MEET THE POPETTES: EMPT17 EDITION
by Eatmepoptart
It has been a pretty fertile year for parties, at least for the most part of the year! Since April, we have met so many wonderful beings at our parties, and, as we stare into the last crumbs of 2022, we bid the year goodbye with a little tribute to the popettes (yes that’s you!) who have graced our dancefloors with so much love and bodily fluids.
So here you go, in this EMPT17 edition of Meet The Popettes, we’ve cornered 12 regulars and posed them a few questions…
Bella
BELLA, Student
When was your first EMPT party?
It was actually my 19th birthday in 2020, at Phuture! My friend Naufal was a frequent go-er and it was all of our first times! My most distinct memory was “Don’t Stop Believing” playing. It was just so different from any part of nightlife I’ve ever experienced.
What does "Never Lose That Feeling" mean to you?
Music has always been a huge part of my life and I think you never forget the first time you hear a song that means something to you. It’s all about nostalgia, youth and possibility.
What's your favourite thing about EMPT?
The people who run it and the community for sure, it’s unlike anywhere else I’ve been. It’s so incredibly special to be with genuine people who just love music and celebrating those songs together. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad experience with a single person at an event!!
What's your one wish for EMPT for 2023?
My one wish for EMPT… probably for my friends and I to keep making time for it. And of course, for it to always remain an incredibly accepting and lively place. ❤️
Agnes
AGNES, Student & Freelancer
When was your first EMPT party?
My first party was actually this year, electric feel in aug! I waited years to have my first EMPT party due to covid… I nvr had a chance to be4, damn sad.
I remember just having fun, letting loose with not a bother in the world, having my boyfriend with me, dancing, love that he got out of his comfort zone that night🤭
What does "Never Lose That Feeling" mean to you?
Hmm.. To me, it’s to not let others affect me or my decisions, to just do what I want/like and to be contented! Never wanna lose that ‘care-less’ feeling.
What's your favourite thing about EMPT?
The environment, songs and okay tbh I love getting pictures taken to have those memories haha.
What's your one wish for EMPT for 2023?
The 1975 night please tq begging.
Gabriel
GABRIEL, “I work in logistics / shipment management”
When was your first EMPT party?
October 2018 @ Canvas. I met my ex that night 😂 (we’re still great friends)
What does “Never Lose That Feeling” mean to you?
I take it quite literally. That feeling when you’re surrounded by your friends and your favourite songs brung you to the verge of tears. Hold on to it - never let it go. These are the moments to live for.
What’s your favourite thing about EMPT?
Everyone is so friendly. I can have a great time even with complete strangers.
What’s your one wish for EMPT for 2023?
Rock / Metal night 👀
Samuel, Engineer
When was your first EMPT party?
Probably at Home/Canvas Club, but I don't remember which year it was. And the one in the more recent years I managed to find photos of was the one at Prudential Marina Bay Carnival in Jan 2018 - it was a rainy night so we had most of the field to ourselves and it was awesome.
What does "Never Lose That Feeling" mean to you?
Nostalgia.
What's your favourite thing about EMPT?
People are there to have fun, and not to get drunk (mostly).
What's your one wish for EMPT for 2023?
To grow and explore more venues with strong local vibes.
Deanna, “I daydream about living on a farm”
When was your first EMPT party?
Jul 2022 Hard Rock NLTF. The illest tunes, and "Mr. imma hit on every female I see".
What does "Never Lose That Feeling" mean to you?
It means I'm gonna keep dancing till I'm old and grey.
What's your favourite thing about EMPT?
The DJs' sick tunes. + the cardio workout keeps me fit.
What's your one wish for EMPT for 2023?
That you guys continue to do what makes you happy. (and also maybe throw in one Maggie song. Please?)
Patrick, Art Director
When was your first EMPT party?
My first wasn't actually me attending the "party party". It was the Bandwagon Riverboat special where they had Emonight on one deck, and EMPT on the top deck. I was covering the event with Bandwagon and I remember being taken back by the love that everyone was showing singing along. The vivid memory I had was toward the end of the night's last song Bohemian Rhapsody and it almost shook the boat down (literally).
What does "Never Lose That Feeling" mean to you?
I think it means to have encountered this special place once in your life, and know that you can always go back to that–whether it's a certain song, a specific group of people, or a safe space like EMPT.
What's your favourite thing about EMPT?
It's that anyone and everyone is welcome to have a good time. Our friends' parents have been asking for an 80s party and to see another group of parents literally doing that at Picturehouse was just amazing to see.
What's your one wish for EMPT for 2023?
To keep growing–in all ways!
April, Creative Strategist
When was your first EMPT party?
My first EMPT party was back in 2019! All i remembered was how I was so happy to have finally attended an EMPT night! not to be sentimental but I felt like a rekindled spirit, partying to all the songs I grew up listening to. I've always been hearing about it and growing up, I knew it to be the kind of party where all the cool kids went.
What does "Never Lose That Feeling" mean to you?
