Gurmit Singh to co-host NDP watch party with daughter
Actor-presenter Gurmit Singh will be getting into a patriotic mood in an alternative way on National Day.
The one-time regular host of the annual National Day Parade (NDP), who has hosted the ceremony close to 20 times by his estimate, will be poking fun at the annual festivities at an irreverent NDP Watch Party on Aug 9 at indie cinema The Projector’s Golden Mile Tower branch.
The 59-year-old will be doing so with local drag queen Becca D’Bus, popular Singapore-based TikToker Daisy Anne Mitchell and his eldest daughter, the drag and burlesque performer known by her stage name Lychee Bye.
The event, which is only for those aged 18 and above, will feature live commentary about the parade’s festivities from its four hosts, drinking games and a best-dressed contest that invites attendees to dress up as their favourite Singaporean icons.
Singh is well aware that he is taking an unconventional turn for a former host of 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 there.”
He was invited to co-host the event by his 27-year-old daughter, whose real name is Gabrielle. She had hosted 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 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 his daughter 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 his daughter’s choice of career in drag and burlesque: “It’s like how when I told my mum and dad I want 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.”
When asked if he ever objected to her pursuit of drag, Singh declined to reveal more. He has three kids with his wife Melissa Wong – Gabrielle, as well as 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 with the broadcast and its commercial breaks, we need to engage the live audience present. So, maybe we’ll play bingo, we’ll find the best-dressed person, and because it’s an 18-plus event, there’s going to be booze.”
Watch It Wet NDP 2024 Watch Party
Where: The Projector, Golden Mile Tower, 6001 Beach Road
When: Aug 9, 5.30pm
Admission: $35 via watchitwet2024.peatix.com
Info: For those aged 18 and older
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