As Singapore's birthday swings right 'round the corner and we (virtually) gather in collective troves of red outfits, National Day celebrations are an opportune moment to check in with our fellow musicians who will be commemorating the event abroad. Be it for work, family or education, we round-up a few guitar pickers and beat slingers to report back to the motherland on how they'll be welling up with patriotism from miles away.
From legit laksa to soft-boiled egg institution Ya Kun, here are some of the things they'll be up to 9th August.
St. Humain
"First off, I just wanna say a big hello from Australia!! We're in the middle of winter here so it's been a lil chilly (but it's Sydney so that still means a lot of sun ha) – wishing everyone reading this a happy National Day, and thank you Hear65 for having me!"
H65: What’s the one thing you’re most likely to do to fight homesickness? This can be cooking, listening to a particular track or watching a specific video, chatting with loved ones, or anything you fancy.
Okay this might be strange but when I do miss Singapore I watch Channel Newsasia on YouTube, some of the Definitely food, it's cliché but it's true... Thankfully there's this restaurant here called Temasek (what else?) that serves pretty legit laksa and chicken rice! Side note, I also follow Singapore football so I catch all the highlights and games when I can. I go for the Lion City Sailors and am watching them play live as I type this actually – also shoutout to rapper THELIONCITYBOY who recently became their creative director!
H65: How will you be celebrating Singapore’s 56th birthday from Sydney?
Ooh I haven't actually thought about this, but I'll definitely be doing it vicariously on Insta through all my friends' posts about it all and checking out the events online. We're currently back in lockdown over here and literally have to stay within 10km from my house, so hopefully that eases by then so I can go visit Temasek with my friends or something!
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H65: Could you share your thoughts on this year's NDP song, 'The Road Ahead'?
I loved how modern it is, and also loved that Linying wrote it! I really like her stuff, and it's so cool to see her literally make history with this National Day song and to leave a mark on Singapore, not that she hasn't already! Props to producer Evan Low as well for crafting this one. It's also really good to see such a diverse group of artists on it, with Sezairi (his vocals!!), Shabir and Shye all a part of it with Linying – plus I like how much of everyday Singapore we see in the music video. If you're not careful a song like this can quickly turn cheesy, but this one isn't so I think everyone did a great job!
H65: Lastly (but not least), what makes home, home?
That's a good question. I'm fortunate to have two homes – of course Singapore, and also Sydney. It's difficult to put into words... But I think home is wherever the people you love are... And is a place where you feel accepted for who you are, and where you can do what you love. Like, I think people can be home. And a passion can be home too.
We’d love it if you attach a personal memory of yours for us to publish (photo, video, any media). This can be anything from a photograph of your home/family when you were growing up, a picture you took of your favourite neighbourhood, to an item you possess, your most-craved homemade dish, or even an old film picture.
This is from my time in NJC where I was in a band with my friends, we played heaps school gigs and even won the talent show ha! Also, the guitar you see in both photos is actually the very same one that I still have and use :)
Jeremy Chua
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Ken Loh
H65: What’s the one thing you’re most likely to do to fight homesickness? This can be cooking, listening to a particular track or watching a specific video, chatting with loved ones, or anything you fancy.
Lots and lots of video calls back home to family and friends. I try my best to do this several times a week, if not, we speak most days on the phone. I have to admit that, before this extraordinary situation, I didn’t think I was one to feel homesickness so deeply. If this has taught me anything, it’ll be to not take travel for granted, or more specifically, the ability to see loved ones as and when one pleases for granted.
Putting aside the things beyond our control, the ability to see family and friends, albeit on a 6-inch screen, definitely helps alleviate some of the “feels”. It also helps that I am an avid video-taker and find myself watching old videos of friends and family more often than I would like to admit.
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H65: How will you be celebrating Singapore’s 56th birthday from Sydney?
