Art, literature & culture

Publication of Onward Singapore

1958

Majulah Singapura, meaning Onward Singapore, is the national anthem of Singapore. It was composed in 1958 by Zubir Said, a Singaporean composer of Minangkabau origin, at the request of the city council, for use at the Victoria Memorial Hall. It was first performed in public in the late 1950s, when Singapore was becoming a self-governing state. The anthem was adopted as the national anthem when Singapore gained full independence in 1965 after leaving the Federation of Malaysia. The lyrics are in Malay, the national language, and it is always sung in Malay even though English, Mandarin and Tamil are also official languages. Its use is governed by the National Anthem Act.

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