PAST NDP SONGS SET THE STAGE FOR MULTIMEDIA SHOW

If you're a huge fan of past National Day Parade (NDP) songs, this year's celebrations may just be your best one yet.

Two heart-warming songs will be given fresh arrangements: the 2002 NDP theme song, "We Will Get There", is mixed together with the familiar favourite, "One People One Nation", while the 2009 song "What Do You See", gets a new tempo.

Performed by 17 local singers, including Farisha Ishak, Rahimah Rahim, Tay Kewei and Tabitha Nauser, these "revamped" songs will bring a new spin to the Show this year and unify Singaporeans who have grown up with these familiar songs.

Creative Director Dick Lee explained that he wanted the Show to have an element of a pop concert as it was something he felt that people of all ages could really enjoy. As a musician, he has always used music to guide him, hence the strong play of music in the four acts of the Show.

On the idea of using past NDP songs, he said: "These are great songs which don't get enough airing. They appear just once on their own in that year's NDP and you hardly hear them again. I thought that it's time to pluck these songs out and repeat them."

Another advantage of bringing back the old favourites in a remix and different tempo is to jolt people's memories and evoke a sense of nostalgia.

As Mr Lee put it: "Hearing the songs in a different way makes you pay attention to them and rediscover them, and that's the intention of using some of the more popular songs."

Celebrating the can-do spirit and caring attitude of Singaporeans, this year's NDP Show consists of four acts - Celebrate it!, Love it!, Live it! and Be it!. Through vibrant multimedia and lively mass displays, these acts are creatively juxtaposed with stories of five everyday Singaporeans, told in a short film.

Celebrate it! pays tribute to Singaporeans of different professions who make up the nation's dynamic workforce while Love it! celebrates Singapore's community spirit, and how they care for one another. Live it! brings an element of darkness to the show, symbolising the everyday challenges Singaporeans face and their determination to overcome them. Finally, Be it! celebrates Singaporeans' commitment to the nation, rallying all to unite as one people.

To enhance the Show, NDP 2014 will have the largest multimedia set-up in NDP history. With 1,500 square metres of LED screens and 80m by 40m of floor projection, the displays cover the equivalent of three basketball courts with projection effects large enough to cover a soccer field.

Explaining the reason for the extravaganza of multimedia effects, Chairman Show Colonel (COL) David Neo said: "What we've come to know over the years is that Singaporeans enjoy the multimedia effects which enhance the performances. The multimedia will help us deliver the short film which carries the message of how ordinary Singaporeans overcome challenges, and we hope to use this to inspire other Singaporeans."

The short film consists of five Singaporeans, whose stories will be interspersed throughout the Show, in the different acts. COL Neo said the stories of these fictional characters were based on stories which the committee felt Singaporeans could identify with, for example, a mother with hopes for her child, and a man overcoming challenges achieve his dreams. All these stories have a bigger purpose - to inspire Singaporeans to achieve bigger things.

Closer to National Day, audiences at NDP 2014 will be treated to a spectacular display of two fountains 'dancing' along with the songs during the Show, complete with dazzling lights. Also set to thrill the audiences is a special fireworks formation of five stars and a crescent moon. Each star will be made up of 49 individual red flames, symbolising a giant birthday celebration in the sky.

So, are you ready to be blown away by this year's NDP?

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