Singapore singer-songwriter Nathan Hartono caught the attention of Sing! China's four famous judges during the show's blind audition with his R&B-tinged cover of the Mandarin ballad You Mei hou (Have You Ever) by Wei Li An on Friday.

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The homegrown talent impressed judges of the popular reality singing competition Na Ying, Harlem Yu, Wang Feng, and Jay Chou.

The four judges praised his outstanding performance. Na Ying lauded his "warm and honest" performance and even asked him for a hug, according to Asia One.

Megastar Chou claimed that he sees a lot of potential in Hartono, who has been hailed for his golden-boy appeal and even opened up about the possibility of them sharing a stage in Singapore.

On the other hand, Hartono said he was expecting to make it to the audition but was totally surprised when all four judges turned for him.

"I am realistic. I know I can sing, but I expected almost nothing, maybe some exposure. After all, it's China, with a gigantic amount of talent," Hartono told The Straits Times.

Hartono is the first Singaporean to have made it past the televised auditions. When asked why he chose Chou for the mentorship among others, he said that "a lot of it had to do with songwriting, which I've also been doing." He also expressed his admiration for Chou's "work ethic, drive and creativity."

"My musical dream is simple, to make music as best I can, to let things happen," he said.

Back in 2005, Hartono won the local Teenage Icon talent contest and performed at a charity event called ChildAid. He also held a solo concert at the Esplanade on July 9.

Watch his performance below:

TagsNathan Hartono, Sing! China, singing competition, Jay Chou, Na Ying, Harlem Yu, Wang Feng