The Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix 2024 feels like a lifetime ago, but we simply cannot let you forget the icons we saw, the angelic voices we heard, and the core memories that were made during the weekend’s spectacle of world-class entertainment. After all, the Singapore Grand Prix, home to Formula 1 night racing, is known as one of the most electric weekends in Singapore, and we see only the biggest and most iconic legends grace the stages – OneRepublic, Kylie Minogue, BABYMONSTER, Lenny Kravitz and more!
As the echoes of those performances still reverberate throughout Singapore, a bittersweet nostalgia bleeds in my veins, and we’re all already buzzing with anticipation for what 2025 will bring – who will take the stage next year? Today, we get into the euphoric experience of seeing some of the biggest stars doing what they do best (tearing the house down, duh!) during the biggest weekend of the year and, of course, one of the most prestigious stages in Singapore! And I definitely can’t close this tear-jerking recount of one of the best concert experiences of my life with my dream Singapore Grand Prix performers for 2025, can I?
OneRepublic
This concert checked off a massive bucket list item for me – experiencing a concert in the rain! But let me tell you the whole lore as it happened…
On the first day of the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix 2024, after the two practice sessions went smoothly, OneRepublic took the stage and showcased their vocal prowess with their absolutely smashing setlist consisting of the bangers we grew up listening to (or we’re blessed with in the prime of our lives!) – I Ain’t Worried, Good Life, Run, Sunshine, I Lived, and, of course, Counting Stars.
In between an already fantastic setlist, Ryan Tedder, lead singer of the amazing band, surprised us with a medley of songs he wrote for other artists, giving us a concert within a concert! He knows what our hearts want! He blew us away as he sat by his piano and sang away to hits that have topped charts and our playlists – Halo by Beyoncé, Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis, Maps and Love Somebody by Maroon 5, Sucker by Jonas Brothers, Greedy by Tate McRae, and Lose Somebody by Kygo! How did we get so lucky? And don’t even get me started on his voice.
But as soon as they closed Sunshine, the most beautiful thing happened: it started to rain. It began with a drizzle, and as much as our photographer had precious equipment that he needed to protect from the downpour, we agreed that there was no way we could run from this magnificent experience. So, we stayed. We jumped up and down and danced all around as it came pouring down on us.
Experiencing Counting Stars in the rain was something I never thought I needed, but I did. It became a core memory that I’ll cherish forever, and it healed little me, who’d heard this song on repeat growing up. Hearing this after Sunshine, no less! I may be a writer, but I have no words for how perfectly every star aligned for me to bring back this spectacular memory. Nothing could top this experience, I fear.
Kylie Minogue
Until Kylie Minogue took the stage. It may not have rained. She may not have been the icon my generation grew up to. I might have known, like, three songs. But they don’t call her the Queen of Pop for nothing. I was enthralled by her infectious energy that spread from end to end on that stage and to every single one of the thousands of people who’d gathered around her like she was a goddess and we were her disciples.
I’ve been to many concerts, but I’ve never experienced a stage presence quite like Kylie’s. She had me jumping up and down and screaming my lungs out for her. She had me so invested in her performance that I felt like I was in a trance till she left the stage and had us thinking it was over. (Before hitting us with a surprise encore, duh!)
Performing 17 songs and two more in the encore that we genuinely did not expect (we thought she had a curfew to keep to), she brought us to different eras, like the time machine she is, with music spanning across decades and generations! She performed her biggest hits like Can’t Get You Out of My Head and Padam Padam, but also her other smashes like In Your Eyes, Love At First Sight, The Loco-Motion, All The Lovers, and more!
Her aura is unlike any other. She might be 56 years old, but she’s still so nimble as she danced her heart out on stage while genuinely having the time of her life! She was jaw-droppingly stunning and was rocking the outfits as she blew our brains off with her vocals. She is a queen on stage, commanding your attention till the very last second. As a concert enthusiast, it was an honour to have watched this diva’s timeless magic, showing us all how it’s done!
BABYMONSTER
I saw another girl group of divas in action: the new kids on the K-Pop block, BABYMONSTER. Living true to their name, they were absolute beasts on that stage. Given that they’re still rookies and a mega event like a Formula 1 Grand Prix comes with mega responsibility, they took time to get in their zone and get comfortable with the audience and being on stage.
They started strong with unarguably their biggest hit, SHEESH. I won’t lie; that chorus doesn’t hit it for me. I might even say it’s a tad off-putting. But I love the rest of the song, and you cannot deny the insane talent in their young voices, from the vocals to the rap!
They did great in the first song, but when they performed it again in a remix version as the last track of the day, once they’d finally gotten more comfortable, they changed the game. Watching them rap live is a spiritual experience as they finally take the form of their group’s name and roar the rap bars with the aura we expect from BLACKPINK’s labelmates! Their energy just came alive! This was the same for their other massive hit, BATTER UP. They really battered up!
Watching them feel the music as they hyped up the crowd at Singapore Grand Prix 2024 cemented that they have a completely different vibe from other K-Pop groups. Their energy never gave way till the very last moment, which made me fall for their style. Even if you don’t know their songs, you’ll be getting into it just because they convince you so well! I didn’t know what to expect when I watched them, but they well and truly ate it up and impressed me so much.
