NDP 2022 theme song performed by Taufik Batisah, music video features inspiring Singaporeans
Taufik Batisah will sing the NDP 2022 theme song. (Photo: CNA/Jeremy Long)
SINGAPORE: This year’s National Day Parade (NDP) theme song, titled Stronger Together, will be performed by the inaugural winner of Singapore Idol Taufik Batisah, the NDP 2022 executive committee announced on Thursday (Jun 2).
Composed by Singaporean songwriter and NDP 2022 music director Don Richmond, the song reflects how Singapore can "look ahead to a brighter and shared future".
Speaking to reporters during an event to launch the NDP 2022 theme song and music video, Mr Taufik recounted how he felt when he first heard the song.
“It really resonated with me. It felt like a song of celebration. It felt like a song that a lot of Singaporeans can relate to. It felt like it was our song that we can celebrate to this year,” he said.
“The lyrics in the song speak about being able to push through trials and tribulations ... and the challenges that we’ve been facing for the past few years.”
This year, Singapore can probably celebrate a “small win” and move towards a “new norm” by coming to the live show, added Mr Taufik.
“I hope this song can inspire people, give them a bit of inspiration to push through, to come together, to work together. If you are facing some challenges in your life, we are definitely stronger together.”
The accompanying music video, directed by Lindsay Jialin, is inspired by Singaporeans whose stories "remind us of the power of unity, and how we can come together to overcome, celebrate, and strive onwards", said the committee in a fact sheet.
Lyrics of Stronger Together
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 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 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 rise stronger together
We’re stronger together
SINGAPOREANS' STORIES
One such individual is Kim Whye Kee, a former gang leader who was sentenced to prison for drug consumption. In the last few months of his sentence, he picked up pottery.
He now holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Fine Arts from Lasalle College of the Arts.
Mr Kim also owns Qi Pottery, and co-founded the Beacon of Life (BoL) and Beacon of Life Academy. He works with ex-convicts and at-risk youth to build support networks through mentor-mentee programmes.
The music video also features three dance groups.
One of them, Redeafination, is an independent dance crew for deaf people. Dancers adapt and learn new ways to keep in time with the music, such as feeling vibrations through the floor or watching their fellow dancers for support, said the committee.
Another group, Dance Spectrum International, is an academy "promoting inclusivity and celebration of abilities", the committee added.
"Through dance, they encourage dancers to overcome personal barriers and obstacles, as well as to break free from conventional social expectations."
The third is Urban Terrain Groovers, a dance group under District Creative Arts, a social enterprise that uses dance to reach out to marginalised or at-risk youth.
The artistic swimmers of Team Singapore are also featured in the video. The national team won Singapore’s first artistic swimming gold medal at the 2015 SEA Games, and has clinched medals in various competitions since then.
This year's music video also highlights Singapore Airlines staff, such as pilots and cabin crew, who stepped forward to be redeployed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
