An evening with Joshua Radin in Singapore

When TV host Ellen DeGeneres married actress Portia De Rossi in 2008, of all the artists in the world she could have asked to perform at the wedding, she asked a low-key singer-songwriter named Joshua Radin. The Ohio native sang a few of his songs for the couple, most famously the tender love song, “Today.”

It’s not hard to understand why Ellen was drawn to the song, and to Radin. Since 2004, when he first released his debut single “Winter,” which, interestingly is also the first song he wrote ever, the artist has had a small but devoted worldwide following, which happens to include me.

Radin was in Singapore last week to play his first-ever show in Asia. It took me a few days to decide whether I wanted to spend money to fly over there to watch him, but in the end, as always, I gave in. I’ve always valued experiences over material things, and as an avowed concert junkie, I knew I couldn’t forgive myself if I passed up this chance to see him perform live.

Radin’s music has been a constant in my life since I first heard “Winter” around 2006.


He was someone I used to put on when I felt like wallowing in loneliness and self-pity, and every time, I would find myself singing along and feeling better. Hopeful melancholy. There is something pure and uncomplicated about it, like a familiar shirt or an ice cream sundae you know you have to have that you’re sure is going to make you feel good. His voice, slightly raspy and whispery, is what I would imagine moonlight shimmering over a calm ocean would sound like. It’s stop-you-in-your-tracks singing; the musical equivalent of a smile from someone you love.

His writing is likewise unfussy but sincere. Often it’s effortless and conversational; there are no contrived attempts at profundity. In “Brand New Day,” he sings, “It’s a brand new day/For the first time in such a long, long time/I know, I’ll be okay.” And in “Beautiful Day,” you can almost hear him giggle when he says, “When we all come together, this song will play/We’ll sing it’s a beautiful day/It’s gonna be my beautiful day.” It’s montage-over-dramatic-TV-moment-ready, and, no surprise, his work has appeared in dozens of films and TV shows.

All this is, as with most musical artists, is based on his recordings. I was curious to find out what his show was going to be like; whether his sincerity and grace would translate well in the flesh, or if he would turn out to be mediocre and boring as a live act. As it turned out, Radin completely won me over, if he hadn’t already.

The show was held at the Concert Hall of the famous durian-shaped Esplanade. Upcoming Singaporean artist Theodora, who reminded me of Vienna Teng and a less moody Tori Amos, opened the show.

After a quick equipment check, Radin walked casually onstage wearing a black shirt, dark jeans and his trademark hat. Immediately he launched into “No Envy No Fear,” part of which he sang off-microphone. The acoustics inside the venue were so good that it didn’t matter: his voice was crystal clear and almost exactly as it was on record.

Radin had sips of what looked like white wine in between songs. He also told stories. “Brand New Day,” was what came out the moment he got over a year’s worth of sad songs, while “You Got Growing Up To Do,” was one he wrote 15 minutes after a particularly nasty break-up, while stuck inside an ATM vestibule with his guitar and a corduroy jacket as rain poured outside. Expectedly, these stories added another dimension to the audience’s appreciation for Radin as a songwriter. I find it hard now to listen to “You Got Growing Up To Do” without imagining him sopping wet, strumming his guitar by the glow of the flickering fluorescent light of the ATM machine.

“I wrote this next song right after Hurricane Katrina,” he said to introduce “Everything’ll Be Alright (Will’s Lullaby).” “I guess it was hubris, you know, that feeling of I can do this, I can affect the world with my songs!’” He laughed, then said, “I guess it’s my lullaby for New Orleans.”

The thing I love most about concerts is that you get to see another aspect of someone you only previously know through their recordings. Suddenly, an okay artist is great, and a great artist becomes amazing. Joshua Radin demolished expectations. He was charming and gregarious, funny but not overbearing. He engaged the audience with witty banter and sang beautifully.

Radin talked about the new album, Onwards and Sideways, which he said is pretty much a love letter to his new girlfriend, a Swedish science reporter. He told the story of how they met (at a hotel lobby in New York City), how he waited for her (she was involved at the time), how he wooed her when she finally became single (he flew to Stockholm and camped out at a hotel writing love songs while she was at work). It was all too surreal: the guy pours out his heart and soul in his music and there he was giving people more of himself.

And yet people couldn’t get enough. After ending the set with the song that started it all, “Winter,” the ever-polite Singaporean crowd (“You guys are so well-behaved!” Radin said) finally started shouting when it was time to ask for an encore. He came back out to do a cover of the Bob Dylan classic “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright.” It was the only time his voice rose above normal, and it was glorious. Who says Radin doesn’t know how to rock out?

Pyrotechnics, back-up dancers, surprise guests; those are all well and good, but sometimes it doesn’t take much more than words sung over gently strummed acoustic guitar to get people’s feet tapping, heads nodding and hearts soaring. That’s exactly what Radin did, and a three-and-a-half-hour flight to another country (for me at least) was a tiny price to pay to experience it. — BM, GMA News