If you haven’t watched the video for Champions in Blue yet, here you go!
Clubs working with artists to come up with songs is not a new phenomenon. When you think of club, and you think of song, your mind immediately goes to “You’ll Never Walk Alone“. It is perhaps the most famous example of an anthem being sung aloud by fans before games. That song is tied to Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund, and Celtic, among others, and I don’t know about you, even though I don’t support any of those clubs, hearing it sung out loud does send chills down my spine. In fact, that song is so tied to Liverpool’s identity that those very words of the title are written in wrought iron on the gates of Anfield Stadium.
A Song Written Specifically For a Club
However, of course, that song was written as a tune from a musical on Broadway, and so it wasn’t birthed as a football song. It wasn’t until Gerry and the Pacemakers (a Merseyside band) did a cover version in the 1960s that it became adopted by Liverpool as their anthem.
So are there examples of songs written specifically for a club? Sure, there are. Let’s start right at home (and with a dash of Japan).
Hougang Hools recorded “Hougang Sampai Mati“ (Malay for “Hougang Til’ I Die“) and the song has a lot of edge, with a super catchy chorus. Composed and performed by the fans, it combines rock, emotion, and a dash of humour. It is played during Hougang home games at the final whistle.
Geylang International FC have “We Are the Mighty Eagles“. This was also performed by a fan called Remy, who describes himself as a new fan of the club. It is catchy in parts and just like Hougang Sampai Mati, you will hear it over the speakers at GIFC games.
And then now on to Japan – Albirex Niigata have my personal favourite, “Believe”. I like the song so much I even left this comment there sometime back –
Oops, please don’t lynch me, but it’s a proper rock track with anime vibes, mixed in with crowd chants to really give it that stadium feel. Albirex in Singapore of course use this song as well, playing it at their home games to get the atmosphere going.
It’s fair to say that music has long had that power to get the crowd excited and hyped up for a game. It can also be a tremendous bonding tool, uniting a bunch of strangers in song. The Crew had thus long thought about writing a song, but we were short on inspiration. If you ever meet me in person, I’d be happy to show you some early drafts we came up with, which pale in comparison to “Champions in Blue“.
So how did this song come about? Let me tell the story from my POV.
A Long Long Time Ago – There Was Brandon Khoo
The title is not a dig at Brandon Khoo’s age. Though facts are facts, he is old. But this is an important section of the article. You’ll see.
Before I talk about how the club approached me to discuss possibly getting a song done, I have to introduce yall to Brandon Khoo. Who is Brandon Khoo, you ask? Well click the link and find out!
He’s basically Singapore’s best drummer la huh.
When I first saw Brandon Khoo in the stands of a Sailors game sometime back, I remember thinking to myself that he looked really familiar. But I just couldn’t place his face. This would happen a few times.
One day, I was scrolling through my tiktok feed when I came across a drumming livestream. This big ol’ dude was taking requests from people and providing drumming accompaniment to those requests. I would have scrolled past, but he hung a Lion City Sailors scarf on the wall, so I stayed.
He would then also talk a bit about the song, chat a bit with his followers, etc. I found it very fascinating. It was like listening to a radio show, except the DJ not only put in the tunes, he would also drum along. Amazing.
I spoke to him in the stands a few more times when I saw him at games. And all this time, I didn’t figure out the mystery of why he looked so familiar.
Then one day it clicked – he used to be the drummer for Shirlyn + The UnXpected, a famous local band that did a lot of gigs around the pubs of Singapore. As a teenager that enjoyed listening to live music, I saw him around several times. It was so obvious yet it escaped me for so long. Brandon also was the drummer for many of the Mandopop tunes I grew up with.
Brandon and I would get to know each other a lot better, and would bond over shared music taste. He called me an “old soul”, I didn’t reply because I felt it would be rude to point out it wasn’t just his soul that was old.
We got along musically, and footballingly, and that’s all that matters. The stage was set for the next development.
The Approach from the Club
So after the abortive attempts at writing a song for the Crew, the club approached me 2 months ago (yes, all this was done in 2months).
“Champions in Blue” did not exist 2 months ago. Let that sink in.
A certain Brandon Khoo was in attendance as well. The club wanted a song that all Sailors fans could be proud of, something to rally us all. I’m not a songwriter and had previously only written one song before, so Brandon’s presence was obviously crucial. The club wanted Brandon to lead the project because not only is he a good musician, he is also a true fan, which makes it more meaningful. That, and also because of his extensive contacts from all across the music world. I wish I could share some of the names bandied around in the initial stages, but I don’t think I am allowed to.
