Exclusive Interview with Da Shi | Li Hongshen: A New-Era Singaporean Musician Singled Out for Praise by the Prime Minister of Singapore

On August 23, 2026, during Singapore’s National Day Rally, Prime Minister Huang Xuncai’s remarks on the preservation of Chinese cultural heritage brought the name of a young musician into the public eye:

“The creators of the ‘New Song’ generation expressed their dreams and aspirations through their songs; today, we look forward to the younger generation writing their own stories.”

Li Hongshen’s connection with music began as early as age 14.

That year, he won first place in the sixth season of Haidie Music’s “Extraordinary Singer” pan-Asian competition and, on Haidie Music’s recommendation, began writing music. At age 17, he moved a producer at Singapore Television with his original song “Is This Okay?”, which he performed while accompanying himself on the guitar. The song was included as a theme song for the TV drama “Money Brings Good Fortune,” and his musical journey officially began.

In the two years that followed, Li Hongshen composed theme songs and insert songs for several Singaporean TV dramas, producing six television tracks. These included “Cappuccino” (an insert song for *Thank You for Appearing on My Schedule*), “Asymmetrical Love” (the theme song for *Strategies of the Heart*) and “Don’t Give Up” (an insert song for the same series), as well as the theme song for *Manipulation*— “Irony.”

The year 2022 marked a significant turning point in his creative career. With his original composition “Remember to Forget,” he swept both the “Best Song Award” and the “Outstanding Composition Award” at the “SG:SW2022 I Write My Own Songs” Chinese Songwriting Festival, earning high praise from renowned music producer David Wu, who hailed him as “JJ Lin’s successor.”

From a young man who emerged from the New Wave competition to a representative of the new generation singled out for encouragement by Singapore’s Prime Minister, Li Hongshen has proven through his work that New Wave is not merely a nostalgic relic of the past, but a present and future that young people can continue to shape.

As Singapore’s Prime Minister Huang Xuncai stated at the National Day Rally—“New Wave is not a legacy; it is an asset.”

Oishi Music Copyright is honored to have witnessed and accompanied this new-generation musician on his journey of growth.

In the future, we look forward to Li Hongshen bringing us more Singaporean stories that belong to this era.