In November 1976, John Lennon Visited Singapore on a Private Trip, Staying Five Days Under a Pseudonym “John Girskin”

In November 1976, John Lennon arrived in Singapore without fanfare. To avoid fans and the press, he checked into the Hyatt Hotel on Scotts Road under the pseudonym “John Girskin.” He stayed alone for five days and reportedly gave strict instructions to the hotel not to disclose his stay.

During his five-day stay, he was mostly holed up at the hotel, where he wrote postcards to friends and family. He also ventured out for some shopping. According to one account, he was “just trying to do average things, like an average person.” He later mentioned in a Rolling Stone interview that his travels during that period took him to Singapore, South Africa, Hong Kong, and Bermuda.

John Lennon at a bar in Bugis, Singapore in 1976.

Despite his efforts to remain anonymous, Lennon was recognized by a fan while shopping at the old Metro Golden Mile department store (which no longer exists today). The fan was a Singapore Airlines flight stewardess named Jzenea Foo. She approached the tall man she thought looked familiar and asked if he was John Lennon. When he confirmed, she was able to quickly ask a friend who was with her to take a picture.

“I was shopping with a friend when I saw a tall man at one of the counters,” Jzenea recalled. “I thought he looked extremely familiar, so I went up to him and asked him if he was John Lennon. When he said ‘yes’ I was so excited. I almost lost my voice, but very quickly I asked my friend, who was carrying a camera, to take a picture of us. He was very nice about it and obliged by going to a corner for a photo.”

“Later when he was going down by the escalator, my friend and I were behind him. He turned around and asked, ‘Are you following me?’ I think he was afraid of being seen by the public,” said Jzenea.

Jzenea Foo pictured with John Lennon, 1976.

The encounter was later reported in the now-defunct Singapore newspaper New Nation on December 11, 1976, under the headline, “The day S’pore Girl ‘caught’ Lennon shopping at the Metro...”

It was also noted that Lennon had kept his hair short enough, which was fortunate, as Singapore at the time had a well-known "Operation Snip Snip" government campaign against men with long hair. Other musicians, such as Kitaro and Led Zeppelin, were reportedly denied entry unless they cut their hair.