Inside NDP 09: Making the NDP 09 Theme Song Video

Being part of NDP 09, one of the most common questions we get from the public is: what is this year's theme song going to be like? With this question in mind, we set out to give you an inside, exclusive look into one of the filming sessions behind this year's NDP theme song video!

Our quest for the theme song brings us to Singapore's newest state icon, the Marina Barrage, at 4 am in the morning. In the distance, a picturesque view of the illuminated Singapore Flyer and the city's skyline form the night background. In these wee hours of the morning, except for the bright studio lights illuminating the set, the rest of the place is still shrouded in darkness. Meanwhile, the video production crew, who have been around since the night before, continue faithfully in their preparatory work.

As the crew run through various technical and sound checks, our lead singers for this year's NDP theme song finally set foot on location. Their identity? It is none other than home-grown alternative rock band, Electrico!

Comprised of lead vocalist David Tan, bassist Desmond Goh and drummer William Lim Jr, Electrico has established for themselves a stellar track record under their belt, with numerous nominations and awards for their chart-topping work. Having released their 3rd album "We Satellites" in 2008, the band's rising popularity has taken them beyond local shores to other countries like the Philippines and Thailand, where they are charting new ground for local music.

This will also be the very first time in NDP history that a local band has been commissioned to perform the theme song.

With the band on set and cameras rolling, we managed to get our first listen of this year's theme song! Sharing with us their first impression of the song, Tan Ee Cheng, 19, remarked, "The song sounds very different from previous years!" Charlie Lim, 31 commented it was "much more modern" and believes it will definitely resonate with the younger generation.

As the sun continued to rise above the horizon, the crew deployed multiple as well as an aerial camera to capture shots of the crowd, who were undoubtedly enjoying the energetic performance by Electrico.

In spite of the early timing, many still turned up to be part of the shoot. Lim Guan Ling and Jasmine Chong, both 18, found out about the shoot through the official NDP 09 Facebook group, NDPeeps. Others like Shahida, 31, saw it as a great opportunity for her family to get together for a family outing. Immanuel, 11, brought his two puppies along with him, hoping that they too, will get a chance to share the spotlight!

The early morning certainly did not put off Jamilah, 57, who specially woke up at 4 am to come for the shoot with her coffee shop friends. She ecstatically told us, "I am very happy that we are able to be part of this year's National Day Parade in such a special way!"

There were also some members of the public who came to visit the Marina Barrage but joined in out of curiosity, like Nancy Tan, 62, who came on an excursion with her daughter.

At the end of the shoot, BG Tan Chuan-Jin, Chairman of NDP 09 EXCO, expressed his heartfelt thanks to everyone for making the video shoot possible and looked forward to everyone's continued support in the days leading up to the parade.

To find out more, we spent some time with Electrico and the director in an after-shot interview to hear their thoughts about this year's theme song and music video.

When we asked Electrico what they felt was the biggest challenge they had faced so far in making the song, David replied, "It was definitely to create a song that would appeal to the masses, yet one that was edgy, and ultimately one that would retain the unique sound that is Electrico. So we hope we managed to do that with this year's parade theme song."

Director of the video shoot, Bertrand shared with us that he was very much guided by the song's music and melody when conceptualising the shoot. "I hope that after people see this video, they'll be able to see NDP music videos in a whole new light!" More so, he hopes the video would be able to connect with people not only emotionally, but also on a personal level.

As an alternative rock band, you can be sure that this year's NDP theme song by Electrico is definitely going to sound very different from previous years! So stay tuned and we hope you look forward to this year's song and video!