I felt so energised after that meeting, and I thought, “Wow, it’s finally gonna happen”.
Over the next few days, Brandon and I would trade ideas back and forth. On Brandon’s side, he was having extensive discussions with musicians that he would need to pull in for this project. At this point, I was of limited help because I don’t have any musical background. I would play a role only when it came to lyrics.
Fan-Centric Lyrics
What I thought was a great gesture by the club was them wanting fans to have a say in the lyrics of the song. Using me as the coordinator, I was tasked with approaching all our fans who had travelled overseas in the previous ACL campaign to ask if they had lyrics to contribute, or any central ideas that they wanted to be presented in the song.
Some fans did chip in with some ideas, and some of these ideas in the end, did contribute to the forming of the lyrics.
It was a great honour for me to contribute lyrics to this song as well, and I tried my best to ensure that the verses captured the spirit of the message that the Sailors wanted to send to not just existing fans, but potential fans who might want to join us on this exciting journey.
Reflecting on the lyric-writing process, it was actually an emotional one, as I tried to draw from the memories of victories and defeats experienced together with the Crew, as well as all the fun and laughter we had travelling across the globe to support our Sailors. I am naturally a very introspective and emotional person, so I also had to find the right balance and come up with some positive-sounding lyrics as well to match the energetic track.
“Champions in Blue” – that phrase I cannot take credit for. And I love how catchy and simple it is. It provided the anchor for me to write some of the lyrics in the verses. That was all Yogesh Pradhan.
Some may ask, why blue? Isn’t our home shirt white? Fair question. But I’d say, why not?
Our fans chant “Come on you boys in blue!”, our club colour is very obviously blue everywhere you look, and apparently the home shirt is white because white provides a base for the colour blue to stand out more prominently on it. Don’t quote me on that of course!
Li Yu also came in clutch with the lines “Together we will build the dream, starting with this team” – you gotta try singing that out loud in the shower to really feel the power of those two lines that lead seamlessly and perfectly into the chorus.
And, lastly, I apologise if some of the lyrics are cheesy – people who know me will know that I am capable of even cheesier lyrics, as evidenced in the only other song I’ve written. Iykyk.
The Music
I take no credit at all for the music. As mentioned above, I am not musically trained, but I do appreciate that Brandon did sometimes bounce some ideas off me. Maybe he wanted to know how a music idiot like me reacts to the music, rather than his very trained ears.
He worked like a maniac for the past 2 months, getting on calls after calls with Yogesh Pradhan and Girish Pradhan to finetune the music and discuss certain points. Then there was the actual recording of the backing music. When I saw the behind-the-scenes work, I was really blown away. For example, more than 100 layers to create the backing track. Insane.
I would describe this part of the process more, but I fear I won’t do justice to it because of my music noobness. Feel free to speak with Brandon about it, but trust me, it looked like a shit ton of work.
Everyone is Involved
With the exception of the non-playing staff and the girls’ teams (not the WT, talking about the younger ones), I think everyone features in the video. Academy boys, Women’s Team, Men’s Team, the fans, the parents of the boys, everyone had a part to play, and I guess that’s the message the song and the video was trying to send.
It’s just so heartwarming to see everyone involved in this project, and I can speak on behalf of the fans when I say they were very appreciative that the club ensured they featured prominently in the video. Even the production crew that the club hired was top. Not only were they technically proficient, they were also incredibly respectful of the fans and their storylines.
There were long calls to discuss how best to present the fans, especially when they featured some fans such as Aunty Ng prominently. To those not in the know, it might seem like a marketing gimmick to show diversity – ah, they randomly plucked an old aunty to feature in the video to milk emotional responses.
Not the case at all – at the grand old age of 83, Aunty Ng attends almost every game (home and away) with her grandsons. She is a huge Maxime Lestienne fan, and I found that out when I interviewed her last year after our 5-2 defeat of Tampines Rovers at Our Tampines Hub.
Her passion for the Sailors is also evident in the fact that despite her age, she has already made plans to travel with her grandsons to Bangkok to watch our game against Port FC in October. It just makes you smile, seeing the power of football on people young and old.
A Voice for All
Listeners with keen ears might realise that the “eh oh eh oh” chant sounded a little different each time it appeared in the song. The video gives a clue as to why that may be. Basically for each “eh oh” chant, it was a different group lending their vocals to the cause. For the academy part, some kids from the academy were in the recording studio singing their lungs out. Then it was the turn of the fans, and then the WT, and also the Men’s team.
