Namewee writes 'CNY song for Singapore', but why does it sound almost identical to Mediacorp's version?

Malaysian singer-rapper Namewee recently published a "CNY song for Singapore", in an apparent show of solidarity with Singaporeans during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

But its strange title and striking similarity to another recent Chinese New Year tune has left some netizens scratching their heads.

Namewee's upbeat three-minute Chinese song was published on YouTube on Tuesday (Jan 25).

In the prelude, Namewee, whose real name is Wee Meng Chee, shares that he would like to "dedicate this song to all my Singaporean friends".

The video splices together familiar scenes from Singapore such as the Marina Bay skyline, Singapore Airlines, as well as clips of our sporting heroes Joseph Schooling and Loh Kean Yew. 

But of course, the rapper-turned-director also sneakily inserts a plug at the end of the video for his latest movie, Nasi Lemak 1.0, currently showing in theatres.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9r0G4sbizs[/embed]

And while his song is officially titled New Year At Home, what is odd about the video is that its full title carries the words "demo" as well as "Mediacorp" at the end.

Astute listeners were quick to point out that the rhythm of the song and its lyrics are almost identical to Mediacorp’s annual celeb-fronted ditty for the new year.

Roughly translated as Brother Tiger Comes to Visit, Mediacorp's song was published on its YouTube channel more than two weeks ago, on Jan 7.

You can hear it for yourself, here:

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NvQWjdOlmY[/embed]

Both songs appear to convey the same messaging of keeping safe during the Lunar New Year festivities, with identical phrases such as "remember to follow SOP", and "the living room and kitchen offer the best views".

So, what gives? 

Commenters on YouTube put two and two together, surmising that Mediacorp had commissioned the Muar-born songwriter to write the song.

However, they noted that the 38-year-old was not credited for the composition at the end of Mediacorp's music video, which features Channel 8 actors such as Chantelle Ng, Jeremy Chan and Carrie Wong.

Instead, it is "Mediacorp Audio Post" that is listed in the end credits for music production.

In a statement from a Mediacorp spokesperson to AsiaOne, the company clarified that "Mediacorp's Lunar New Year songs are largely produced by Mediacorp Audio Post every year".

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"Specifically, this year's Lunar New Year song was composed by Mediacorp Audio Post's Senior Sound Designer Zheng Kai Hua," said the spokesperson.

However, the statement added that in some years, creative collaborations with external talents are involved, "in our continuous drive to deliver better content for our audiences".

It acknowledged that for this year, it had engaged several parties, "including Namewee's company", to contribute to the song's lyrics, "with the agreement that Mediacorp Audio Post will be credited as the overall producer".

So we guess it's mystery solved?

candicecai@asiaone.com