NDP 2025: A four-act show that celebrates diversity and Singapore's diamond jubilee

Straits Times

a day ago

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Singer-songwriter Benjamin Kheng performing at the National Day Parade at Marina Bay on Aug 9.
SINGAPORE – Tradition dictated that an audience of 27,000 men, women and children had come not just to watch the show segment of the National Day Parade (NDP), but also be part of it, with everyone contributing to the visual spectacle through LED wristbands that emitted lights in sync with the performances.
On the various stages, the spirit of collaboration was in the air as some of Singapore's top singers, musicians, dancers and performers gathered for a show that celebrated the nation's diversity.
From duets to joint performances, the line-up featured 39 artistes from different genres and generations, as well as more than 3,000 performers of all ages and abilities.
This was the first show segment to feature synchronised performances between the main venue, the Padang, and the stage at Marina Bay.
Inspired by the words of the national anthem, the show comprised four acts, which celebrated the population's shared journey and aspirations, and its unity as a nation.
Act One – Our People, Our Diversity – opened with singer-songwriter Charlie Lim and Mandopop star Kit Chan singing Here We Are, the 2025 NDP theme song , on a 360-degree, three-tiered moving stage, the
largest mobile stage in NDP history .
In some of the evening's cross-generational performances, veteran singer Ramli Sarip sang with rising rapper Shazuan Shiraj, better known by his stage name Abangsapau, while seasoned musician Mohamed Raffee performed with newcomer Pallavi.
The multilingual segment also showcased the diverse sounds of the home-grown music scene, from hip-hop acts such as Yung Raja and Tosh Zhang , and classical musicians such as pianist Churen Li and violinist Lynnette Seah, to indie artistes Electrico and Shye.
The tempo of the music slowed in Act Two – Our Future, Our Aspirations – with a soulful performance of original composition I Will Walk With You by singer-songwriter Linying. Her set was followed by budding singer Heema Izzati's rendition of Charlie Lim's 2020 tune Room At The Table, which included a segment from the 2018 NDP theme song We Are Singapore.
As the two were performing, large-scale floats glided across Marina Bay and around the Padang, each of them a display of artwork by artists with disabilities. The act concluded with light projections of SG60-themed artworks on the facades of buildings in the area , including UOB Plaza 1 .
A helium balloon ferrying a sole passenger , singer Dick Lee, signalled the opening of Act Three – Our Resilience, Our Spirit. He performed We Will Get There , the Republic's 2002 NDP song, from the basket of the balloon as it glided across the Padang.
Meanwhile, the audience cheered as huge purple, orange, red and yellow beach balls bounced among them.
Next to take the stage was singer-songwriter Benjamin Kheng at Marina Bay and pop veteran Rahimah Rahim at the Padang , performing a duet of Not Alone , Singapore's 2024 NDP song.
On the stage, performers from the People's Association and Singapore Armed Forces' Music and Drama Company hoisted flowing multi-coloured fabric, representing the threads of Singapore's communities.
Wearing red and purple, the dancers moved the fabric into formations, to pay tribute to the resilience and spirit carrying the Republic forward.
The show's fourth and final act – Our Unity , Our Strength – saw youth worker and musician Aldrich Jai Kishen taking to the drums to lead a pop punk rendition of The Road Ahead ,
Singapore's 2021 NDP song .
He was joined by musicians including Dave Tan from local rock trio Electrico , and the Singapore Management University Samba Masala, a samba percussion band. At the b ay, drummers from the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (Minds) and Extraordinary People, two charities working with people with special needs , joined the mix.
They were accompanied by dancers from the Institute of Technical Education and local dance crew STNY, who moved seamlessly across the stage.
Finally, local favourite Kit Chan sang Home, the nation's best-loved NDP song.
She was joined by hundreds of student performers from three secondary schools and a junior college , who performed a choreographed accompaniment to the song, holding aloft placards inscribed with hopes and dreams for themselves and the nation.
As the NDP show segment drew to a close, performers from the earlier acts returned to the Padang's stage, and performed a medley of classic NDP favourites : Stand Up For Singapore; One People, One Nation, One Singapore; Where I Belong; We Are Singapore; and Count On Me, Singapore .
During the Majulah Moment, when Singaporeans were invited to recite the pledge and sing the national anthem, live streams of citizens living overseas who joined in from countries including the US, Australia and Japan flashed across the screen.
Spectators reciting the pledge at the National Day Parade on Aug 9.
ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
Then fireworks illuminated the night sky above the Padang and Marina Bay as pyrotechnic-powered lights in the waters of the bay spelt the number '60' .
Fireworks illuminated the night sky above the Padang and Marina Bay as pyrotechnic-powered lights in the waters of the bay spelt the number '60'.
ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
Various fireworks in the shades of red, orange and yellow were set off synchronously at the two locations – filling the sky with multi-hued sparks.
The audience stood enraptured by the six-minute display – a picture-perfect finish to the night's festivities.