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May 11, 2026

An encounter under the stars: Under a brilliant starry sky

Singapore’s xinyao movement reached its peak in the 1980s. However, by the 1990s, the movement gradually declined as Singaporean singers began finding success locally and overseas, including Kit Chan, Mavis Hee, A-do, Stefanie Sun and JJ Lin. Music producer Billy Koh, an SP alumnus, said the decline of xinyao was a natural cycle, as musicians eventually had to decide whether they could realistically pursue music as a career. Still, he stressed that xinyao never truly lost its vitality. Instead, the end of the xinyao era marked the beginning of Singaporean singers expanding overseas. Songwriter Koh Nam Seng, also an SP alumnus, noted that modern audiences now have access to music from around the world, unlike during the xinyao era. However, he said artists still need to express their own identity and unique voice when facing the global stage.

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