Song about Singapore hits a high note with Filipinos

A song by an indie Filipino band, inspired by their visit to Singapore, has hit the pop music charts in the Philippines and is picking up traction amongst locals.Indie band Up Dharma Down’s song, “All the Good Things,” entered Philippines radio station Magic 89.9’s Top 30 chart on May 28, and had by mid June, climbed to number 14. The song, which is now at number 21, is about to enter its eight week on this highly popular Top 30 chart.Up Dharma Down had visited Singapore in early 2015, in collaboration with the Singapore Tourism Board, to take in the sights from iconic Marina Bay Sands to Gardens by the Bay to local designer stores at Haji Lane. Their wanderings resulted in “All the Good Things,” a song and video that reflects the heart and soul of the city-state, showing Filipinos a cooler side of Singapore they may not have known before.In the music video, the band talks about how their experience in Singapore shaped their song and video. The video has attracted more than 1.1 million views on YouTube and other social media channels. The two videos were filmed by Chimney Productions, working with Up Dharma Down’s management company, Music To My Ears Inc. Brighten up your day with Up Dharma Down’s “All the Good Things” filmed in #YourSingaporePosted by YourSingapore on Wednesday, May 20, 2015“Music is very much a core part of Filipino culture, so we decided to create a campaign that would touch and connect with this target audience in a relevant, engaging manner,” Valerie Cheng, chief creative officer at J. Walter Thompson Singapore said.Singapore Tourism Board’s area director for Philippines & Brunei, Adrian Kong, said that singing is part of the Filipino culture and is a way for families and friends to spend quality time.Kong added : “Up Dharma Down has taken their talent, originality, and imagination and woven together a musical tapestry inspired by their unique experiences in Singapore. We hope that this new song can help us connect with Filipino travellers, showcasing Singapore as a city of inspiration with many fun and unique activities that friends can enjoy together.” The song is free to download from the STB Philippines campaign site and the band’s website.This is not the first time an STB campaign has made its mark in The Philippines. STB faced massive criticism online last year for its video aimed at attracting visitors from The Philippines.Oliver Chong, executive director, communications & industry marketing, Singapore Tourism Board (STB) had then defended the work saying that the campaign was created by Philippine network ABS-CBN “in an effort to customise content for this audience.”