SCDF officers spend day getting the Mandarin right for CNY song

SINGAPORE - A group of four Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers got together to tackle a new challenge last month - to each deliver the perfect rendition of parts of a popular Chinese New Year song.

The challenge to deliver the Gong Xi Gong Xi song, which means congratulations in English, was compounded by how Mandarin was not the primary language of three of the four singers.

But Captain Joey Low, 30, Sergeant Norashikin Imran, 31, Corporal (NS) Ligo Ralph Alvern Cueco, 21, and Corporal (NS) Abdul Rahman Ismail, 22, spent an entire day in the recording studio, till the point they were each able to sing their parts with perfect enunciation.

The four were the singers in SCDF's Chinese New Year song this year. Meanwhile, a cast featuring six other SCDF officers performed in the music video for the song.

The video was uploaded on Facebook on Monday (Jan 31), and has garnered more than 60,000 views as at Wednesday. It featured scenes from the historic Central Fire Station and SCDF's marine firefighting vessels, among others.

Mr Mohammad Masri Abdul Rahman, 42, a creative producer in SCDF's corporate communications department, said the latest video is part of SCDF's regular outreach to the public during festive occasions.

He added that such videos aim to pass on good wishes to the public, while giving an insight into the lives of officers.

The music video for Gong Xi Gong Xi depicts scenes of SCDF's officers working on the evening of Chinese New Year's Eve, at a time when families around the country usually get together for reunion dinners.

It ends with a quote from the late Apple founder Steve Jobs: "The only way to do great work is to love what you do".

Mr Masri said he opted for a sombre take on the song and the accompanying music video as this reflects the authentic feelings that officers go through in the course of their duty.

"There is no doubt, if you are working on a (festive occasion), it will be a day of sadness," he said.

"But if you look beyond that, we want to depict the fulfilment and gratefulness... because they love their jobs."

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.