Celebrating its 20th anniversary, AKA A CA****LA, Singapore’s longest running a ca****la festival is now in its eighth edition. For the first time, the event will extend beyond a single concert to include a musician mentorship programme, a competition, as well as various workshops and masterclasses. Being held at the Singapore Conference Hall on 24th and 25th September, AKA A CA****LA VIII, or AKA
VIII for short, will be an a ca****la extravaganza you don't want to miss! MISSION:
AKA started in 1996 with the aim to promote and introduce this new art form to young Singaporeans, in the hopes that there would be a new generation of contemporary a ca****la groups that would rise up to form their own uniquely Singaporean voice and take the local a ca****la scene to greater heights. HISTORY:
AKA I (1996) and AKA II (1997) were so widely enjoyed by the a ca****la community that AKA III (1998) became a week-long festival. It was also the first time that foreign guest groups Trytone (Japan) and Tux (Phillipines) performed alongside premier local groups, bringing Singapore’s A Ca****la into the international scene. Taking a break in 1999 and 2001, AKA returned as a biennial event in AKA IV (2000) and AKA V (2002). By then, AKA had spawned a wave of interest in contemporary a ca****la that resulted in many new groups of various genres and ages. After eight years of dormancy, the art form has evolved and taken new sounds. AKA VI (2010) was proudly hosted by Jake Moulton, vocal percussionist of top US a ca****la group, The Housejacks from San Francisco and has become a regional peer event to other a ca****la festivals around the world. AKA VII (2012) brought together more than 600 people from more than 5 different countries, including guest groups O-Kai Singers, Maytree and Suade from Taiwan, Korea and Australia respectively. AKA VII was featured on various newspapers and magazines like The Straits Times, Lianhe Zaobao, The New Paper, i-Weekly magazine and Berita Harian. The event was also covered by local radio stations YES 93.3FM and Love 97.2FM.
