Commuters in Singapore can enjoy local-made music at train stations, bus interchanges
SMRT to broadcast local music as part of ‘I Play SG Music’ campaign, after signing MOU with National Arts Council
SINGAPORE — Public transport commuters in Singapore will now be able to enjoy music produced by local artistes at MRT and LRT stations, as well as bus interchanges operated by SMRT.
This is part of the year-long "I Play SG Music" campaign - one of several initiatives to enliven commuting spaces and widen the exposure of local art in public spaces, as part of a three-year memorandum of understanding signed between the SMRT and the National Arts Council (NAC).
According to The Straits Times, local music will be played at train stations along the North-South, East-West, Circle and Thomson-East Coast lines, along with the Bukit Panjang LRT line as well as the Choa Chu Kang, Woodlands and Bukit Panjang bus interchanges.
The music will be broadcasted across three time periods, and more than three million passengers can expect to hear a wide range of music genres, which will fit the mood for different times of the day.
The three curated playlists will be updated quarterly, and feature at least 50 unique songs from 53 Singaporean artistes.
“Partnerships are key to unlocking more avenues for arts creation, presentation, and connections in Singapore," said Low Eng Teong, NAC's chief executive officer.
"The support of valued stakeholders such as SMRT is a cornerstone of Our SG Arts Plan (2023 - 2027), as spaces across the island will be invigorated by the arts. We invite more like-minded partners to join us in the making of Singapore’s vibrant and sustainable arts scene.”
The "I Play SG Music" campaign is led by Hear65, a national music movement by NAC, and is produced by music media company Bandwagon.
It is a follow-up to successful pilots of homegrown music being played at Funan and Our Tampines Hub in February last year, and was inspired by key findings from a 2021 NAC study, which showed a 55 per cent increase in perception of local music after listeners were exposed to it.
Local musicians applauded the move. YAØ, a 26-year-old singer-songwriter, said, "I’ve always wished for a time when local music would play throughout our major transport systems in Singapore.
"Now that it’s really happening, I finally feel seen as an artist."
Spotlighting buskers with disabilities and local literature
In addition, commuters will also get to read local literature, in the form of snippets of poetry and prose in trains during their daily commute.
A collaboration with social service agency, ART:DIS Singapore, is also in the works to provide opportunities for buskers with disabilities to showcase their musical talents at train stations across the island.
Through these initiatives, SMRT hopes to connect communities through the common language of art and music.
"We are happy that our spaces in the transit network can become an enabling platform for homegrown artists and buskers with disabilities to share their works with a wider audience," said SMRT president Lam Sheau Kai.
More initiatives will be announced by NAC in early September, as part of the launch of Our SG Arts Plan (2023 - 2027).
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