Belgian crooner Yannick Bovy recently touched down at Istana Budaya to whisk audiences back to the 1950s when jazz legend Nat King Cole was at the height of his illustrious career. The icon would have been 100 this year and to honour his legend, Bovy and his four-piece band played some of his greatest hits live.

Hosted in aid of Yayasan Tunku Naquiyuddin, the packed concert was graced by the Yang Di Pertuan Besar Negeri Sembilan and Tunku Ampuan Besar, with local jazz celebrity Sharizan Borhan on MC duties for the evening. He managed to warm the crowd up with a sizzling number himself before the curtains opened on Bovy.

Charming audiences from the minute he stepped on stage, Bovy’s flair for performing was infectious – divulging little titbits about Cole in between numbers, telling anecdotes about how he feel in love with the music, and most of all, channelling Cole while singing those timeless hits.

It was an evening of pure romance as he went through the repertoire, singing songs like Unforgettable, L.O.V.E., Mona Lisa and When I Fall In Love. Bovy captivated the crowd with his silky-smooth vocals and moves, not a single second out of key as him and the band reeled off the famous songs.

To end the night, Bovy had the crowd whopping and cheering by singing P.Ramlee’s Getaran Jiwa for his last encore – in near-perfect Malay. Considering the 32-year-old only had a few days at most to learn and memorise the song that was an incredible feat which earned him a standing ovation. That capped off an already exceptional evening and as he bid audiences farewell, he promised to return soon again!