>Nytendoz at 14:59, 19 May 2021

2021-05-19T14:59:22Z

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{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Jacintha Abisheganaden
| image =
| background = solo_singer
| birth_name =
| alias = {{ubl|Jacintha|}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1957|10|03|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Singapore
| genre = [[Jazz]], [[bossa nova]]
| occupation = Singer, songwriter, actress
| years_active = 1976–present
| label =
| associated_acts = [[Dick Lee]]
}}

'''Jacintha Abisheganaden''' (born 3 October 1957), known professionally as '''Jacintha''', is a [[Singaporean]] singer, actress, and theater practitioner who studied at the [[National University of Singapore]] and received a degree in arts, majoring in English literature. She is a founding member of the performance company [[TheatreWorks (Singapore)|TheatreWorks]].

== Early life ==
Abisheganaden was born in 1957 to musician parents, the Indian Singaporean classical guitarist Alex Abisheganaden, a recipient of the [[Cultural Medallion]] and a Chinese mother who sang and played the piano. She studied piano and voice from her early teens and also sang in the [[Singapore Youth Choir]], where she met her future collaborator [[Dick Lee]]. Growing up, Abisheganaden listened to a wide variety of music – not only vocal jazz and traditional pop but also artists who ranged from [[Stevie Wonder]] to [[Joni Mitchell]] to South African singer [[Miriam Makeba]]. Abisheganaden was a big fan of Brazilian bandleader [[Sergio Mendes]] during her upbringing and she has been quoted as saying that she was "obsessed" with [[Barbra Streisand]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Henderson|first1=Alex|title=Jacintha Biography|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/jacintha-mn0000120763/biography|website=AllMusic|publisher=AllMusic|accessdate=10 September 2014}}</ref>

Abisheganaden was educated at Marymount Convent School, [[Raffles Institution]] and the [[National University of Singapore]], where she graduated with an honours degree in English. She then went to America where she studied creative writing at [[Harvard University]].

== Career ==
Abisheganaden first came to prominence in 1976 when she won a local television talent contest, ''Talentime'', singing jazz. She continued this winning streak in 1981, when she nabbed the Best Female Performer award for her role as Nurse Angamuthu in ''General Hospital'' at the Drama Festival.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Le Blond|first1=Max|title=1981 – A Fairly Good Year for Local Theatre|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19820110-1.2.99.3.aspx|accessdate=10 September 2014|agency=The Straits Times|publisher=Singapore Press Holdings|date=10 January 1982}}</ref>

