SODA is exactly like her name: a celebrity DJ brimming with excitement and charisma. She works with a bubbly kind of happiness because of genuine passion for her work: she loves dancing, music and content creation, and all three make her a force to be reckoned with as one of the largest names in eDM and festivals.
SODA was in town to play a huge Lunar New Year show – February 17. Nine days before she was due to arrive, she reached out to share that she wanted to create a fan experience. “I haven’t been back to treat my Singaporean fans in so long, and I’ve got my Bakin’ Soda shirts being brought in from Japan. I’d like to meet the fans and sell the shirts as well, with all proceeds going to charity. Can you make that happen?”
I stared at the WhatsApp message with a bit of anxiety. F&B establishments in Singapore would be fully booked for Lunar New Year, or staff would be on break. Fans may also be flying out of town immediately after her show, taking advantage of the public holiday break.
But this was one of her first times back in Singapore for such an extensive period of time. We wanted to make SODA x Singaporean experiences happen.
I combed through my own network of restaurants, pulled F&B contacts, searched for community-spaces or potentially open venues. Because SODA is a high-profile Korean celebrity, the place had to be private, upscale, couldn’t be a random bazaar. She is also well-known for nightlife content, and wouldn’t align well with something too family-style, neighbourhood, or local.
The ask was tough. I went back to her profile. SODA had just posted a video of her doing a magic trick across a popular bar counter in Tokyo. She’s small in stature but the way she swept her arms dramatically showed great energy and strength.
Suddenly I saw it. There was an exciting new restaurant – Medusa Osteria Romana (or just Medusa for short) in town, opened under the Fortuna Group. I’d been DMing the owner, Egon Marzioli, for another partnership in the pipeline already.
Medusa had bold red interiors, a fun Italian menu, and embodied the ethos of a night out in Rome that’s so impactful it kind of scares you. Hence, Medusa – a women with great will and strength that she instilled fear in some Greek communities.
SODA herself presented an extremely strong, passionate personality. She’s got spunk and connects with anyone, regardless of language barrier. She’s well-known in audiences across the globe for being a part of multiple conversations protecting women, collaborating with people she believes in, and wearing what she wants on stage and online.
There it was – SODA x Medusa – the perfect pair of two strong women.
I set up meetings with Medusa. On WhatsApp, KakaoTalk and Instagram DM, I walked SODA and her Korean-based team through the restaurant’s entrance, potential touchpoints, and private rooms.
I decked up the story for Egon and Medusa’s stakeholders: SODA shop! at Medusa Osteria Romana – a story of two strong women.
The restaurant was in. They shared reservations over the LNY break – customers were still coming to them over the break and there was still traffic to be captured. With SODA, I created a strong visual aesthetic and social roll-out that we launched five days before her arrival in town, to pre-empt people to stay for the fan meet experience.
Then came the media. SODA was in Channel News Asia and Mothership – two media publications who we knew would lead to engagement with the mass audiences in SG and regionally, the perfect audience capture for her event.
It was also the first time in many years that my client was in the news for non-music, non-show, organic event news. She was thrilled.
I arrived at the restaurant at 9:30am on Sunday. Alessandra, Egon’s marketing head, ran towards me. “I’ve got a salad and some news. Let’s sit.” We headed towards a densely populated set of benches. Just when I was feeling healthy, Egon popped over with a slice of pizza. “Also I’ve made this – can you try if it’s good for SODA?” It was a welcome surprise by me – but it wasn’t the only surprise they were letting me know about.
“You see everyone there?” Alessandra swept a hand at the crowd. I was tasting the truffle of the pizza; it’d just hit my tastebuds. Was even thinking, “no better feeling than this.”
“That’s the crowd. The tip of the iceberg. That’s the first few people waiting for SODA’s event.”
“What?!” I dropped the pizza. This was the best feeling ever. “But the event starts at 2:30pm.”
Egon smiled. “Yeah, they’ve been waiting since 9:00am. I offered them some water and snacks first. But yeah, they’re all here for SODA.”
At 2:30pm, the crowd thickened. SODA arrived. We had to bring her through the back of the kitchen.
It was indeed a strong turn-out. In true Italian style and impeccable hospitality courtesy of Medusa, SODA’s fan meeting also entailed a special menu of two cocktails (modeled after Italian soda) and a range of canapés – some spicy, some sweet, modeled after her multidimensionality as an artiste – we truly got to indulge her fans and create a cohesive, on-brand experience for both brands.
That was SODA x Medusa Osteria Romana, the Korean celebrity DJ’s first fan experience in Singpore at a restaurant of equally high cultural relevance.
It’s always about that sweet, sweet intersection. I’m so thrilled to do what I do with fantastic people. Drop me an email at athena@worldsready.com to chat.
Athena Tan 