Fan reenacts G.E.M.'s MV in front of singer

She has watched the music videos of Chinese-Hong Kong singer G.E.M. countless times.

Yesterday, Connie Chan, 16, had to act as her favourite singer in front of G.E.M. herself in a reenactment of the music video to her hit song Long Distance.

The Bishan Park Secondary School student told The New Paper: "(When I was performing for G.E.M.), I didn't even dare to look at her."

But Connie and her friend, Xue Zhaoman, 18, pulled off the reenactment well enough that they won T-shirts signed by the singer and also secured a hug from their idol.

LUCKY WINNER: Student Connie Chan (second from left) hugging her idol G.E.M. (third from left) after she was selected by the singer as the winner of a competition in which fans acted out scenes from G.E.M.'s music videos. TNP PHOTOS: CHOO CHWEE HUA

The pair were one of three groups chosen by G.E.M.'s official fan club in Singapore to perform reenactments of the 24-year-old singer's music videos at her autograph session at Wisma Atria yesterday afternoon.

G.E.M. was in town to promote the release of her new album, Heartbeat. Nearly 400 fans who had bought the album got to meet the singer and have their copies signed.

An even larger crowd turned up just to see the singer and watched the event from as high as the mall's fourth storey.

Connie and Zhaoman had submitted a video in which they reenacted the music video of G.E.M.'s Long Distance, with Connie playing G.E.M. and Zhaoman playing the male lead.

They were told by the fan club three days before the event that they were among three groups picked to perform for G.E.M. herself.

"I was happy and worried, because we needed to prepare the props," said Connie, referring to items such as cardboard and cookies for recreating specific scenes in the music video.

ATTENTION TO DETAIL

Because Connie and Zhaoman were busy with school, they started rehearsing only the night before the event, at Zhaoman's house.

For these reasons, the pair did not think they would win.

"We didn't have time, so we just did what we could," Connie said.

But G.E.M., who mentioned that the detail the pair went to in buying the cookies caught her attention and led her to pick them as the winners.

"I felt that their reenactment was the most detailed," G.E.M. told the crowd in Mandarin.

Connie, who won Heartbeat T-shirts signed by the singer, said: "I was very excited, I was shouting and jumping. I asked if I could hug (G.E.M.) and she agreed. I felt so touched."

Another fan who enjoyed herself was Manuelle Chia, 14, a Bukit View Secondary School student who managed to get a copy of the album after it was reportedly sold out.

After finding out about the autograph session on Friday night, her mother spent much of Saturday making phone calls to buy the album.

They were told by Wisma Atria on Saturday night that it was sold out.

Chia told TNP: "I was very sad and disappointed. (The autograph session) is a once in a lifetime opportunity and (paying for the album) is much cheaper than a concert."

She went to Wisma Atria at 10.30am yesterday morning to try her luck, but learnt that the album was still unavailable.

Organisers at the event suggested that the album might be available elsewhere and Manuelle enlisted her mother's and aunt's help to contact different Popular outlets to see which had copies available.

Just two hours before the autograph session began, Manuelle was told the organisers that they had copies for sale.

She approached the redemption counter at the atrium and bought the album for $30.

"I was so excited, grateful and thankful," Manuelle said, adding that she had felt nervous when she met G.E.M. at the autograph session.

"I tried to smile and laugh and to not be awkward," she said.

"I was very excited, I was shouting and jumping... I asked if I could hug (G.E.M.) and she agreed. I felt so touched."

- Student Connie Chan, who won autographed shirts