SINGAPORE — What would a traditional Singapore school song sound like if it were performed by a Mandopop star, an indie rocker or a K-pop idol?
A local TikTok account is answering that question, creating buzz online with generative artificial intelligence (AI) remixes of local school anthems.
The viral account, Recess Remix, has captured the attention of thousands of netizens. A Mandopop reimagining of Dunman High School's song has racked up over 192,400 views, while a rock rendition of the Raffles Institution anthem has surpassed 113,600 views.
Since launching in March, the account has posted over 90 remixed tracks from schools ranging from Hwa Chong Institution and St Andrew's School (Secondary) to Bartley Secondary School and New Town Secondary School.
Its goal is to remix anthems for all schools, estimated at over 300, in Singapore.
Behind Recess Remix is a trio of friends with expertise in AI and creative media: Matthew Lee, 48; Yap Wei Zi, 35; and Yap's sister Sobbina Yap, 33.
Lee and the older Yap met through a mutual friend over two decades ago and run their own businesses.
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Wei Zi is the founder of an AI builders' community called Pasanga, while Lee runs QLabs, a tech company that focuses on agentic AI and built the AI prompt engine they use for Recess Remix.
Sobbina Yap is a co-creator of Recess Remix, a Singapore TikTok channel that uses AI to remix local school songs into various genres ranging from rock to Mandopop.
Sobbina is pursuing language studies at Korea University in Seoul while exploring opportunities in creative AI, and has a copywriting background.
In an interview with The Straits Times, they said their primary aim is to make traditional school anthems, many of which are decades old, culturally relevant for Gen Z and Gen Alpha students.
"Something that's using the tunes of the 1960s and 1970s is not going to rally a Gen Z person," said Lee, adding that they wanted to make the anthems attractive enough that students would proudly claim them rather than mumble through them during morning assembly.
@recessremix heartbreak core 🥀 #clementitownsecondaryschool #emo #sgtiktok #sgfyp #song ♬ original sound - Recess Remix
Having no audio production or music backgrounds, the trio leverage AI to do the heavy lifting.
Their creative process begins with research into a school's culture, history and sports achievements. This data is then fed into Lee's AI engine, which suggests the best musical genre to fit the school's vibe and maximise its potential to go viral.
The team then uses the AI music platform Suno, going through rigorous rounds of prompting and refining that can take anywhere from one to four hours a song.
While they initially worked off their own list of schools, including Lee's alma mater, St Joseph's Institution, and Wei Zi's Bukit Batok Secondary School, the account's comment section has been flooded with requests.
The team actively accedes to these netizen appeals, operating on a first-come, first-served basis.
The creators emphasise that Recess Remix is purely a passion project — they are not making money from the channel and have no plans to monetise it.
Their AI music project does not threaten real-world musicians and composers, they insisted. Lee noted that generative AI can only build upon what has been created by humans, meaning it lacks the ability to organically invent entirely new musical genres without human input and creativity.
@recessremix right in the feelssss #kuochuan #rock #song #sgtiktok #sgfyp🇸🇬 ♬ original sound - Recess Remix
Feedback from the public has been a mixed bag.
Some listeners have praised the nostalgic yet accurate vibes and have asked the creators to upload the songs on Spotify.
Others, however, have criticised the AI's occasional mispronunciations, complained that certain remixes sound like generic National Day Parade songs, or called the melodies "draggy (with) no unique character".
The creators take the negative feedback in stride, noting that it highlights the current strengths and weaknesses of AI technology, and underscores the importance of a human directing the AI.
They have not received feedback from school administrators or principals, only from students and alumni. And if a school approaches them and asks them to take down its song, the creators say they will comply.
Said Lee: "We actually didn't change the school songs. We are also not claiming the school songs to be ours. We have merely (been) remixing the melodies behind them."
To them, the views prove they are succeeding in their mission to make these anthems popular with young people.
"Comments like 'I'm going to sing this version every day' show me that we made a difference," Lee said. "These guys will grow up, and maybe because of this, they will always remember the anthem."
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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
