SINGAPORE: Much has been made of Lawrence Wong’s love for the guitar, and the Prime Minister has featured his prowess on social media. In a Facebook post on Tuesday morning (Dec 9), he wrote that picking up a guitar for the first time more than 40 years ago was life-changing.
At the Sing60 Music Festival last weekend, it was revealed that one of PM Wong’s guitars had been sold at an auction, fetching the eye-watering price of S$650,000. Proceeds from the auction will go toward The Business Times’ Budding Artists Fund, which supports the music education of 600 young people from the ages of 13 to 19 from different communities across the city-state.
The winning bid was made by Sea, the Singapore tech company best known for Shopee, Garena, and Monee, and headed by Forrest Li, its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Mr Li, who is said to have a net worth of US$8 billion (S$10.38 billion), is one of the wealthiest people in Singapore.
Sea outbid two others for PM Wong’s guitar at the auction held on Nov 12.
The guitar was donated by the Prime Minister in April for the Gift a Guitar programme, which collects guitars owned and autographed by famous people. Mandopop superstar JJ Lin has also donated a guitar to the programme, as has Eric Martin, who fronts Mr Big.
Earlier this year, the programme said it had hoped to raise S$1 million from the auction.
PM Wong at Sing60
The Prime Minister dropped Sing60 on Saturday (Dec 6), posing for photos with young musicians amid the backdrop of Sea’s generous bid, which was announced that night.
In social media posts, the music festival’s organizers called the winning bid “a powerful boost for young musicians across Singapore,” adding, “Thank you Singapore for showing up with heart, pride and unstoppable energy. The future of our music scene is bright because of you.”
Mr Wong was also delighted to have graced the festival.
“One of the highlights for me was meeting the teenagers who benefited from the ‘Gift a Guitar’ initiative that I supported earlier this year. It was heartening to hear how music has given them confidence, encouragement, and a sense of possibility in their own journeys.
I supported this initiative because of my own experience. Picking up the guitar more than 40 years ago changed my life — and I haven’t put it down since,” he wrote, adding that music can be a powerful force in a child’s life, opening doors and sparking their imagination.
“On Saturday night, 60 of these young musicians took the stage together with an inspiring performance — a wonderful moment of joy and pride for everyone present,” wrote the Prime Minister.
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