We Can Now Discover Singapore Music At FairPrice - Can We Help It Survive?
Question: Where would you go to listen to music made in Singapore? (And no, we’re not accepting “why would I want to listen to Singapore music?” as an answer.)
Spotify? YouTube? Tidal? Apple Music? Sure, but you’d have to sift through millions of tracks to find what you’re looking for. But what about … supermarkets?
Yes, you read right. Thanks to the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the National Arts Council (NAC) and FairPrice, supermarkets could be the new music discovery platform.
Under this new MOU, local music is played daily in 159 outlets across Singapore during the following times: 11am to 1pm, 3 to 5pm, and 7 to 9pm.
Announcements are played in between songs to let people know they’re listening to music by local talent, and in outlets with digital screens, you can see the musicians’ visuals displayed there.
All this, NAC and FairPrice said, is to provide “a sustained, nationwide platform for homegrown artists and music to be discovered by everyday shoppers” and maximum exposure to our musos when stores are busiest.
If you don't do supermarket runs, you can still listen to the tracks via their playlist, called "Shop Till You Bop", on Spotify.
This playlist will be refreshed quarterly to ensure “unique voices across diverse genres can be shared with Singaporeans”, said NAC.
Of course, "Shop Till You Bop" is meant to appeal to FairPrice shoppers, so don’t expect Vedic metal from Rudra, nor grindcore from Wormrot, nor metal from Oligarchy.
What you will hear is Singa-pop, with featured artists spanning English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil music genres.
And who knows? This formula (scheduled audio play + artist identification liners + visual promotion on digital screens) could convert casual shoppers into listeners and fans of local artists.
Some of the local musicians on the "Shop Till You Bop" playlist are (from left) WHYLUCAS, Tabitha Nauser, Sezairi, DAINASAURS, Joie Tan, ABANGSAPAU and Benjamin Kheng. | COLLAGE: CHRIS TOH
Of course, this initiative isn’t the first time local music has been pumped into public spaces.
NAC’s larger I Play SG Music (IPSGM) campaign, which kicked off in 2022, already unleashed a playlist called "Next Stop: Good Vibes", a collab with SMRT with local music streaming at SMRT MRT and LRT stations and bus interchanges from 7.30am to 8pm daily. (Sorry, those commuting on lines not run by SMRT miss out on this!)
Over at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre at Marina Bay Sands, homegrown music is piped in from 8am to 8pm every day via the playlist called “Convention Currents”.
According to reports, IPSGM has reported over 6 million streams of more than 700 songs, reaching more than 3m people daily since it began.
This is a good thing, right?
On the face of it, having music so easily accessible is great exposure for musicians, potentially expanding their audience. But apart from playing their music, what do these initiatives really do for our homegrown talent?
See, while those numbers seem impressive, we can’t know exactly how many people heard the music, and who went on to become fans of our Lion City singers.
I’ve taken the CCL, NSL and EWL many times and, to be honest, the music from "Next Stop: Good Vibes" is so soft (in volume) compared to the surroundings that if I wasn’t actively listening out for it, I would’ve missed it.
It's the same at FairPrice too. I know they can't blast the music, but the music is so background, it's muzak.
On top of that, it’s understood that there’s no tangible way to track if someone heard Sherman Zhuo’s million-streaming hit from 2024, “坠在原点的我”, while shopping at FairPrice and went on to become a lifelong fan.
But just hearing their music at supermarkets won't do anything tangible for musicians. Nor will following them on online platforms. The optics look good, but we cannot live on Likes alone, right?
The revenues generated on streaming platforms are pitiful – unless your name is Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter or Olivia Rodrigo.
The truth is, unless we reach a critical mass of support, Singapore's music scene will always struggle to make ends meet.
How to support homegrown talent: A quick guide
So how can you support – like, really support - our Lion City songsmiths? You can kickstart your Lion City music journey with these three easy steps (you can thank us later):
1️⃣ Get to know the music
There are thousands of homegrown artists putting their music out there. Finding them on your own can be a chore, but you can start with these places...
The most obvious one would be the IPSGM-curated playlists on Spotify that cover nearly every mood and occasion, including "Shop Till You Drop", "Convention Currents" and "Next Stop: Good Vibes", along with others like "Kopi Time", "Damn Shag Sia" and "SG Chill Hits".
Admittedly, they're limited in song choices – most have fewer than 20 tracks per playlist – but it's for those who are just testing the waters and don't want to get overwhelmed.
Another alternative platform is "Emergenc-E", a music stream on the Kakee App, which features tracks from young Singapore bands like rock trio Forests, all-female rockers Taledrops, and pop-rock purveyors 10pm Noise Complaint. Again, there are limited choices here, but we've been told they plan to add more.
On YouTube, "Famous or Forgotten Music" has a whole slew of Singapore offerings. Curated by Singa-pop fan Jake Kussmaul, you can indulge in albums and songs from past musicians, from Dick Lee and The Quests to X’ho and Humpback Oak, The Oddfellows and more.
For those who prefer a deeper dive into local music, podcasts like "Lion City Rock" feature reviews and interviews with musicians from the 1960s to the present day. They also have "The Lion City Rock Playlist" on Spotify, featuring more than 200 tracks across genres and languages.
2️⃣ Buy their music and merch
Money makes the world go around, and it's the same for our musos too.
Once you know who you like, head to sites like Bandcamp, where you can actually buy their music for a minimal fee and listen ad-free.
Some artists also have merch on sale there so you can get those too. Tees, for example, range between $10 to $30 – way cheaper than that new FAS Lions jersey.
3️⃣ Go to their gigs
Really, the most tangible way to show support is to go to their shows and see the musicians irl.
Where can you find these gigs? Well, apart from our own Things To Do lists, Telegram channels low-cal gigs sg and Baybeats 2026 Hi Meetup/Gigs keep a growing list and spreadsheet of who’s playing where so you can stay in the loop.
There are some free gigs, but ticketed ones won't cost you a bomb. They're usually priced from $18 to $38, and with most gigs being multi-band shows, you will definitely get much bang for your buck.
Trust me, they prefer playing to a full house rather than an empty one, so just your presence alone will mean a lot to them.
Often, bands also sell their merch at these gigs, so buy T-shirts, albums, stickers, keychains or bag tags while you’re there. They’ll really appreciate all the support you can give.
You may think this doesn't amount to much, but every little bit of support to keep the Lion City rockin' does help. And there's no place where support matters more than home. Truly.
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