The composers of this year’s National Day Parade (NPD) theme song were overwhelmed by the backlash online, ending their initial fears about it.
Singer-songwriter Linying, 27, and music producer Evan Low, 31, told media yesterday that they started the project with great trepidation, but the positive reception of their NPD roster , The Road Ahead, was encouraging.
“I’m quite grateful because I was so prepared for the hate, but it turned out well,” Linying said.
The song has garnered over 400,000 views on YouTube since its release last Friday and many internet users have described it as “one of the best songs from the NDP” or a “heartwarming” song amid the Covid-19 pandemic .
Linying said she hopes the song will encourage those fighting the pandemic on the front lines and remind them that they are making a difference to keep Singapore safe. “I often feel pretty jaded … If I want to do something right or make a difference, will that really change? It’s a message for myself, and for others who think like me , that even an ocean is made up of a multitude of droplets. I really wanted to humanize this aspect of the collective, ”she said.
Mr. Low said writing the theme song was an uphill task, even though it’s his fourth time in the NDP. “This is my first time writing the theme song, rather than helping with the arrangements, and knowing all the good work that has been done in the past, (I wondered if) I would live up to the expectations. “, did he declare.
Linying said it is difficult to write a song that “speaks for a whole population”. She said: “I love this country and there are so many nuances that it’s hard to convey in two lines. What really helped is distilling what’s honest and a lot of those feelings are enough. simple, like reminding us of our humanity and being good for another. “
The composers said they were grateful for the freedom to express themselves through the song. “For us, having creative control over the whole process from start to finish was very liberating as we were able to bring out the emotions that were personal to us,” Linying said.
Mr Low said there had been virtually no lyric revisions.
The Road Ahead will be performed on National Day by Linying and singer-songwriters Sezairi Sezali, 34, Shye-Anne Brown, 18, and Shabir Tabare Alam, 36.
An accompanying music video was made by filmmaker Huang Junxiang, 33, and animation filmmaker Jerrold Chong, 30.
