WITH tight harmonies and sleek dance steps, a cappella group Juz-B melted the hearts of judges and audiences with their butter-smooth renditions of Mandarin ballads.

Crooning numbers like Jay Chou's Fa Ru Xue (Hair Like Snow) and Guang Liang'sTong Hua (Fairy Tale), the six-member Malay group sang their way to the top eight in Channel U's reality talent show SuperBand in August.

Their popularity roped in new fans for a cappella, where singers perform without instrumental accompaniment.

In fact, the vocal band is in the midst of recording its first EP, which it plans to market to record companies.

One of its members, Mr Khairul Afwan Rohizan, 24, a freelance emcee and actor,says: "When we first joined the competition, we didn't know what the response to our music would be, but we just thought, 'Do or die'.

"Now when we go out, people recognise us and come up to us for autographs or photographs."

Quite a change from 1999, when now-defunct a cappella group Skritch was starting out. It sought to captivate audiences with a funky blend of pop, rock and hip-hop styles.

Student Bryan Tan, 24, a member of the group, says: "Back then, people thought a cappella was four fat guys crooning shoo bee doo wop."

The a cappella scene in Singapore has been getting a shot of new life, with young people forming groups with witty names like Equivox and VoCollision.

Some are choir members wanting to sing a different repertoire of songs and others were inspired by the popularity of American pop bands like All-4-One and Boyz II Men, which often performed their hits a cappella style.

Instead of snapping their fingers to 1950s doo-wop numbers, they are more likely to be singing Mandarin pop ballads, elaborate arrangements of English pop hits and even grinding hip-hop numbers.

And there's Juz-B, the Malay group which learnt Mandarin songs to take part in SuperBand.

The group learnt the songs phonetically, using hanyu pinyin. Friends translated the lyrics so that the members could "feel" the songs as they sang them.

Renowned international acts like The Swingle Singers from London and Los Angeles-based m-pact have further stoked this new hankering for harmonics, with recent performances at the National University of Singapore's University Cultural Centre.

A cappella became popular here in the 1980s, and the pioneer outfit was In-A-Chord, formed in 1987. Four of the original members are still performing today, in a group called Key Elements. Others include the 12-year-old quintet Budak Pantai, which has released four albums.

There are 32 a cappella groups here, with 20 performing regularly at private functions like weddings and company dinners as well as staging concerts.

Most of the groups are registered with The A Cappella Society of Singapore, anon-profit organisation set up in 2002 by Miss Angelina Choo, 31, to train and promote such groups.

The freelance choral instructor is herself a member of Nanu, an all-woman a cappella group, and was inspired by her passion for the music form to set up the society.

It holds three annual programmes - the National A Cappella Championships every July, a festival of a cappella acts every September and an annual vocal training camp in November, conducted by international artists.

In an effort to grow new audiences and singers, Miss Choo has also been going to secondary schools since 2003 to teach the ins and outs of vocal harmonising.

By reinventing a cappella, which has its roots in church music, new groups are helping to win new fans.

Vocaluptuous, a six-member outfit, does it by updating home-grown oldies for a contemporary audience and giving Western numbers an Asian ring.

For example, they might reinterpret chirpy Malay folk song Geylang Sipaku Geylang as a nostalgic, sad song about home.

Others, like Verve Enharmonics, use voices to simulate musical instruments like drums, trumpets and bass, to make their songs sound like pop songs on the radio.

Juz-B includes elements of hip-hop and rap in its songs, bringing a street-wise edge to the music.

Sextets like Equivox and UpBeat sing a chill-out mix of jazz and bossa nova to appeal to more cosmopolitan tastes. The former topped the open category for the National A Cappella Championships in July.

Miss Chok Shin Ni, 23, an arts administrator and member of Equivox, says: "When all the voice parts come together in harmony, the effect can be quite amazing and often cathartic after a rough week at work or school.

"We regard the human voice as one of the most versatile instruments around." But more than a hobby, singing a cappella can also be lucrative, especially during the Christmas season.

Hotels, events organisers and shopping malls hire these groups for Christmas carolling or gigs, and the rates can range from $250 for a new, lesser-known group, to more than $3,000 for a 30-minute performance by an established group.

With interest in the art form, new groups springing up and even money to be made, what is the future for a cappella in Singapore?

Lawyer Michael Loh, 42, a member of Budak Pantai, says: "There's definitely enough singing talent here, the only thing needed now is stamina and commitment."

UpBeat member Leslie Tay, 28, adds: "It's not possible to go into a cappella full-time as the market for music here is not big enough.

"But it's something we hope to do with more audience support."