Gabrielle, the drag and burlesque performer known by her stage name Lychee Bye.

The event, which is only for those aged 18 and above and is presented by local drag revue Riot! and Lychee Bye, will feature live commentary about the parade from its four hosts, drinking games and a best-dressed contest that invites attendees to dress up as their favourite Singapore icons.

Singh is well aware he is taking an unconventional turn for a former host of the NDP.

“But why not?” he says. “I’m not getting any younger.”

He adds: “I like to do things where we can laugh at ourselves. If I don’t want to laugh at myself and poke fun at what’s going on (in the parade), then I wouldn’t be (at the watch party).”

He was invited to co-host the event by his 27-year-old daughter, who hosted both the 2023 and 2022 editions of the watch party with Becca D’Bus.

He says: “She asked me very tenderly, ‘Would you be open to something like this?’ She actually asked me last year as well, but I wasn’t free to do it then. This year, I am.

“Even when I’m not the one hosting NDP, I’ve also done grassroots National Day events. So I guess this is another feather to add to my cap.”

While Singh has worked with Gabrielle before – they were both in Wild Rice’s 2010 musical pantomime Cinderel-lah! – this is the first time he will see her host in drag, which he is excited about.

He says of her career path: “It’s like how when I told my mum and dad I wanted to join SBC (Singapore Broadcasting Corporation, now known as Mediacorp), they gasped. They said, ‘This is not a good job.’ My daughter is an adult now. I respect her choices.”

He has two other children with his wife Melissa Wong – son Elliot, 22, and daughter Mikaela, 11.

Singh says he is “curious” to see how the watch party pans out. For now, there are no plans for him to break out in song or dance, but there will be plenty of audience interaction.

“When I was an actual NDP host, there were never any lulls, but when watching the broadcast, we need to engage the live audience present. So maybe (for this), we’ll play bingo, we’ll find the best-dressed person, and because it’s an over-18 event, there’s going to be booze.”

Book It/Watch It Wet – NDP 2024 Watch Party

Where: The Projector, 05-00 Golden Mile Tower, 6001 Beach Road
When: Aug 9, 5.30pm
Admission: $35 via watchitwet2024.peatix.com
Info: For those aged 18 and older

This article was originally published in The Straits Times.