Lenny Kravitz
Another headliner who took the Padang stage on race day right after Lando Norris crossed the checkered flag and won the Singapore Grand Prix 2024 was Lenny Kravitz! Unfortunately, we were in Zone 1, absolutely exhausted from our long day of walking and watching a not-so-happening race (check out our recap of the race, and you’ll see what I mean!). Hence, we didn’t manage to catch the legend’s performance.
Lenny Kravitz’s music goes way back to before I was even born, so I wasn’t at all familiar with his music. But I heard he dazzled the crowds with all his greatest hits, like Are You Gonna Go My Way, Again, It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over, Fly Away and more!
We may not have been there, but we heard so much about how he connected with his audience. Whether it was his super sweet words like, “It’s a blessing to be alive this evening, another day of life, another day of blessings, another day to love, to learn, to experience. And tonight, we are here to amplify love with you”, or mingling with the audience even after he was told he had to get off the stage. What a man!
Other performers
The Singapore Grand Prix is always a riot, with treats for both race fanatics and music lovers.
Beyond these major acts, there were also plenty of other performers who I really wish I could see, but couldn’t because of my sheer commitment to catching the race at the best vantage point, as well as other programmes, including the Drivers’ Meet-and-Greets and the Drivers’ Parade. The Singapore Grand Prix is quite the balancing act, huh?
But the other acts that were performed and that I did not catch (insert crying emoji) include Thirty Seconds to Mars, Dean Lewis, Tones and I, HONNE, and more! If you caught them, just know that I look like the Hulk with how green I’m turning with envy, and I wish I could be in your brain right now to, hopefully, get a taste of what you experienced.
For those of us who aren’t that invested in the races, this is pretty much a music festival for you! With some walkabout tickets that warrant entry into every performance (depending on the type of ticket), you’ll have the time of your life waltzing into any performance that calls out to your heart!
The Guessing Game Resumes…
But that brings us to the next question – who will be taking the stages at the Singapore Grand Prix 2025? The following season will be one for the books, with some shocking driver moves that will redefine our racing experience. Of course, the performances must match up to that drama, don’t you think? Here are my (delusional, not educated at all) guesses!
We just have to see one of our resident pop princesses take the stage, don’t you think? The holy trinity of this generation of pop princesses are Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter, and Tate McRae! They’re leading a new generation of music, and not having them on one of the grandest occasions in Singapore would feel wrong. All three either have or will be gracing Singapore’s concert venues with their queendom, so we’re definitely on their radar!
One of my top guesses for the headlining acts for the Singapore Grand Prix 2024 was Dua Lipa, but with her tour announced and Singapore on the roster, that wish was shattered. But she could totally take the stage in 2025. She even came in 2018, so it would be fun to see her back as a headliner!
I think Bruno Mars would eat, devour, and leave absolutely no crumbs behind if he performed at the Singapore Grand Prix in 2025. His music drips with nostalgia, and his current hits have been smashing records and topping charts with his duet with Lady Gaga, Die With A Smile, and with BLACKPINK’s Rosé, APT. His presence at the Singapore Grand Prix 2025 is a want, not a need. He’s never performed before, he sold out three shows here in Singapore, and he was so loved – the facts speak for themselves. Bring this man and his hooligans back!
I’ve been loving Hozier lately. No amount or combination of words can ever fully convey just what his incredible songwriting does to me, but his music is literal poetry, and his voice is my drug. He’s been performing at many festivals (and killing it, might I add), so the Singapore Grand Prix could totally be possible. Maybe not as a headliner, but someone, please bring this man to Singapore!
While I’m here throwing out names, I might as well put these gods of hip-hop out there so the universe may grant my wish – Pitbull, Timbaland, Sean Paul (he might already be coming to Singapore, but he could come back for Formula 1 next year!). Also, what if The Weeknd came back to Singapore for the Grand Prix? Ah! My mind is going crazy!
The performers at the Singapore Grand Prix 2024 were amazing, albeit a repeat of performers – we saw OneRepublic in at the Singapore Grand Prix 2017 and Kylie Minogue in 2016. While this year’s line-up was great, we’ve always had high hopes for this event because we’ve had icons like Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Ariana Grande, Queen, Bon Jovi, Maroon 5, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and so many more!
Singapore has been a hotspot on the map with the star-studded concerts we’ve had or are yet to see in 2024 alone – Taylor Swift, Coldplay, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Olivia Rodrigo, 2NE1, Imagine Dragons, and more. This is the time for the big stars to take the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix by storm and rock our world!
We have what seems like forever to go till we find out our line-up for next year (heck, we still have the end of this season to see through!), but in our earnest wait, we will manifest into being our dream appearances at the Singapore Grand Prix 2025!
Formula 1 2024
The 2024 Grand Prix season is not over yet! Stay tuned to F1’s official website, Instagram and TikTok pages for more. For ticketing updates, keep a close eye on the Singapore Grand Prix’s official website, Instagram and TikTok pages!
Photos by Leo Chia of the DANAMIC Team.
