Ministry of Communications and Information: PCK - Singapore Be Steady!

Back in 2003 at the height of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic in Singapore, Phua Chu Kang, a well-loved TV character played by Gurmit Singh, appeared in a rap song that taught Singaporeans how to stay safe from the SARS virus. The song became a hit with its catchy lyrics and use of Singlish.

To support the fight against COVID-19 in Singapore, we decided to bring back the national icon with a sequel to the 2003 rap song. We engaged the audience in a crowdsourcing exercise where we co-created ideas for the new rap song through Gov.sg’s Instagram in just 24 hours. Titled “Just Use your Brain”, the new rap song was released on 22 March 2020, a timely reminder as the COVID-19 outbreak spreads globally. With its hard-hitting rap and head-bopping melody, the music video urges Singaporeans to “use your brain” when it comes to issues such as misinformation, hoarding of essentials, personal hygiene and cleanliness.

The song was met with great fanfare, going viral within a few hours and becoming Singapore’s number one trending video on YouTube. Many on Facebook expressed their appreciation for the injection of humour in such difficult times and called for the song to be released on Spotify so they can "play it on repeat". It was also covered extensively by local media and came out top on the Top 10 YouTube Ads People Watched in Singapore, H1 2020 list.