Plenty of songs have been named after cities such as “London Calling” by The Clash, “Amsterdam” by Coldplay, “Rio” by Duran Duran, “Streets of Philadelphia” by Bruce Springsteen, and “New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra.
Now there’s “Singapore” (no, National Day songs do not count). The ethereal instrumental track features on OneRepublic’s latest album Artificial Paradise.
If you are wondering how this track came to be, look no further. The Grammy-nominated band, in collaboration with Universal Music Singapore and Singapore Tourism Board, have released a behind-the-scenes video that shines a light on the inspiration behind the track.
“This island is both eclectic and modern,” shares the band. “When we wrote the track in Singapore, we were inspired by the colourful juxtaposition of the modern and heritage buildings set in this cultural melting pot.”
Filmed during the band’s visit at the recent Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix 2024, this video features frontman and lead singer Ryan Tedder and keyboardist Brian Willett exploring the city while offering a glimpse of how the city state’s architecture and experiences had influenced the track. The video features the duo in a mix of locations such as Marina One, Peranakan Museum, Armenian Street, and the Old Hill Street Police Station.
Primary songwriter Brian Willet says, “With this track specifically, it’s like an external portrayal of creativity.”
That’s not all. OneRepublic will also be releasing an official visualiser video for the “Singapore” track, shot entirely in Singapore. No word on the release date but stay tuned for updates. In the meanwhile, watch the video here:
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