Good vibes always, in all ways 🤙🏼
What's your favourite thing about EMPT?
Adrian! hahaha jk (not really) 🙆🏻♀️ My favourite thing about EMPT is that it has become a monthly reunion that we look forward to with our friends, old and new. And also us anticipating each song that comes next hahaha. 😎
What's your one wish for EMPT for 2023?
To bring da party overseaaaas! hahah
Chyna, Risk Analyst
When was your first EMPT party?
Late 2012/ early 2013 (omg it’s been 10 years). To be honest I can’t remember the very first time but it was our weekly/ monthly routine! Mostly screaming singing to “Mr Brightside”, “Bohemian Rhapsody”; and getting all emotional with “Wake Up” and “Transatlanticism”.
What does "Never Lose That Feeling" mean to you?
EMPT has always been a constant. It’s brought all my friends together through and through. Being free and in that moment with music we love has created a community that I know I will never lose sight of as the years pass.
What's your favourite thing about EMPT?
No bad vibes just having the best time with my favourite people!! And as The Pipettes sings it “I just wanna move, I don’t care what the song is about”.
What's your one wish for EMPT for 2023?
NEVER STOP DOING THIS!
Adrian, “I make renewable energy investments”
When was your first EMPT party?
I think this was in 2017 at the (now closed) Montreux Jazz Bar next to Orchard towers. We caught Disco Hue live and had McDees at Forum after.
What does "Never Lose That Feeling" mean to you?
To let loose and embrace the energy of being surrounded by friends and strangers who love the same music.
What's your favourite thing about EMPT?
Any music enthusiast can turn up and have their best karaoke night and not feel bad about hogging the mic.
What's your one wish for EMPT for 2023?
Bigger venues for the growing number of popettes!
Elizabeth, “My day job is in deep tech and over the weekend I host and produce a podcast”
When was your first EMPT party?
Electric Feel in August this year at Moonstone. I had rushed there from a wedding, so unfortunately I was in heels. So maybe I was dancing like the balloon man outside the petrol kiosk. But I remember I had LOADS OF FUN. “Footloose” hits different for me every time. Also, I bumped into my hinge date and four friends from different areas of my life at that party. I could feel the weight of being perceived. It was a lot. But the music was so good. And since then I’ve been hooked.
What does "Never Lose That Feeling" mean to you?
Being able to let loose on boogie nights even if I look like an exorcist when I’m dancing. Just fully enjoying myself in the moment, dancing with friends, marinating in great music. And also, not forgetting HOW to have fun because life is short and it passes you by!!!!! Still showing up even if my back pain!!!!
What's your favourite thing about EMPT?
It feels like a safe space to have fun :) also I am not an EDM gurlie. Also 80s music? Love.
What's your one wish for EMPT for 2023?
2000s music!
Asha, “Talk to People and Send Emails Manager”
Karan, Year-5 Med Student
When was your first EMPT party?
Asha: I’m pretty much a newbie to EMPT actually! My music enjoyment process pre-2022 was me blaring glitzy indie bops and dreamy pop synths at an ungodly hour with the lights off for maximum absorption…before I discovered that hundreds of others enjoyed the same thing I did. My first introduction to EMPT was the There Is A Light gig at Moonstone which still stands as the most memorable one so far, with Neon Dreams coming in as a close second.
Karan: t'was at Cherry in Nov 2017! Was with Atharv (a broski of mine), and we didn't really know what to expect. But the moment Adrian faded in “Livin' On A Prayer”, everything changed and it was like a part of our souls was unleashed! We danced till we dropped, and our minds were blown to bits by the end of the night.
What does "Never Lose That Feeling" mean to you?
A: Holding onto your youth in all its eccentricities , realising that adulthood doesn’t have to be one thing. You can be a mature, professional individual and simultaneously a head-banging-flailing-jiving-lover-of-too-many-genres party freak all wrapped up in one - it's honestly the best way to be.
K: To always have heart no matter freaking what : ,) Not having Poptart nights for more than two years due to Covid was such a somber, melancholic feeling, but my friends and I held on to the hope that one day we'd all be back on the dancefloor. And when the time finally came this year, it really was a happiness and comfort none of us could describe. That day to us remains one of the to really never ever lose that feeling, because some things are really worth giving your everything for.
What's your favourite thing about EMPT?
A: How wholesome the evening is compared to other parties I’ve been to. Once you step through those doors, strangers turn to friends. Oh also that feeling when the song you’ve been waiting for all night starts building in and blasts out in all its glory (“All These Things That I’ve Done” and anything by The xx for me) - man there’s nothing like the euphoria in that moment.
K: Well it's gotta be the popettes! Everyone's so full of good vibes and love, and they really dress to impress.
What's your one wish for EMPT for 2023?
A: No more Olivia Rodrigo.
K: I'd love the concept of surprise underground parties! Like on a random Friday, there could be an announcement to go to some random underground event space at night and a dress code, and then leave the music theme to be a surprise.
Happy Holidays everyone. See you in 2023!
