The Sam Willows is undoubtedly one of the most successful bands in Singapore after F4 (wait, F4 wasn’t formed by Singaporeans in Singapore?!).
Comprising Benjamin and Narelle Kheng, who are siblings, Jon Chua and Sandra Riley Tang, the band has won the hearts of many Singaporeans.
For seven years, they toured around Asia and rocked many concerts.
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But all good things come to an end. At least, a temporary end.
The sudden goodbye
In what most will say is a pretty abrupt announcement, the band dropped the bomb on their individual accounts before writing an official statement on the band’s main Instagram account.
Jon’s Goodbye
Jon was the first member to post the goodbye message. He described the break as a ‘bittersweet moment’.
This suggests that this ending is not quite what he expected. However, he assures fans that this is only temporary and even calls the Sam Willows family.
Narelle’s farewell
Narelle acknowledged the hiatus by saying ‘thank you’ many times. In her caption, she seemed pretty confident that they would be making a comeback saying ’till next time’ and choosing upbeat emojis like a fairy, an explosion and a kissy face.
Ben’s comment
Ben left a simple message for his followers on his Instagram stating “goodbye is not the end” and ends with an “x” which stands for a hug.
This line is also from a song, Nightlight, that Ben wrote in remembrance of his mom who passed away due to cancer.
Sandra’s message
The last to speak out about the break up on her main account, Sandra quoted Vera Lynn’s song “we’ll meet again“.
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And finally…
The main account
The band took to their band account to address questions and concerns over why the band has chosen to take a break.
They quoted their hit single stating that the fans have been their ‘all-time high‘. The band then goes on to assure fans once again that this is not the end but simply a break.
Interestingly, the band admitted that this decision was pretty ‘abrupt’ for them leaving fans to speculate what the impetus of the break was.
Band hiatus and individual projects
Whenever bands take a break, it can be safe to say that it will be quite a while. I mean, One Direction said they would be taking a break. But they do not look like they will be coming back any time soon, do they?
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This announcement should not come as a surprise though, because it is common for artists to want to break away from the band identity and create their own content. In the band’s official message, they share that they need to ‘take a step back to reflect, to grow and to come back fuller”.
It is important to note that each member of the band has been experimenting with their own projects in recent years. Ben has delved into acting, Sandra and Narelle both have their own albums coming out and John has a YouTube channel with his wife.
Fans’ reaction
Nevertheless, fans are still sad that the band go their separate ways. Some are also asking if the band will still perform on National Day as they were part of the music video. Here are some of the fans’ reaction.
Supportive
Some fans have chosen to be supportive and are encouraging them for their decision.
Looking forward to the return
Other fans promise to be loyal and wait for the return of their beloved homegrown band.
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Thanking the band
Some fans have also left sweet heartfelt messages on how the band changed their lives.
So, what do you think? Will The Sam Willows make a comeback?
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