"Hometown Heroes" Officially Bestows Bragging Rights On West Side In A Sizzling Finale
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner!
The live finale of "Hometown Heroes", Singapore’s first documentary game show series which pitted music artists from all four corners of our island against each other, has crowned Team West the victors of the competition.
It was a knock-down-drag-out brawl. From competing in challenges and releasing singles to shooting music videos, we were here for every moment of it. Check out our coverage for Teams East, North and South/Central for all the deets.
But when the dust settled in the live season finale, which aired on Youtube tonight, the result was undisputed. We can finally put to rest which side truly is the best side.
The Westies - consisting of singer-songwriters Aisyah Aziz, HAVEN, Joie Tan and RIIDEM - pulled out all the stops with a new arrangement and show-stopping performance of their group single "West Side Story".
Aisyah shared: “I can’t believe it! Still wonder how we won because we winged it from the start. It’s been a great vibe just getting to know everyone and being friends with them. Love to Zendyll and Bless7Up for working very closely with us, hanging in tight as they figured out all of our schedules!”
Fellow teammate RIIDEM added: “Well, you know, West side is always the best side! Jokes aside, I'm so grateful to be a part of 'Hometown Heroes', and mad props to the talented girls in my team. I couldn't have done this without them! It's an honour taking home the award for best team. It was a fun, awesome experience!"
The rest of the team did not go home empty-handed, however. The South/Central lads went first and belted their hearts out in cozy bathrobes for "Bright City, Grey Skies". Afterwards, team member Jaarvis, who is also a highly popular comedian in the entertainment scene, bagged the High Value Target award - essentially, the MVP of the competition.
“I was taken aback completely. If you were present at the live show or have seen videos, you can tell from my reaction that I was surprised," he said.
"But honestly it was an amazing feeling. It felt really good to be appreciated for my personality. I know I can be loud, mad, stupid or arrogant, but it’s all done in the name of fun and I made sure my peers and opponents knew that. I can get quite out of hand sometimes but that’s entertainment you know. Having the lads congratulating me after the show was awesome."
He added a final note on being original: "This is a message to every individual out there. Conforming to societal expectations can keep you safe but it won’t keep you sane. Dare to be different, dare to be yourself.”
The suave boys from Team North also got some recognition by picking up the Best Music Video prize for their cool AF single "Movin' On".
“I think winning the best music video is the best prize we could've won! We put a lot of thought into how we wanted it to look based on how we wanted the North's sound, which is entirely based on the mindset of being effortlessly unbothered," said Dominic Chin from the North quartet.
“The whole experience was very, very fun. It was nerve-wracking for me in the beginning as I have a lot of anxiety with meeting new people, especially knowing that they are my peers in my industry, but everybody was genuinely so nice and warm."
Dominic also talked about having a fruitful year of musical partnerships: "Having to work with my team was really one of the best collaborations I've had all year - and this year is the year of collaborations for me, releasing 7 different duets of reimagined versions of my songs! The North team bonded so quickly and so well despite our stark differences in sound. Everybody tapped in and gave what we know we do best - the outcome was magic.”
Shaykh chimed in: “To see my initial concept of having a 'dark and lonely disco' come to life and brought to the next level by the lovely people at Bless7Up was definitely the highlight of the entire HH experience; winning the best music video award was the cherry on top.”
Last but not least, all eyes were on the East-siders as they delivered an elaborate choreographed medley highlighting the individual artist’s popular singles aside from the group’s collab "Get To Me". If there had been an award for Best Live Performance of the night, Estelle Fly, Marian Carmel, Shye and Evanturetime would definitely have clinched it.
Check out the live finale below and experience some of the very best music that Singapore has to offer.
For the latest updates on Wonderwall.sg, be sure to follow us on TikTok, Telegram, Instagram, and Facebook. If you have a story idea for us, email us at [email protected].