Beginning in 1982, she worked as an arts reporter for ''[[The Straits Times]]'', interviewing figures like [[Neil Sedaka]], [[Cliff Richards]] and [[Sophia Loren]]. In 1982, she acted as Pala in ''Samseng and the Chettiar's Daughter'', a [[Singapore Arts Festival]] production directed by [[John Tasker (theatre director)|John Tasker]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Abisheganaden|first1=Jacintha|title=A musical of our very own|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19820903-1.2.125.14.1.aspx|accessdate=10 September 2014|agency=The Straits Times|publisher=Singapore Press Holdings|date=3 September 1982}}</ref> She also acted in the Experimental Theatre Club's ''Terry Rex'' for the 1982 Singapore Drama Festival.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Jacintha|first1=Abisheganaden|title=Remember, discover, believe|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19840412-1.2.79.2.aspx|accessdate=10 September 2014|agency=The Straits Times|publisher=Singapore Press Holdings|date=12 April 1984}}</ref> In 1983, Abisheganaden released her debut album ''Silence'' on WEA, on which [[Dick Lee]] wrote nine out of the ten songs.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Lim|first1=Sek|title=Jacintha's 'Silence' is surely golden|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/singmonitor19830920-2.2.29.6.aspx|accessdate=10 September 2014|agency=Singapore Monitor|date=20 September 1983}}</ref> The new wave album, containing a cover of the [[Bee Gees]]' [[Run to Me (Bee Gees song)|"Run to Me"]], was reviewed positively, with ''[[The Straits Times]]'' calling it "probably the most impressive debut album...from a local singer."<ref>{{cite news|last1=KC|title=High hopes and 'heavy' music|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19830814-1.2.133.14.3.aspx|accessdate=10 September 2014|agency=The Straits Times|publisher=Singapore Press Holdings|date=14 August 1983}}</ref> In the same year, Abisheganaden acted in the Experimental Theatre Club's production of ''Susan's Party'', directed by Lim Siauw Chong, for the Drama Festival.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Tharoor|first1=Minu|title=Tensions break|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19830923-1.2.142.13.2.aspx|accessdate=10 September 2014|agency=The Straits Times|publisher=Singapore Press Holdings|date=23 September 1983}}</ref> In 1984, Abisheganaden starred in [[Dick Lee]]'s play ''Bumboat''—the title song, featuring the cast, was released as a record, with "Unsaid", a duet between Lee and Abisheganaden on the flipside.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kuo|first1=Pao Kun|title=A dream, a spark|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/singmonitor19840608-1.2.32.5.aspx|accessdate=10 September 2014|agency=Singapore Monitor|date=8 June 1984}}</ref> In 1985, Abisheganaden returned from the States temporarily (where she moved with her husband) to act in [[TheatreWorks (Singapore)|TheatreWorks]]' ''Love and Belacan'', three playlets co-starring [[Lim Kay Tong]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ngui|first1=Caroline|title=Hot stuff at the dinner table|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19850903-1.2.76.17.2.aspx|accessdate=10 September 2014|agency=The Straits Times|publisher=Singapore Press Holdings|date=3 September 1985}}</ref> In 1986, Abisheganaden returned from the States permanently to record her second album, and played a series of live jazz shows at The Saxophone.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Morais|first1=Walton|title=Lady sings the blues at the Saxophone|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/biztimes19860120-1.2.27.2.aspx|accessdate=10 September 2014|agency=The Business Times|publisher=Singapore Press Holdings|date=20 January 1986}}</ref> In the same year, she sang and acted in [[Singapore Broadcasting Corporation]]'s hour-long programme ''Destination Mauritius''.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ang|first1=Lay Wah|title=Long, dazed journey into Mauritius|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19860525-1.2.46.5.4.aspx|accessdate=10 September 2014|agency=The Straits Times|publisher=Singapore Press Holdings|date=25 May 1986}}</ref> In 1987, Abisheganaden was voted Best Performer at the fourth ASEAN Song Festival and released her second album ''Tropicana''. She also acted as Zemphira in ''The Gypsies—The Tragedy of Zemphira'', directed by William Teo.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ngui|first1=Caroline|title=Great visuals but no drama|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/straitstimes19870307-1.2.62.36.3.aspx|accessdate=10 September 2014|agency=The Straits Times|publisher=Singapore Press Holdings|date=7 March 1987}}</ref> In 1988, she performed in [[TheatreWorks (Singapore)|TheatreWorks]]' musical ''[[Beauty World (musical)|Beauty World]]'' and acted as singer Josephine in [[Pam Gems]]' ''[[Piaf (play)|Piaf]]''. In the same year, she was Singapore's representative at the Pax Musica cultural entertainment show in Singapore.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Chong|first1=Vivien|title=Jacintha for S'pore at Pax Musica|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/newpaper19881012-1.2.15.3.aspx|accessdate=10 September 2014|agency=The New Paper|publisher=Singapore Press Holdings|date=12 October 1988}}</ref> In 1989, Abisheganaden and [[Dick Lee]] represented Singapore at the Asia Song Festival in Japan. She performed "Come Back to Me Tonight", which Lee composed for the event.<ref>{{cite news|title=Jacintha in song festival|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/newpaper19890724-1.2.18.3.aspx|accessdate=10 September 2014|agency=The New Paper|publisher=Singapore Press Holdings|date=24 July 1989}}</ref> In the same year, she acted in [[TheatreWorks (Singapore)|TheatreWorks]]' ''Mixed Signals'', a three-act comedy written by [[Michael Chiang]], and ''Jackson on a Jaunt'' by [[Eleanor Wong (playwright)|Eleanor Wong]], staged as part of the double bill ''Safe Sex''.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Wong|first1=Sing Yeong|title=Ja's the one for playwright Michael|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/newpaper19890425-1.2.25.1.aspx|accessdate=10 September 2014|agency=The Straits Times|publisher=Singapore Press Holdings|date=25 April 1989}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Ting|first1=Mei See|title=Safe Sex: appetiser and main course|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/newpaper19891125-1.2.50.1.aspx|accessdate=10 September 2014|agency=The Straits Times|publisher=Singapore Press Holdings|date=25 November 1989}}</ref> She also performed with the [[New York Philharmonic]], conducted by [[Zubin Mehta]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ee|first1=Samuel|title=The NY Phil – live at the Padang|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/biztimes19890821-1.2.29.1.aspx|accessdate=10 September 2014|agency=The Straits Times|publisher=Singapore Press Holdings|date=21 August 1989}}</ref>

