Exclusive: Dr Sydney Tan Marks 10 Years As Music Director Of Singapore’s National Day Parade

The aesthetic physician and music producer reflects on his milestone year and how Apple’s Mac powers his creative workflow.

By Navin Pillay

Published: August 29, 2025

Dr. Sydney Tan Marks 10 Years as Music Director of Singapore’s National Day Parade — (from left) Charlie Lim, Kit Chan, Dr Sydney Tan.

Dr Sydney Tan is woven into the soundtrack of Singapore’s National Day celebrations. Beyond his work as an aesthetic physician in private practice, he has long been the quiet architect behind the songs that stir our collective spirit. Take “Home”, the Dick Lee-penned and Kit Chan-sung anthem that has since become a national classic. While the spotlight often fell on its singer and composer, the production was helmed by Tan, whose touch helped cement the song’s place in our hearts.

Over the past decade, he has continued to shape Singapore’s soundscape through collaborations with a diverse range of artistes and creatives. A respected force in Singapore’s music industry, he is often credited for his distinctive melodies and his unique ability to translate emotion into sound. His career spans national stages, including the SEA Games and numerous National Day parades, as well as major theatre productions such as Forbidden City – Portrait of an Empress and Beauty World. He has also contributed to film projects like Singapore Dreaming and Wonder Boy, and to television programmes like Singapore Idol.

Fittingly, 2025 marks Tan’s 10th outing as Music Director of the National Day Parade (NDP), underscoring his enduring role in defining how the nation celebrates its most symbolic day. "Every year has been a privilege," he expresses. "If you’ve ever been in the crowd, surrounded by 30,000 people waving flags and singing Dick Lee’s ‘Home’ at the top of their voices, you’ll know exactly what I mean. As homegrown brand Electrico aptly puts it in their song ‘What Do You See,’ ‘Look around at the faces, they shine brightly in the sun.’”

For Singapore’s 60th National Day, or SG60, Tan co-produced the theme song “Here We Are” alongside Chok Kerong and Charlie Lim—who also co-wrote and performed the track with Kit Chan and The Island Voices. Speaking about the creative process behind the song, he explains, “Part of the magic of creating music for NDP is the chance to collaborate with a wide range of artistes. For NDP 2025, having Charlie Lim and Lin Ying on board meant access to two of the finest writers of what I affectionately call the ‘Rat Pack’—a nod to Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr.—bringing the fresh perspectives and aesthetics of their generation. At the same time, icons like Kit Chan, Dick Lee, and Ramli Sarip contributed the depth and gravitas that only experience can bring.”

This interplay between generations is a subtheme of NDP 2025. Tan adds, “Unlike SG50, where nostalgia was central, SG60 is about passing the torch and celebrating the younger generation running the road ahead with the blessings of those who paved the way.”

Dr Sydney Tan & Ramli Sarip.

Dr Sydney Tan's home studio.

Technology has played a crucial role in making projects of this scale achievable. Tan credits the Apple ecosystem with streamlining his workflow. “For many of us creatives, the Apple ecosystem sits at the core of the process—from concept to creation. Centralised notes, charts, and music scores flow seamlessly over iCloud, while programmes like Logic Pro allow us to do things that would have been unthinkable in the past—mocking up full orchestras, recording in remote locations, and editing, mixing, and mastering on the fly. What was once limited to 24 tracks on a 30-minute two-inch tape in the ’80s is no longer a constraint. For example, Act One of the parade required a staggering 500 stereo tracks.”

At the heart of all of Tan’s work is Apple’s Mac. From his clinic to his home studio, there’s a Mac in every space—anchored by Mac Pro and Mac Studio, and powered on the go by his MacBook Pro. His Notes app is his constant companion, while iCloud keeps his work seamless across devices and locations. At the core is Logic Pro, the professional app he relies on to shape the most complex compositions, including this year’s NDP, where every piece of music was recorded, mixed, and arranged on Mac.

Recording large choirs, drum ensembles, and percussion troupes on the fly at remote locations is now feasible thanks to the new MacBook Pro M4. “Synchronising a music score to film, or making last-minute changes when a featured artiste switches things up? Not a problem," enthuses Tan. "When the aim is to feature the widest range of musicians and performers—across cultures, genres, and generations—on a 15-month project that involves a large team of creatives, having a powerful, well-designed system at the core transforms what would have once been impossible into just another walk in the park.”

Beyond national projects, Tan’s musical reach is strikingly broad. He has produced works for some of the region’s most beloved pop artists—including Dick Lee, Jacky Cheung, Taufik Batisah, Fariz Jabba, Yung Raja—while also working with a cappella groups, percussion ensembles, bands, and full orchestras. His projects frequently cross disciplines, bringing him into creative partnership with some of Singapore’s most visionary directors in stage and film, from Boo Junfeng and Royston Tan to Brian Gothong.

Most recently, Tan produced the music for Unity, an exclusive light show that debuted at UOB Plaza 1 to commemorate SG60 and UOB’s 90th anniversary. The show earned three Guinness World Records for the world’s tallest, brightest, and longest projection mapping canvas. “For this project, the music was crafted using a virtual orchestra in Logic Pro, which also enabled precise synchronisation with the visuals projected onto the UOB Building,” Tan explains.