I will probably be having a video call with my family and my closest group of friends. There won’t be a massive celebration but what more do you really need? I will definitely try to hunt for some authentic Singaporean-like dishes here in Sydney to commemorate the occasion, i.e a good reason to splurge on overpriced chicken rice. The main meal aside, it is sad that no one here makes kopi-peng-sui-dai like the Auntie at the coffee shop down by Serangoon Gardens, but then again, if there was, it’ll probably send me into bankruptcy.
H65: Could you also share your thoughts on this year's NDP song, 'The Road Ahead'?
It’s probably my favourite NDP song thus far. I have been a massive fan of Linying for a long time now. I remember meeting her for the first time several years ago at a gig in the CBD. She was beyond lovely and to see her doing such amazing work is truly inspiring.
H65: Lastly (but not least), what makes home, home?
As cliche as it is, whenever I think of home, I think of my family, my friends and food.
H65: We’d love it if you attach a personal memory of yours for us to publish (photo, video, any media). This can be anything from a photograph of your home/family when you were growing up, a picture you took of your favourite neighbourhood, to an item you possess, your most-craved homemade dish, or even an old film picture.
This was my family’s last meal together before the pandemic happened. Miss it!
Reub
H65: What’s the one thing you’re most likely to do to fight homesickness? This can be cooking, listening to a particular track or watching a specific video, chatting with loved ones, or anything you fancy.
Honestly I don't really tend to feel homesick, not in the sense that most people seem to feel it anyway. But I do miss my family and friends back home. The relative safety and security of Singapore is definitely comforting. So there are times where I wish Thailand was like Singapore in that way. I generally immerse myself into whatever different culture or community I can enjoy, and that way I don't need to think about what's better or worse about where I am.
That being said, I would still want to call my family quite often, at least once a week. And as and when I can, I talk to my girlfriend back in Singapore.
H65: How will you be celebrating Singapore’s 56th birthday from Thailand?
Wow, that's a good question! I don't have any plans at the moment as the 9th over here is still a school day for me. But since the celebrations are postponed to the 21st, on a Saturday, I might catch some scenes of the rally online!
But you know what I'm thinking, it might be a good idea to invite some friends over to have some homemade hotpot. We do love that here too. Oh also, I got some new music coming out by the end of this year, pretty soon actually! So I'll be preparing for that.
Might make a TikTok. I'm so subtle. Please don't edit this out, uwu.
H65: Could you also share your thoughts on this year's NDP song, 'The Road Ahead'?
It's great! I like it. Let me just say, it's so difficult to write a National Day song. Firstly you're writing a song for the whole country to listen to and judge, and before it can get out, there is probably a board or panel the song has to go through that's not easy - I wouldn't know, I'm just guessing! And even during this whole time, you're probably questioning yourself as an artist, and wondering how the song is potentially going to define your career. Those are my thoughts. But just for the record, it's a cool song, because it's gonna get many of us in the feels. Get a little nerdy but, it's got drive, and good harmonic tension - subtle, nuanced good stuff.
What else can I say, Linying. Cheers to Evan as well. It's gonna be a national favourite for many National-days-to-come!
H65: Lastly (but not least), what makes home, home?
Family, friends, family-outside-of-family. Please, no Toretto memes. I got a whole support system I left behind, but thankfully we have the internet. I'm turning 26 soon, yet sometimes I still get into trouble, and don't know what to do. True story: recently, I got scammed while trying to buy an iPad online. The situation was a whole thing. I tried to handle it "myself", although in reality it was my Thai friend who handled it on my behalf. But it's times like these, where I think about home, where my Dad and sisters are, they would help me get through it when I'm stumped and don't know what to do.
Reflecting back on the first question, does this count as homesickness?
H65: We’d love it if you attach a personal memory of yours for us to publish (photo, video, any media). This can be anything from a photograph of your home/family when you were growing up, a picture you took of your favourite neighbourhood, to an item you possess, your most-craved homemade dish, or even an old film picture.
