Awesome Non-NDP Songs We Wish Were NDP Songs

We recently gave our honest thoughts on NDP theme songs through the years, and it was evident from that mammoth exercise that writing a song about Singapore (or for Singapore and Singaporeans) and hoping that it resonates with everyone and becomes a hit, is like waiting in line to exit the (very pricey) MBS carpark when it’s crowded, and hoping that your never-topped-up cashcard has sufficient value to cover the parking fee. Shag sia.

TL;DR hits are rare when it comes to NDP songs.

Maybe it’s the pressure of having to please everyone. Maybe it’s all the layers of approval. Maybe too many cooks spoil the broth. Maybe it’s all of the above. (Thankfully, we have a winner this year with Don Richmond’s “Stronger Together”, performed by Taufik and The Island Voices!)

Actually hor, why not take a leaf out of the 3 R's of waste management - reduce, reuse, recycle! Nobody asked, but we’ve compiled a list of really awesome non-NDP songs that could work very well in an NDP context, and break the NDP-song mould – we guarantee these would resonate and make you hit “Replay”.

SG PRIDE: An SGAG NDP Original Song

Released: 6 Aug 2022

The “stewardesses” in the first 25 seconds of this music video already make this a win. And that’s not even part of the song, which is “about everything an NDP song is not”. Jessica Chan (@meermu) is such an awesome talent, capturing so many aspects of Singapore in her rap. Case in point:

I’ll be feeling the heat
I need to take a seat
I go and cool down at an NTUC
I touched something warm
Is that bird poop on me?
Damn, it’s my lucky day
Time to buy 4D

Makes any SG listener proud to be “in the 65, baby, 65”.

Vaccinate Already?

Released: Aug and Sep 2021

Although this was a collaborative move by Tribal Worldwide Singapore And the Ministry of Communications and Information to encourage seniors to get vaccinated against COVID-19, and allay their fears, the psychedelic MVs – shot by acclaimed homegrown film director Royston Tan, and featuring music and lyrics by Jim Lim (for the dialect version), with Malay and Tamil rearrangements by Shabir – became earworms and viral sensations on social media, thanks to high-spirited performances by popular veteran artistes Wang Lei, Liu Ling Ling, Marcus Chin, Rahimah Rahim and L. Vijayandran. And what better occasion than NDP to reinforce this important yet entertaining message, right?

Semoga Bahagia (May You Achieve Happiness)

Released: 14 Jul 2020

This rendition of the familiar song by Zubir Said (yes, he who wrote Singapore’s national anthem) is heartfelt, textured, beautifully and so very excellently delivered and harmonised by Aisyah Aziz, Benjamin Kheng, Shabir and Narelle. Even though this song was released during Phase 2, its production value is NDP-ready – say real, all it needs is staging, great lighting and costumes, correct or not! And what better, more sincere, and evergreen wish is there for everyone than happiness?

Happy National Day: Rediscover Singapore On A Longboard

Released: 1 Aug 2019

On the day Wonderwall.sg was launched (yes, we recently turned 3!), we released this music video featuring local model Dione Tan making her way through different parts of seldom-seen Singapore on a longboard, to a remix of the familiar folk song “Chan Mali Chan”. We love everything about it, and we’re pretty sure the nation and NDP audiences would too.

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