Striking A Chord: The Songs That Made Singapore
Since “Home” was sung at the 1998 NDP, Singapore has added another 21 national day songs to our repertoire! But, most of these songs haven’t hit home. What will it take to write a national day hit?
Striking A Chord: The Songs That Made Singapore - S1E2: Part 2 of 2
Since “Home” was sung at the 1998 NDP, Singapore has added another 21 national day songs to our repertoire! But, most of these songs haven’t hit home. What will it take to write a national day hit?
Striking A Chord: The Songs That Made Singapore
Earlier this year, netizens caught a composer from India plagiarising a Singapore national day song - "Count on Me, Singapore". His claim that he came up with the tune first, sparked incredulity in most Singaporeans but also planted the seeds of doubt in others: Could our beloved national day song possibly be a copycat? The doubt betrays just how little some Singaporeans know about the backstory of our national songs.
In this two-parter, award-winning singer-songwriter and one of lead singers of the 2021 national day theme song, Shabir, goes on a journey to document the origins of some of Singapore's most beloved national tunes. He uncovers how, from next to nothing, the republic came to possess such a repertoire of national songs and exposes a few skeletons in the island's collective closet along the way.