In 1990, Abisheganaden acted as Sheila Rani in [[TheatreWorks (Singapore)|TheatreWorks]]' revival of Lim Chor Pee's play, ''Mimi Fan''.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Tan|first1=Corrie|title=Looking back on English-language theatre classics: Mimi Fan|url=http://stcommunities.straitstimes.com/show/2014/06/26/looking-back-english-language-theatre-classics-mimi-fan|accessdate=10 September 2014|agency=The Straits Times|publisher=Singapore Press Holdings|date=26 June 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140911003452/http://stcommunities.straitstimes.com/show/2014/06/26/looking-back-english-language-theatre-classics-mimi-fan|archive-date=11 September 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1991, Abisheganaden acted in [[Eric Khoo]]'s short film ''August'' as an adulterous wife and released her third album ''Dramamama'' on Japan's Wave Records. In the same year, she starred in [[TheatreWorks (Singapore)|TheatreWorks]]' ''Fried Rice Paradise'' and ''Theatre Games''. In 1992, Abisheganaden starred in [[Dick Lee]]'s first Asian operetta, ''Nagaland'', which performed to full houses in Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore. In 1993, Abisheganaden sang the lead role of Grizabella in ''[[Cats (musical)|Cats]]'' when the hit musical opened in Singapore. In the same year, she hosted the cooking show, ''Mum's Not Cooking''. In 1997, Abisheganaden starred in [[Dick Lee]]'s musical ''Hotpants'', which was restaged in 2014.

In the mid-nineties, actor [[Lim Kay Tong]] introduced Abisheganaden to Ying Tan, who signed her to his Groove Note label. Her first jazz album was released in 1998: ''Here's To Ben – A Vocal Tribute To [[Ben Webster]]''. Abisheganaden's second album for the Groove Note label, ''Autumn Leaves: The Songs of [[Johnny Mercer]]'' (1999) has seen the title track being used for TV series ''[[Alias (TV series)|Alias]]'', while the bonus track "Here's to Life" was used as the title track for the Hollywood movie ''[[Play It to the Bone]]'', as well as being used during [[Michael J. Fox]]'s narration of ABC Sports' coverage Game 7 of the [[2001 Stanley Cup Finals]]. She has since recorded several jazz albums under the Groove Note label, including "Lush Life" (2002), "Jacintha is Her Name" (2003), "The Girl from Bossa Nova" (2004), and "Jacintha Goes to Hollywood" (2007). The retrospective collection "Best of Jacintha" was released in 2008.

