Months of preparation for SG:SW 2022 has finally come to fruition!

The SG:SW 2022 I Write The Songs Mandopop Songwriting Festival, a songwriting competition jointly presented by the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre (SCCC), Composers & Authors Society of Singapore Ltd (COMPASS), and Ocean Butterflies Music, has concluded its run with a finale on Saturday (29th Oct). 

The finale was graced by guest-of-honor, Ms. Low Yen Ling, Minister of State, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth & Ministry of Trade and Industry, as well as other renowned VIPs within the music industry. There were a total of ten songs that made it into the finals and five of these songs were awarded various accolades.

Diversity was in play during this year’s SG:SW. The 282 entries included works submitted by students, lawyers, engineers, and these entries were also from individuals aged 15-64 years old. A mixture of genre was also seen among this year’s entries from heart-felt ballads to electronic-infused compositions.

The song “Remember to Forget” won two awards namely Best Song Award and Melody (Merit) Award. The awards were clinched by Jojo Teh and former SG:SW 2017 Best Song Award winner, Elton Lee. The soulful ballad also captured the attention of Taiwanese producer-songwriter David Wu who emphasised the powerful emotions delivered by the song.

Two out of six awards were clinched by songwriters under the age of 19. It is certainly inspiring to see youths attaining an impressive standard and quality in their work at such a young age. Four of this year’s top 10 entries were written by students aged between 16 and 19, with a student duo clinching two of the awards. David Wu, a renowned Taiwanese songwriter-producer, also mentioned that he was touched and impressed to see performances from the young participants and he also encouraged the rest to never give up but to instead, try and improve for the next round. 

“Would You Stay”, the song that won the Lyrics (Merit) award, was penned and composed by Edmund Ng and Lee Jia Min, also known as the strongest student duo, and the youngest amongst the finalists. The song is about longing for love and attention in a relationship. Zennon Goh, a renowned music producer and music director from OB Music, commented that the song has great potential and that it has an excellent arrangement.

“Maniac”, on the other hand, a song crafted by 19-year-old songwriter Lim Zheng Bo, has won the popularity award attaining the highest number of online votes. The song also garnered praise from judges with its well-written lyrics and melody accompanied by the songwriter’s powerful voice. 

“Love Is You”, a sweet confession of one’s love, won the Best Vocal Performance Award at the finale. The song was crafted by Ti Kiang Heng and Xiaojiu and was inspired by the pandemic. The live performance of the song was accompanied by performers decked in pink outfits with a captivating backdrop of pink bubbles. YES 933 DJ Zhong Kunhua even commented on the potential of the song ending up as a soundtrack in a Korean drama.

“Shape Of Love”, a song that was inspired by a Korean drama soundtrack expressing the psychological struggles of a girl in her love life, took home the award for Best Performing Band. Zhong Kunhua expressed that it had the potential to be a popular karaoke song while Zennon Goh was impressed by the lyrical combination, melody arrangement, and passion conveyed in the song.