Official music album launched for 28th SEA Games

SINGAPORE — The Singapore South-east Asian Games Organising Committee (SINGSOC) has released the official music album for the 28th SEA Games today (March 3), featuring Singaporean musicians such as Gentle Bones, The Sam Willows, Daphne Khoo and Tabitha Nauser.

The album, called Songs Of The Games, features 14 songs, including the three official theme songs of the 28th SEA Games: Greatest, written and performed by Khoo; Ordinary, written by Amir Masoh and performed by The Sam Willows; and Unbreakable, also written by Amir Masoh and performed by Nauser. Other performers include Tay Kewei, Gayle Nerva, Charlie Lim and Jean Tan.

“Songs Of The Games is a compilation of songs created to provide the backdrop and accompanying soundtrack to the 28th SEA Games,” said Sydney Tan, who is music director of SINGSOC Exco and the producer of the album. “Drawing inspiration from the Games’ theme of ‘Celebrate the Extraordinary’, the songs express a variety of perspectives from the individual writers that parallel its relevance to sport and our own journeys in life.”

Joel Tan, who goes by the stage moniker, Gentle Bones, said he was “super-honoured” to have his song on the album. “Considering the fact that I did this song almost a year ago - that was before anything happened with my musical life - I’m super-honoured to be a part of this whole thing.”

He added: “For me all these theme songs and motivational songs have always been a big part of my life. I think music stands for a lot (when it comes to) competition and team work. And I think it means a lot (for the athletes and audiences who will listen to the album).”

Khoo, who performed her song at the launch event earlier today (March 3), agreed. “I’m very honoured to be a part of it,” she said. “I honestly hope that it’s not only Singaporeans who are proud of the fact that it’s a very local album. It’s for South-east Asia so I hope the songs go beyond Singapore and don’t stop there.”

The music videos for the two other songs, Ordinary and Unbreakable were also unveiled. The former was directed by local filmmaker, Nicole Woodford, and inspired by the life story of Singapore’s favourite footballing son, Fandi Ahmad (who was there for the screening of the music video). The video for the latter song featured Team Singapore athletes, including swimmer Joseph Schooling, bowler Jazreel Tan, Muhammad Shakir Bin Juanda (silat) and Shanti Veronica Pereira (athletics), among others.

All three videos will premiere exclusively on the SEA Games Facebook page where fans can connect with their favourite athletes and follow the latest updates from the Games. The Ordinary music video was uploaded today and fans can submit their questions for Fandi Ahmad in a question and answer session. The music video for Unbreakable will be uploaded on March 14 while Khoo’s tune, Greatest, will be uploaded at a later date.

Lim Teck Yin, Chairman, SINGSOC Exco, said he hoped the album would inspire and “enhance the experience” of the SEA Games here. “Music can inspire people to feel the pulse and excitement of the SEA Games. We want the album to enhance the experience of the entire event,” he said. “(With) shared emotions from the thrills and rhythms of competitions, our athletes and music are an important legacy for our Games.

“We appreciate Singapore’s music talents for wanting to be part of Games’ journey and history,” he added. “And we hope that their words and music will continue to be heard for years to come.”

You can stream Songs Of The Games free-of-charge on the official SEA Games website, Spotify, AMPED and Deezer. The songs are also available for purchase on iTunes, with prices ranging from S$1.28 to S$1.48 per song and S$9.98 for the whole album. Album purchases on iTunes will include an exclusive album e-book containing song lyrics and musician profiles. A portion of the proceeds from iTunes sales will go towards the SportCares Foundation, a movement set up to enable and empower the under-resourced to live better lives through sport. For more information, visit http://www.songsofthegames.com.