In 2004, Abisheganaden performed her own cabaret jazz show, ''The Angina Monologues'' at the [[Old Parliament House, Singapore]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Chew|first1=David|title=Jacintha's crooning back|url=http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/today20040813-2.2.47.4.aspx|accessdate=10 September 2014|agency=TODAY|publisher=MediaCorp|date=13 August 2004}}</ref> In 2006, Abisheganaden served as a judge on the second season of ''[[Singapore Idol]]''. In 2012, Abisheganaden returned to the stage after 13 years, playing herself in [[Ong Keng Sen]]'s ''National Broadway Company'', a musical commissioned for the [[Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay]]'s 10th anniversary.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Chia|first1=Adeline|title=National Broadway Company a fitting tribute to those in Singapore's theatre scene|url=http://stcommunities.straitstimes.com/movies/2012/10/19/national-broadway-company-fitting-tribute-those-singapores-theatre-scene|accessdate=10 September 2014|agency=The Straits Times|publisher=Singapore Press Holdings|date=19 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140911001938/http://stcommunities.straitstimes.com/movies/2012/10/19/national-broadway-company-fitting-tribute-those-singapores-theatre-scene|archive-date=11 September 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
In 1983, Abisheganaden married an American lawyer [[David Scheffer]]. They separated after three years.

In June 1992, Abisheganaden married her close collaborator, the singer-songwriter [[Dick Lee]]. The couple divorced in 1997.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Oorjitham|first1=Santha|title=Final Curtain for Dick and Ja|url=http://www-cgi.cnn.com/ASIANOW/asiaweek/97/0131/feat2.html|access-date=10 September 2014|agency=Asiaweek|date=31 January 1997|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140910200014/http://www-cgi.cnn.com/ASIANOW/asiaweek/97/0131/feat2.html|archive-date=10 September 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In May 1998, Abisheganaden married former ''[[The Straits Times]]'' journalist Koh Boon Pin in Bali. The couple, who have a son Alexander together, divorced in 2008.<ref>{{cite news|title=Singer Jacintha divorces|url=http://news.asiaone.com/News/the+Straits+Times/Story/A1Story20081202-104825.html|access-date=10 September 2014|agency=The Straits Times|publisher=Singapore Press Holdings|date=2 December 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140911001740/http://news.asiaone.com/News/the+Straits+Times/Story/A1Story20081202-104825.html|archive-date=11 September 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Discography ==
* ''Silence'' (WEA, 1983)
* ''Tropicana'' (WEA, 1987)
* ''Dramamama'' (Sony, 1991)
* ''My Life'' (Springroll, 1997)
* ''Here's to Ben: A Vocal Tribute to Ben Webster'' (Groove Note, 1998)
* ''Autumn Leaves: The Songs of Johnny Mercer'' (Groove Note, 1999)
* ''Lush Life'' (Groove Note, 2001)
* ''Jacintha Is Her Name'' (Groove Note, 2003)
* ''The Girl from Bossa Nova'' (Groove Note, 2004)
* ''Love Flows Like a River'' (Harmony, 2005)
* ''Jacintha Goes to Hollywood'' (Groove Note, 2007)
* ''Best of Jacintha'' (Groove Note, 2008)
* ''Fire & Rain'' (Groove Note, 2018)

==See also==
*[[Chindian]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Allmusic |class=artist |id=jacintha-mn0000120763}}
*{{Discogs artist|956117-Jacintha}}
*{{IMDb name|0008766}}

{{Singapore Idol}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abisheganaden, Jacintha}}
[[Category:1957 births]]
[[Category:Singaporean television actresses]]
[[Category:Singaporean film actresses]]
[[Category:Singaporean female singers]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Singaporean people of Sri Lankan descent]]
[[Category:Singaporean people of Chinese descent]]
[[Category:Tamil musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century Singaporean actresses]]
[[Category:Singaporean journalists]]
[[Category:Singaporean women journalists]]

Jacintha Abisheganaden - Revision history

>Nytendoz at 14:59, 19 May 2021