Stronger Together (NDP 2022)

The theme for this year’s National Day, Stronger Together, Majulah, is a reminder for Singaporeans that “unity in our diversity is what makes us stronger”. We (communities, families, and friends) form the bedrock of our nation’s strength and resilience, and continuously forge ahead as a united and strong people, to strive for a better future.

The two figures holding hands, and forming a heart, represents Singaporeans coming together to build an inclusive, caring, and empathetic society. Also stylised as the number 57, they remind us of how far we have come since independence, the challenges we overcame, and the progress we have made as an independent and sovereign nation. The five shooting stars express our ideals of Democracy, Peace, Progress, Justice, and Equality, the guide from which we make decisions as a nation, moving forward.

 

Singapore has come a long way since being discovered as Singapura, meaning ‘Lion City’. In the 19th and 20th centuries, immigrants from India, China, and around the Malay Archipelago flocked to our sunny island in search of better lives, and they formed the foundation upon which this city was built. Today, Singapore’s resident ethnic makeup predominantly comprises the Chinese, Malay, Indian, Eurasian, and Peranakan communities that live harmoniously together.

With her rich and diverse history, you can imagine that Singapore is a melting pot of colourful cultures, languages, and music! It is a vibrant brew that gives our country its unique and distinctive character.

Our local music scene is ever-growing, and includes artistes of various genres such as rock, punk, pop, folk, classical, jazz, and even fusion (check out our interview with Dr Samuel from The Teng Ensemble). The ethnic communities of Singapore have their own distinct musical cultures, traditions, and musical styles. Yet, we purposefully get together as “one united people, regardless of race, language, or religion” to create. This is what I find most wholesome, and most beautiful about being a Singaporean. Despite our differences, we share the same passion for food, language, culture and heritage preservation, and music. And I got reminded of this quote by Queen Poppy from the animation, Trolls World Tour:

 

Let us culminate Singapore’s birthday celebrations by celebrating music produced by our very own homegrown artistes. Scroll down memory lane with us as we dive into a myriad of musical genres, and explore the sights and sounds of Singapore and her people!

 

In our early years, the lingua franca was Melayu Pasar (a creole of Malay and Chinese), the language of trade in the Malay Archipelago, however, over time, and because of a period under British rule, English was made the common language upon our independence. Did you know that the national language of Singapore is Malay? Malays are symbolically and constitutionally recognised as the indigenous peoples of Singapore, and it is the government’s duty to protect their language and heritage. Malay is also the ceremonial national language, which is why our National Anthem, and military foot drill commands, amongst others, are in Malay.

To celebrate this part of our history, here is an oldie but goodie; one of our National Day songs, One People, One Nation, One Singapore, sung in Malay by these powerhouses of OKLETSGO:

The languages of the foreign traders who came by Singapore during her time as a trading settlement were slowly embedded as the years passed, and now she boasts a rich linguistic diversity.
Besides Singlish (an informal, colloquial form of English used in Singapore), the 4 commonly used languages of Singapore are English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil. This song, produced by WUSIC, is a heart-warming tribute to our forefathers*, who shared their culture, language, food, and music.

* Special mention: The Forefathers Project 《承古扬新》
The Teng Company (previously known as The Teng Ensemble) pays homage to Singapore’s unsung Chinese music pioneers, and reimagines the sounds of dialect music by innovating age-old local Cantonese, Hokkien, Hainanese, Hakka and Teochew musical traditions.

 

Another lesson to learn from Trolls World Tour (I really like this movie) is that even though all Trolls are not the same, that can still be a good thing! Singapore is like the map of Trolls Kingdom; we are different races, languages, and religions living together, and whether it be in peace and harmony is up to us. Sometimes it can be difficult, however, when we take the time and effort to accept, acknowledge, and validate our differences, we embrace the opportunities to learn and practise tolerance.

The instrumental cover of Kit Chan’s Home in the video below features the sitar and tabla, instruments typical in Indian classical music. What is interesting is, the sitar and tabla are played by a pair of Chinese brothers, Krsna and Govin Tan, whose father is one-third of the original Flame Of the Forest band, one of Singapore’s early instrumental bands that composed and performed fusion music. To celebrate our differences and harmony, both literally and musically, here is a harmonious reminder of where ‘home’ is for us.

As a small, multi-racial, multi-cultural, multi-religious nation dependent on free trade to survive, Singapore is always inevitably affected by developments around the world. Every Singaporean has a part to play to help strengthen our defences against threats to our independence and well-being, and against challenges such as terrorism, disease outbreaks, and economic downturns.

