S1E16: Musician Evan Low talks NDP songs, touring with Mandopop star A-mei

Jun 24, 2025

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Hear from the home-grown composer and producer behind recent National Day Parade songs.

Synopsis (headphones recommended): Each month, The Straits Times invites music acts to its podcast studio.

In this special episode of Music Lab, ST’s music correspondent Eddino Abdul Hadi hosts award-winning Singaporean composer, producer, and music director Evan Low.

A recipient of the National Arts Council’s Young Artist Award in 2024, Low has worked on over 200 songs.

He is best known for being a co-composer and musician on recent National Day Parade songs The Road Ahead (2021) sung by artistes such as Linying, Not Alone (2024) by Benjamin Kheng and the 2018 remake of We Are Singapore.

The artiste also known as Evanturetime has also toured with international pop star and Taiwanese singer A-mei and has performed to massive crowds in venues such as the Beijing National Stadium in China.

Low, who first took piano lessons at the age of five, graduated from Singapore Polytechnic with a Diploma in Music and Audio Technology. He then honed his skills at famed American music school Berklee College of Music, thanks to scholarships from the school as well as the Media Development Authority.

This episode was recorded and filmed in front of a live audience of nearly 80 attendees on June 3 - at swish nightspot Rasa at Republic Plaza, as part of the ST Podcast Live! Sessions celebrating 180 years of The Straits Times in 2025.

Highlights (click/tap above):

1:43 Realising the impact of music: How Evan cried during piano practice when he was a kid

3:54 How he ended up choosing to further his studies in music instead of science

6:36 On developing his own set of ‘special skills’ while studying music in the US

10:56 The pressure of coming up with NDP songs

18:20 How he got singer Benjamin Kheng to venture outside his comfort zone on NDP song Not Alone

26:46 How he balances his finances as a full-time musician

29:25 On helping others achieve their dreams of pursuing music as a career

Watch the full podcast on YouTube: https://str.sg/b3tL

Discover Evan Low’s music at:

Spotify: https://str.sg/9ALG

Instagram: https://str.sg/oKkAJ