Freeman
Amidst the a cappella scene within our own borders it's easy to lose sight of what's going on around the world. In International Spotlight we introduce readers to groups that are making noise (not to mention incredible music) in foreign lands.
While The Sing-Off may be over in the US, season one of China’s version of the show just finished in September. The group that left standing tall was none other than Freeman, a six-person group composed of five men and one woman, all of whom are teachers, anchored by the sound of bass Lao Ma. Along the road to victory, the group sang not only Chinese music, but several songs more familiar to an American audience like Radiohead’s “Creep,” Boyz II Men’s “Thank You,” and Katy Perry’s “ET,” besides further embracing an international flavor with a sampling “Jai Ho” from Slumdog Millionaire.
Check out a sampling of the Freeman sound below.
Author’s Note: I found information about The Sing-Off China difficult to find here in the US; one of my primary references for this brief piece came from an excellent blog called I Speak In Song which features full reviews each episode of season one of the Chinese version of The Sing-Off.