Singaporean singer Amni Musfirah (centre, in white) performing the original NDP composition Hold Up The Sky, accompanied by singers from the Music & Drama Company. SINGAPORE – To prepare to sing the Malay song Anggerik Singapura for the 2024 National Day Parade (NDP), singer Amni Musfirah hired a Malay traditional voice teacher. The 29-year-old Malay Singaporean, who usually performs pop and R&B songs, did so to learn traditional Malay singing inflections to incorporate into her performance.
“As a 21st-century Singapore girl, I unfortunately did not grow up with traditional Malay music blasting in my ears,” she said. “(Undergoing training for the inflections) was an eye-opening experience for me, as I have never sung a traditional Malay song. My performance on the day will be a mix of traditional style and my personal style.
” Amni, who is performing at the NDP for the first time, also took pains to understand the lyrics. The title of the song translates to “The Orchids Of Singapore”. She said: “(The lyrics) position Singapore as a blooming orchid, and this is such an interesting and poetic idea to me.
My white dress (which I’ll be wearing when I perform) also has these beautiful wings, and I feel like a fantastical creature wearing it.” With this performance, Amni will open the parade’s Chapter Three, where the show segment begins. This year’s NDP show features theatrical elements across four chapters, each designed to captivate and uplift.
Later on, she will also perform the original composition Hold Up The Sky, together with an ensemble from the Music & Drama Company. The rousing number, which symbolises unity in nation building, has an uplifting, explosive chorus, which Amni feels will inspire listeners. Hold Up The Sky is written by Kaylene Tan and composed by Bang Wenfu.
To Amni, the two numbers show a continuation between past and present. “Anggerik Singapura expresses a wish by our forefathers for a prosperous Singapore, while Hold Up The Sky feels like a 21st-century prayer for the modern generation. It seems like the dreams of our forefathers have come through, and we are still pursuing our dreams.
We still have more to accomplish,” she said. The singer, who performed at 2008’s ChildAid charity concert, the 2009 Asian Youth Games’ opening and closing ceremonies, the Chingay Parade in 2022, 2023 and 2024, as well as at concerts in cities such as Shanghai, Guangzhou and Bangkok, added: “Performing at NDP has been on my bucket list for a long time. “When I was 10, I watched Singaporean singers Taufik Batisah and Rui En sing Reach Out For The Skies on television for NDP in 2005.
Their performance was so moving and magical, and that was when I dreamed of performing at NDP one day.” Local singer Amni Musfirah has dreamed of performing at NDP since she was 10 years old. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG In Chapter Four, local singer Shazza will perform the Tamil classic Andru Vanthathum Ithe Nila as a duet with Ebi Shankara, one of the NDP hosts.
The sweet song, about the timeless concept of love, comes from Indian romantic comedy film Periya Idathu Penn (1963). Shazza, 22, is not fluent in Tamil, as she studied Malay in school. But the Singaporean, whose real name is Shareefa Aminah, took on the project as she wanted to pay homage to her heritage as an Indian Muslim.
“The movie (Periya Idathu Penn) was released when my grandparents were young, and three of them – all Singaporean – are still around. I really wanted to do this for them and also as a tribute to my late grandfather,” she said. To prepare for the song, she turned to her father, a 50-something who works in the media industry, who is also a self-taught Tamil speaker and lover of Tamil films.
The night before the song’s recording, they sat in her room running through the song over and over again. Shazza said: “It was a bit difficult to remember where to place my tongue when pronouncing certain words. I practised by recording the correct pronunciations which he approved, and trying to replicate them.
” She even took him with her to the studio the next day to sit in during her recording. “He sat in the corner next to me; whenever I got something wrong, he would let me know, so we could go over it again.” Having her father in the studio was a good decision, she added.
“It ensured the quality of the recording, and I was also very thankful that he took time off from work to be there for me. He has always played an instrumental role in my career and musical journey.” In the same chapter of the NDP show, Shazza will also sing a cover of You’re The Boy, a local song from the 1960s by Shirley Nair & The Silver Strings, while dressed in a hijab and a colourful retro outfit reminiscent of a traditional Indian salwar kameez.
The rendition, she promised, will be playful, fun and lively. Shazza said: “The fact that this song is by a lesser-known Singaporean band makes it suitable to showcase on a national platform, so more people can be aware of it. It being a love song is also a pleasant surprise to what you would normally expect from NDP.
” In Chapter Six, both Shazza and Amni will return to the stage for a medley of past National Day songs, together with other performers such as Joanna Dong, Benjamin Kheng and weish. Shazza will lead the singalong for Tomorrow’s Here Today (2016), and Amni will do the same for Home (1998). Singaporean singer Shazza will perform a rendition of the song You’re The Boy, a local song from the 1960s, dressed in a hijab and a colourful retro outfit reminiscent of a traditional Indian salwar kameez.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG Shazza said: “The finale will be awesome, with everyone singing and dancing. A lot of effort has been made to incorporate elements not seen in previous NDPs, with new faces, new music and people from all walks of life. “The inclusivity of the show seems very sincere, and I believe it will speak to so many people.
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