Top 10 Outstanding Facts about Nathan Hartono

Singer Nathan Hartono performing at Nanyang Junior College’s Lecture Theatre 4 for the “Literature Under the April Sky” nationwide event. Photo by JohnLim99. Wikimedia Commons

Top 10 Outstanding Facts about Nathan Hartono

Nathaniel Hartono Xiang, also known as Nathan Hartono, is a Singaporean singer-songwriter and actor who was born on July 26, 1991. Nathan made his singing debut after winning the Teenage Icon singing competition in 2005, and his debut album, LET ME SING! Life, Love, and All That Jazz, was released in 2006. 

Nathan also dabbled in acting, appearing in Half worlds, his first television series, in 2015. As the first runner-up of the first season of Sing! China, he now works with the Committee to Promote Chinese Language Learning (CPCLL) to enrich Chinese language learning among Singapore students. Hartono performed the theme song for Singapore’s National Day Parade (NDP) in 2020.

1. His musical career began when he was 14 years old

Hartono has been a performer for over half of his life. During a karaoke session when he was 14 years old, his parents noticed his singing talent. They encouraged him to enter a teen magazine talent contest, which he eventually won.

A year later, he was the youngest performer to headline a show at Singapore’s Esplanade’s Late Nite series. He also studied music production and engineering at Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music. Hartono has now released three albums and performed on hundreds of stages throughout Asia.

In 2012, he made his acting debut in the musical Spring Awakening, which was about adolescent sexuality.

2. He is a First-generation Singaporean

Nathan’s grandfather founded Tung Lok Group, and his mother is currently the Senior Vice President. Tung Lok Group owns and operates over 40 restaurants throughout Singapore, Indonesia, China, Japan, and India.

Thomas Hartono, Hartono’s father, is the managing director of PT Anandini Vimala, which is behind lifestyle projects like resorts and villas. His older brother, Norman Hartono, is said to be the heir to the family business.

3. He was mentored by Superstar Jay Chou

Jay Chou Opus Tour Hong Kong 2013. Photo by Eddie Yip. Wikimedia Commons

When he appeared on Sing! China, he was taken under the wing of Taiwanese superstar Jay Chou after the latter heard him sing an R&B rendition of Taiwanese singer Wei Li-You an’s Mei You (Have You Ever?)

In an interview with The Straits Times, Hartono explained what he learned from Chou: “He likes to innovate, experiment, and push his own boundaries. He is constantly challenging people’s perceptions of how Chinese music should sound, and I believe that is what I learned the most from him.”

4. He writes his own music

Person writing on notepad. Photo by Calum MacAulay. Unsplash

Hartono wrote the lyrics for his latest single, The Difference. He based it on his own life experiences. The song, he says, depicts “both the light and dark side of that haze you find yourself in” when you’re in love.

The dreamy, piano-driven track was created in collaboration with Singaporean producer and fellow Gen. T honoree Myrne, and will be included in Hartono’s upcoming four-track EP, Edge of Days, which will be released soon.

5. On Instagram, he has a fan base of more than 100k followers

Instagram logo. Photo by Eyestetix Studio. Unspalsh

Many people were unaware of this guy until the Sing! Competition in China. However, he appears to be well-known for singing and acting, as evidenced by his Instagram account. People who follow local music scenes would have also heard of him.

6. He’s got 30k subscribers on his YouTube channel

YouTube logo. Photo by Alexander Shatov. Unspalsh

People are starting to notice him more, so it appears that he will become more famous soon. He already has a sizable following on his YouTube channel, where he showcases his covers of mostly English songs.

7. He attended ACJC before moving to Boston

Anglo-Chinese Junior College. Photo by Chensiyuan. Wikimedia Commons

Nathan studied in Singapore and graduated from Anglo-Chinese Junior College before attending Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he majored in music production and engineering, his passion.

8. Hartono failed Chinese in secondary school

In fact, Hartono’s difficulties with learning Chinese began when he was in upper primary and chose higher Chinese. The new paper quotes him saying, “Chinese became an unclimbable mountain.”

Things got worse when he entered secondary school and began failing Chinese. He stated, “It discouraged me, and because I didn’t have to use Chinese on a daily basis, I started avoiding it like the plague. I only learned what I needed to know to get by.”

9. He recognized the significance of learning Chinese

Nathan realized the value of being bilingual when he entered junior college. “I realized that mastering my second language could open up a lot of doors,” he says. However, it was his time at Sing! China, that proved to be a watershed moment and a wake-up call. He realized he was clearly behind in his Chinese language skills.

“We had pre-production meetings, and it was clear that I was out of my element.” He couldn’t even form complete sentences. However, Hartono’s four months in China proved to be a boom, as he could finally complete whole sentences in Chinese without posing or using English words.

“It’s all about proactive speaking—many people are afraid to speak their second languages because they lack confidence. However, if they continue to practice, their confidence will grow “, he claimed.

10. Hartono made his Chinese debut in 2018

He released a Mandarin-language version of his song “Electricity” on February 7, 2018, in China, and February 9, 2018, elsewhere. Following that, on February 12, 2018, he released a Mandarin music video.  His debut Mandarin single reached the top of the charts on Spotify, iTunes Singapore, and local radio station YES 993.

Hartono returned under Warner Music China at the end of 2019 with a Mandarin single song “Dig Deep,” with the music video releasing on December 26, 2019. Hartono worked on a series of Mandarin and English, which was released in 2020. He performed the National Day Parade (NDP) theme song “Everything I Am” in 2020.

Hartono is the ambassador for Milo Peng Chocolate-malt bottled drinks, in addition to songwriting and acting. As well as Vivo Singapore is also a smartphone brand. The Singapore Tourism Board has also enlisted his services for its new Passion Made Possible campaign. Nathan Hartono’s net worth is estimated to be $1.5 million.