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Ben E King's 'Stand by me' gets a beautiful Singaporean rendition to exemplify gumption in tough times

Ben E King's 'Stand by me' gets a beautiful Singaporean rendition to exemplify gumption in tough times

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Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) has launched a new music video featuring a uniquely Singaporean rendition of the iconic ‘Stand By Me’ by Ben E King sung in all four of Singapore’s official languages. The music video celebrates Singaporeans who have, each in their own way, stood by their fellow countrymen and women in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and our weak economic outlook.

The music video was filmed by local directors Roslee Yusof and Sufyan Sam’an of The Prosecution Film Company and conceptualised by creative agency BLKJ. Fuse Adventures in Audio composed the soulful and uplifting rendition with lyrics in English, Malay, Tamil and Chinese.

The music video, which is running on free-to-air television, and the Gov.sg YouTube channel, Facebook page and Instagram page features national rower Joan Poh, who put her Olympic dream on hold to serve on the frontline as a nurse; Dick Yip, who started livestreaming ukulele lessons to help seniors stay in touch during the Circuit Breaker; The Guo Family, who founded The Simple Deed and created special masks to help hearing-impaired students read facial expressions; volunteers from the Food Bank Singapore, who pack and redistribute excess food from restaurants and hotels to families-in-need; Kameshwari Jayapragas, Business Advisor at SME Centre@Little India, who is helping SMEs go digital and find new business opportunities amidst COVID-19.Among those featured was also Ms Rasidah Rasid, a Career Coach with Workforce Singapore.

The stories are set to exemplify gumption in adapting to the winds of change, while empowering others to do the same. "Amidst the tensions brought about by economic restructuring that threaten to divide societies across the world, these stories are testament to the enduring quality of our people to put aside our differences and look out for one another," said a release by MCI. 

Soffy Hariyanti, director of the campaigns and production department in MCI’s public communications division added, “This music video puts the spotlight on these beautiful stories which demonstrate that when we stand by each other, no challenge is insurmountable. The road ahead will not be easy. We must stand united and resilient as a nation to get through these challenging times, together and stronger.”

"We wanted to put a unique Singaporean spin on this classic hit about brotherhood and togetherness as an homage to our people’s unity and strength in the face of this unprecedented crisis," said Rowena Bhagchandani, CEO of BLKJ. "We hope this will become a rallying song that inspires Singaporeans to continue looking out for each other and standing together as one nation. Because if there’s one thing history has taught us, it’s that as long as we stay united, we can overcome anything."

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