Regina Song, a 20-year-old Singaporean singer-songwriter, has been making waves on TikTok with her viral hit 'the cutest pair'. The single has catapulted her to the top of Spotify's Viral 50 - Global playlist and earned her recognition across Asia, with appearances on the Viral 50 charts in countries like Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, and South Korea.
Regina's recent success has also led her to surpass 2 million monthly listeners on Spotify, a significant milestone for the young artist. Her TikTok clip of 'the cutest pair' has garnered nearly 20 million views, with influencers and creators across Southeast Asia creating covers, dance routines, and other content based on the track. Regina also recently released a music video for 'the cutest pair', which has garnered over 300,000 views, a very big feat for a Singaporean artist.
This momentum follows the release of her debut album fangirl back in June, which marked a promising start to her career. In addition to her individual success, Regina has been collaborating with other artists, such as hongjoin, on the new track 'i don't rly care bout u!'. With her rapidly growing fanbase and the buzz surrounding her music, Regina has hinted at more new releases as she continues to work on her next album. We had the opportunity to catch up with the hot up-and-coming artist about her journey so far and her future plans.
What inspired you to write ‘the cutest pair’, and did you expect it to gain so much traction?
I was inspired by my crush at the time who was falling for another girl. So, 'the cutest pair' was my confession song to him. It was to convince him that we’d be the best pairing, and that what he was looking for was right in front of him. I was also really inspired by this cartoon called Milk & Mocha Bear.
I would say that I knew my song would be well-liked, but definitely not to the extent right now. The one live video that did well was unexpectedly the video that helped 'the cutest pair' gain more traction, and until today I’m still in shock honestly.
@sleepyreggy song name: ‘the cutest pair’ LIVE (sweating & nervous ver.) #songwritingseason #crush ♬ original sound - regina song ✮
Why do you think the song went as viral on TikTok as it did?
I think it’s because the song was a cute love song about being a couple. The song was also a great song to use as a “confession song” too! Young love seems to be something that people like a lot.
The song has landed you on Spotify's Viral 50 - Global playlist. How does it feel to have such a huge international breakthrough?
It feels really heartening to know that my efforts, along with the efforts from my parents and my team, have really paid off. It was one of my goals to land on the Global charts one day, I just did not expect it to come this soon. For that, I’m really grateful.
Could you tell us about the making of the music video for ‘the cutest pair’?
The MV for the cutest pair was shot at the Gardens by the Bay Flower Dome! I shot some footage there before for the Spotify canvas of the song, which is why I decided to go back to shoot the MV. I just think flowers and young love are very synonymous, and a perfect place for a “first date”. I also decided to use my digicam to shoot the MV, and edited in a vlog style because the song feels very personable. Big thank yous to WHYLUCAS, who starred in the MV with me, and Keris and Justin for shooting the footage!
You released your debut album fangirl in June. How does the music from this album reflect your growth as an artist?
I feel like my debut album fangirl was a literal documentation of my growth as an artist. I had been releasing album singles since March 2023 all the way till my album release in June 2024. With every release, I tried to show new sides of myself and expressed the different feelings a fangirl would go through, from being completely delusional and in love to feeling frustrated and angsty. I enjoyed that process a lot.
You recently released a music video with another artist, hongjoin, on the song ‘i don’t rly care bout u!’. How did that collaboration come about?
hongjoin is a dear friend of mine, and we were already working on another song before 'i don’t rly care bout u!'. When I went to Boston for a summer school programme, I met up with him and we started working on a complete other song. I remember hongjoin said that he wanted to release a fun upbeat song to perform live, so he played the chords and we hummed over it, and we came up with 'i don’t rly care bout u!'.
As a young artist that is trying to break into the international music scene, were there any challenges that you have faced in doing so, if so, how did you overcome them?
From late night studio sessions to brainstorming video ideas on the bus, learning to navigate the industry from scratch was a long and confusing journey. I remember being too focused on the results, but I reminded myself that putting my music out there and enjoying the process of it mattered more. It was hard to learn and do so many new things at once, like becoming a recording artist and understanding the social media algorithms. Looking back, I’m really glad I pushed through it all because it’s been so worth it.