Representation thus came not just in the form of the video, but also in the form of the song. Did it make the song sound nicer? Probably not – the club could have got in professional singers to do better “EH OH”s. But was it significant that the club got the different voices from different groups to unite to produce this song?
Absolutely.
And of course, shoutout to Yan Hua. This is not at all an easy song to sing – trust me, I’ve tried. But she pulls it off with consummate ease.
Reaction to the Song
Ultimately, a song is a work of art. And with all art, there is never just one opinion. Everyone has an opinion on whether the song is good, and whether things could have been done differently.
I sent it to 2 of my closest friends. One is a concert pianist, and the other an opera singer who has done numerous recitals in Singapore and abroad.
The pianist loved it, while the opera singer hated it.
Pianist – catchy, good song, nice message, video is also family-friendly and it adds to the appeal.
Opera singer – not at all catchy, crap song. Feels the club should have got a singer with more rock edge if they were leaning into the rock genre, and also feels that perhaps the club should have explored getting players and fans to sing a line each, “We Are The World” style. (for younger readers, WATW is a charity song recorded in the 1980s by USA’s biggest stars. )
What can we glean from the above? Nothing much, really. Both very accomplished musicians but with very differing opinions on how to execute the song. Or in the opera singer’s case, maybe to execute the songwriter.
I think everyone will have a different reaction to the song, and that’s OK. Me, I am just happy to have been part of this journey. Big thanks to the club for being so receptive of my ideas. More details on the real stars of the show can be found below after this article! Be sure to show them some love.
Now that we’ve gone around calling ourselves Champions in Blue, let’s freakin’ win some games yeah? Let’s get that silverware that the song calls us to go and get.
COME ON YOU BOYS AND GIRLS IN BLUE!
Written by Eddy Hirono
Picture and musician write-ups courtesy of Lion City Sailors
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About Brandon Khoo
Brandon Khoo is a multi-talented musician from Singapore, who has made a name for himself as a rock drummer, drum teacher, and TikTok livestreamer. Khoo quickly gained a reputation as one of the most talented drummers in the Singaporean music scene, known for his dynamic and explosive beats. He has played with numerous bands and musicians, both locally and internationally, and has also performed at various music festivals and events.
In addition to his successful career as a drummer, Khoo is also a highly respected drum teacher, with a focus on helping students achieve their full potential as drummers. He has developed a comprehensive teaching style, emphasising technique, groove, and musicality, and has helped many aspiring drummers improve their skills.
In recent years, Khoo has also become a popular TikTok livestreamer, where he shares his passion for music and drumming with his followers. His engaging personality and infectious energy have earned him a devoted following, and he has become known for his entertaining and educational livestreams.
About Yogesh Pradhan
Yogesh Pradhan is a musician, music producer from India. He is the bass player, producer, composer, songwriter for the hard rock/heavy metal band Girish and The Chronicles (GATC). As a band, they have been active in the rock and metal scene since 2009, and have many accolades to their name.
GATC have supported and shared performances in festivals with Hoobastank, Poets of the Fall, Destruction, TesseracT over the years. Yogesh has also played bass and backed Chris Adler in his The Chris Adler Experience tour in 2019. In recent years, the band has shared the stage with Nazareth, Skid Row, Bonfire, Mike Tramp. The band supported Guns N’ Roses at Etihad Arenain Abu Dhabi (1 July 2023), as special guests.
On June 24, 2023, the band opened for bands such as Bullet for My Valentine, Billy Talent, and Alter Bridge on day 2 of Summerside Festival held in Grenchen, Switzerland. The festival also featured other bands such as Hollywood Vampires and Airbourne.
About Tan Yan Hua
陈彦桦 Tan Yan Hua started her career by taking part in singing competitions in 2014, and she emerged as the top 4 of Singapore Mediacorp Channel U’s Project SuperStar (Season 3) that year.
With an indomitable spirit, she continues to sing and pursue a career in music, performing professionally on numerous stages, and has come a long way since then, belting out favourite tunes and impressing audiences with her powerful vocals. The talented female artiste also released her first digitally released EP《我是陈彦桦》in November 2020 across all streaming platforms.
Today, with her band The Jumpstart, Yan Hua is the resident singer at various locations, and performs regularly at corporate events and weddings. Besides that, she covers popular English and Mandarin hits as well, which can be found online.
