PopLore

In this finale episode of PopLore, hear from weish, Charlie Lim, Ruth Ling and Yung Raja about what Singapore’s pop music history means to these shapers of its future, and how they view the unique traits and burgeoning potential of homegrown pop.

If the 1970s saw music-makers grappling with the stagnant and constrained development of homegrown music, then perhaps the 1980s was when things started to change. Hear from composer Dick Lee, musicians Joe Ng, Patrick Chng and Art Fazil, the band Electrico, along with producer Leonard Soosay, multi-hyphenate Ginette Chittick, and the late Chris Ho.

The English-language pop scene in 1960s Singapore was a vibrant one, full of talented youths who pulled out all the stops to master their instruments of choice, and created beautiful songs of their very own. Then one day, the music stopped.

Singapore’s Indian pop is very much influenced by the uniquely musical nature of Indian cinema. In this episode, we explore why music plays such a powerful role in this film industry, and how different music-makers here have responded to its pervasive sounds and practices.

For music-makers to thrive, having the right kind of support is essential—not just in the form of resources or infrastructure, but also in the form of people. Discover the communities and ecosystems that have allowed Malay music of all genres to thrive and grow in Singapore, from dikir barat to pop yeh yeh. Hosted by Esplanade producer Hanie Nadia Hamzah, this podcast episode features Cultural Medallion recipient Rahimah Rahim, Black Dog Bone’s Jatt Ali, singer-songwriter Art Fazil and more.

Standing out while fitting in—that’s what the creators of Singapore’s Chinese pop music have been doing for decades as they try to make their mark in the larger markets of Hong Kong and Taiwan. In this episode, learn more about the distinctive nature of Singapore Chinese pop with anecdotes about the music of Kit Chan, Stefanie Sun and more. This episode is narrated by Esplanade producer Desmond Chew, and also features music writer Chen Yuneng, music industry veteran Lim Sek and entertainment journalist Alice Kwan. Some of the soundbites in this episode are in Mandarin and Cantonese, and these have been translated in the narration. 

In this first episode, we kick things off with a big question: What exactly is Singapore pop?  Long before we even get to the idea of whether there is a Singapore sound, these are the questions that arise when considering the popular music of a highly porous island nation that is always looking forward to the next trend, the next wave, the next twist of fate.  As you might expect, the singers, musicians, composers and producers we spoke to for this series have a lot to say about the character and potential of Singapore pop. For now, we’ll focus on a period of time before Singapore became an independent country in 1965, and how the first creative inclinations of receptivity to the new and an affinity for remixing different influences took shape.  Some of the soundbites in this episode are in Mandarin, and these have been translated in the narration.