Social Defence is one of the 6 pillars of Total Defence, and it exists as a nudge for us to look out for one another, and put in constant effort to build understanding and trust, to strengthen bonds across the various ethnic groups so that we remain strong and united during times of national crises.

Every year, Racial Harmony is observed on 21st July, to commemorate the communal riots of 1964, and teach students the significance and consequences of maintaining racial and religious harmony in Singapore’s multi-ethnic society.
The next video—created in celebration of Racial Harmony—is a special medley of 3 Singapore songs performed by 吉马乐团  GIMA BAND, Singapore’s first guitar and Mongolian Morin Khuur fusion band in South East Asia. They blend ancient folk cultures with a modern style, and create new soundscapes with their arrangements. GIMA Band enjoys exploring the musical cultures of Asia, creating cultural music exchanges, and collaborating with fellow musicians, just like they did for this song:

 

Now, let us have a little more fun!

What do you think are the overlooked sights and sounds of Singapore? What truly means ‘Singapore’ for me is the sound of the koels (you may know them as the UWU birds) that wake me every morning when I stay at my Grandma’s house, after which I will dig into a hearty breakfast; Iced Milo, accompanied with butter crackers layered with butter, dipped into soft boiled eggs garnished with dark soy sauce and pepper.

These moments, sights and sounds are easily missed as we go about our busy day, and which we will only notice when we take the time to slow down and truly listen. Fallen Superhero did, and he made a pretty awesome electronic dance (EDM) remix using sounds from the MRT! If you found Fallen Superhero familiar, it is because you may have heard his remixes of some of our National Day songs during the National Day Parade celebrations. We rail-ly enjoy this track!

Also check out Fallen Superhero’s other amusing remixes:
Karang Guni remix (Are you old enough to know this person? I am 🙀)
Singapore EZLink Bus Remix

 

We used to joke that studying is a national pastime of Singapore, and this is probably true to some extent. Try visiting a library, and you will definitely notice they are often packed with students neck-deep in studying.

You may have noticed people studying with earphones plugged in. Music has the power to put your brain into optimum study mode. Did you know that certain genres of music could set the tone for even greater concentration, focus and well-being? Lo-Fi (low fidelity music) is music that is recorded with intentional audio imperfections (such as misplayed notes, environmental noise, low hum). The imperfect elements of Lo-Fi music helps the frontal lobe of our brain to focus, and it offers a relaxing effect to keep listeners engaged without making them sleepy.

NDPeeps created these Lo-fi Hip Hop Beats which I think is quite creative and refreshing! I like to listen to Lo-Fi when I am writing, so these have been really helpful, and I hope it is for you too. This video below is Part One, and here is Part Two.

 

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I hope you have enjoyed this informational and entertaining read about all these amazing and talented people of Singapore! I hope that you continue to believe in yourself, carve your own path for the future, and some day, be one of the next generation of homegrown talents.

From all of us at Bloom School of Music & Arts, here’s wishing you,

Happy National Day!

 

STRONGER TOGETHER

Music and Lyrics by Don Richmond
Performed by Taufik Batisah ft. The Island Voices

 

Relight our fire
We’ll find our way
And time heals all things
A little day by day

Everywhere that I go
See the people I know
All the faces young and old

Lift the spirits broken
Hear the words unspoken
Still more stories yet untold

And I’m grateful still for the sun that shines
Spirit, heart and mind so clear
And I’m finding ways doing all I can
To be bigger than my fears

And with every breath I take I believe

We are fire
Through the night
We’re the light into the morning after

Through the wire
In this fight
And from the flames we will soar forever

We will rise
Rise
We will rise stronger together

Grateful
Faithful
Ignite a spark

May our deeds define us
And our words remind us
All for one and one for all

Now the road ahead may have just begun
We will leave no one behind

It’s in times like these we learn to live

We are fire
Through the night
We’re the light into the morning after

Through the wire
In this fight
And from the flames we will soar forever

We will rise
Rise
We will rise stronger together

Like a phoenix from the flames
We will rise up
Like a phoenix from the flames
We will rise up
Like a phoenix from the flames
We will rise up
Like a phoenix from the flames
We will rise…

We are fire
Through the night
We’re the light into the morning after

Through the wire
In this fight
And from the flames we will soar forever

We will rise
Rise
We will rise stronger together

We’re stronger together