Walking into the opulent living room of Nathan Hartono’s swanky Bukit Timah abode, it’s hard not to gasp out loud because by opulent, I mean it looks like Napoleon Bonaparte personally decorated it with his own priceless artefacts.
A few minutes later, the 17-year-old jazz singer joins us. It may be his house (well, his parents’ – dad’s a 
businessman and mom works in the food industry – to be exact) but he looks as sorely out of place in the lavish living room as I feel. As if reading my mind, he quickly ushers me upstairs away from the palatial trappings to his room. But before he lets me cross the threshold, he warns, “it’s a room of someone who is messy but tries to be neat.”
But Nathan’s just being modest. His room is well kept. Even his bed is nicely made. Everything is where it should be. The only indication of a mess (if it even qualifies as that) is his ‘music corner’ where a guitar and a piano sit with a pile of CDs tucked away (neatly) on the floor. I spot Motion City soundtrack, Jason Mraz, The Strokes, Jack Johnson and even the Bee Gees in his collection. “I’m a music junkie so I listen to everything,” he explains, “I don’t like to confine myself to one genre.”
Then I spy a copy of his new DVD album Feeling Good With Nathan Hartono based on the ‘live’ recordings 
of his two recent sold-out solo concerts at the Esplanade last year (he was the youngest solo performer ever to take the stage). This DVD, which follows the successful launch of his first solo album, Let Me Sing!, and his second disc, Feeling Good With Nathan Hartono, allows his fans to sing along with him thanks to the karaoke function. I feel compelled to ask if he listens to his own CD. “No,” he replies curtly.
Among his stack of books, I find a healthy number of titles on jazz great Frank Sinatra and ask if he emulates Ol’ Blue Eyes himself. “Well, everyone tries to sing their own style but whether they succeed or not remains to be seen. For me, I try my best to be me,” he answers while pacing restlessly around his room.
He sees me looking at mementos from his alma maters and begins loosening up as he talks about them. “I was from Nanyang Primary, ACS Barker, and am now in ACJC,” he says with a proud glint in his eye. “School is a big priority for me. I just want to do well for my ‘A’ levels. I find that quite sad because a couple of months ago I was trying to do well for my ‘O’ levels!” Being a mini-celebrity in his own right, I ask if he gets the star treatment at school. “Not really. The way I see it, when I’m behind school gates, I’m behind school gates. Anyway, the I Not Stupid guy (Shawn Lee) is also in ACJC and he’s much more popular than me!”
Finally dropping his guard, he begins to share interesting anecdotes about his room without any prodding on my part. “I like to keep items which are memorable to me, like the tag from a T-shirt I wore for my first concert, the Mosaic Festival lanyards and the spacecraft patches I got when I first went to the US.”
He then ceremoniously flings open a cupboard and shows me… his dress! Could this be my lucky day? “This hula costume is a birthday gift which I’ve never used in my life and I don’t ever intend to put on the coconut bra.” I nod, trying to hide my disappointment.
As he picks up his guitar and absent-mindedly begins to strum a tune that sounds suspiciously like Jason Mraz’s, I ask if he has any other hobbies aside from music. “I read lots of comic books and I especially like Tintin,” he says. “I’m also kind of a geek for wrestling even though I’m not really a sports buff.” What about hanging out with friends? I probe. Or has he been bought over by the celebrity lifestyle. “I like to keep a small circle of friends. If you know too many people, the ones close to you and the ones that matter most get neglected,” he says matter-of-factly.
Not forgetting the ridiculously luxurious living room we escaped from not too long ago, I decided to broach the sensitive topic of his privilege upbringing. I wonder out loud if coming from a well-to-do background has helped him get into the limelight faster. “I don’t really deal with the subject of coming from a privileged family because I know I’m lucky. I try to make the most out of it and not let it go to my head, you know? But even without all the wealth, I think I’ll still be where I am today.”
The Feeling Good With Nathan Hartono DVD is available at all major music stores. Nathan Hartono is exclusively managed by Music and Movement.
Text: Aishah Hamza
Pictures: Kelvin Chia
Lime
May 2008
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