SINGAPORE — “How are we doing, Singapore? It’s been too long. The last time I held a concert here was 15 years ago,” Karen Mok told her audience during her concert on Saturday night, the first stop on her Regardez World Tour. “I am too much! Did you miss me? I missed the pandan cake.”

And, perhaps to prove just how much we have been missing out on these past 15 years, Mok put on one heck of a show at The Star Theatre. The Hong Kong singer, who also played the role of concert director for her own show, showcased the best of her 23-year music career in a 2.5-hour extravaganza.

Mok kicked off her show with an action-packed first segment, in which she dramatically peeled off her red cape to reveal her famous long legs and salsa-ed sultrily with a male dancer, who was so free with his caresses we wondered what her husband Johannes Natterer will say when he joins the tour in Europe. Mok also sprawled all over a piano on stage, stretching her lithe body lazily while performing her classic hit Overcast.

Then, halfway through the concert, the 45-year-old singer switched gears, with faster songs like World Harmony and Diva. While most rock stars favour the electric guitar, Mok’s weapon of choice was much more unusual, and certainly a lot cooler. The Mandopop star strummed her electric guzheng as she performed the song Reason To Be Strong, kneeling on one knee and dressed in a silver skin-tight outfit with a studded choker and leather boots. The effect was spellbinding, and was certainly one of our favourite moments of the show.

What was most impressive about Mok’s concert was the way her theatrics only serve to accentuate her incredible vocal talent. One minute she’s seducing you with her bare legs, and the next, she’s breaking your heart into a million little pieces with heartfelt renditions of ballads like He Doesn’t Love Me, Without You, Even If, Lonely Lover and Regardez. And it wasn’t just about the songs or the lyrics or the melodies — there was a certain quality in her voice that allowed her music to reach the darkest recesses of our souls, a complexity that connected her emotions with our own, and it was a distinction that became much more apparent live. Even dramatic stage effects, such as the lights that were meant to recreate the Northern Lights at The Star Theatre, failed to distract from the fact that Mok is a singer, first and foremost.

Despite the limitations of The Star Theatre, which is perhaps more suited as a venue for recitals than pop concerts because of its more formal seating arrangements, Mok’s audience of 5,000 certainly played their part as active participants. The crowd, which included Singaporean singer Stefanie Sun and Hong Kong actress Charlie Yeung, cheered loudly on command, sang along to Mok’s biggest hits, and even rushed up to take wefies with the singer when she leapt off the stage to greet her fans. At the press conference after the concert, Mok said she was pleasantly surprised at how enthusiastic her fans were, given how notoriously stoic Singaporean audiences can sometimes be.

In fact, Mok was so pleased with her reception that she cheekily took several photos of her audience, and promised not to keep her fans waiting for another 15 years before her next concert in Singapore.

“I’ll come on my next tour, it is a promise,” she said.

And if Mok really does keep her word, we will make sure there will be a slice of pandan cake waiting for her, too. Hon Jing Yi