Singapore singer Marina Xavier started singing in local clubs and was later based in Paris. Photo: Marina Xavier via The Straits Times
Singapore jazz singer Marina Xavier died of stomach cancer at Singapore General Hospital on Nov 6. She was 68.
Her niece, singer Karen Xavier, tells The Straits Times that the cancer was in remission for a little over a year, but returned in 2024.
Says Karen, 55: “She fought a brave fight and remained true to herself until the very end. She was a remarkable talent and a one-of-a-kind personality – bold, expressive, and never afraid to live life her own way. She brought colour and spirit to every stage she walked onto.”
Born in Singapore to a Dutch-Portuguese mother and Burmese-Indian father, Marina Xavier first made her name singing in local clubs like the now defunct Carriage Bar in York Hotel in the early 1980s.
In 1989, she moved to Paris to sing in clubs there, and spent the next two decades shuttling between Singapore and the French city. She also performed across Europe, South America and Asia.
Her discography, which straddles genres like jazz, Latin, dance and pop, includes her self-titled debut album released in 1997, and fifth album Where Do You Start?, which dropped in 2008. She also scored radio hits such as Made In India (1996) and Do The Dut (Dang Dut) (1997).
Xavier was one of over 120 singers and musicians from the Singapore jazz scene who were part of A Great Day In Singapore, a commemorative group photo by the Jazz Association (Singapore). It was shot at the National Gallery Singapore on September 2024 by local celebrity photographer Russel Wong.
Singapore jazz singer Jacintha Abisheganaden, who was close to Xavier, described the late artiste as “kind and chaotic” and “wild with life” in a Facebook tribute post. (on which date?)
Abisheganaden, 68, tells ST: “We were good friends who supported each other’s music though we have very different styles. She moved like a cat and had a kittenish growl at the mic. We were loyal to each other’s hopes and dreams, calling each other in the last few years from remote parts of the world.
“She had a smoky, swingy style which was rhythmic and made whoever was listening want to dance. Her song styling was short, succinct phrases that told the story. She had an emotional range that could be naughty or epic.”
Abisheganaden adds: “She knew everyone and loved everyone. She brought Eurasian warmth and European glamour to her music, audiences and friends who were mostly transatlantic.”
Xavier had no children, and is survived by her husband Carlos Camacho, a 55-year-old Bolivian national.
Her wake is held at St Joseph’s Church (Victoria Street). The funeral will be on Nov 10 and the cortege will leave at 1.45 pm. The funeral mass will take place at Church of The Holy Family at 2.30pm and the cremation will be at Mandai Crematorium, Hall 3 at 4.30pm. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
