The music taste of presidential candidate Tharman Shanmugaratnam was revealed recently, with him making his first Spotify playlist public.
P Ramlee's "Getaran Jiwa", and "安静" by Jay Chou are among his favourites, and he's also known to be a David Bowie fan as well.
Additionally, he seems to be familiar with pop superstar Taylor Swift, and finds what he said to be one of her quotes particularly inspirational — "Life is not about surviving in the storm, but dancing in the rain".
He shared this in a recent interview with local singer-songwriter Taufik Batisah, that was uploaded on the latter's Instagram on Aug. 25.
"Motivational quote"
Tharman explained that it is a "good motivational quote for kids who are going through difficulties and ups and downs".
Tharman agreed with Taufik that the spirit of the quote was about "learning from [one's] failures" and "soldiering through the hardships in life and keeping the eye on the prize".
The quote was originally coined by British writer Vivian Greene as part of a poem she wrote in 1979.
Importance of "not dancing alone"
Tharman also highlighted the importance of staying connected to others, and collectively working through such difficulties.
"...It's about not dancing alone," he said of the quote.
"To really dance in the rain and to survive in the storm, you've got to do it together, and that doing it together makes each of us better," he said.
He added that the quote is similar to a Malay saying: "Berat samm dipukul, ringan sama dijinjing".
When translated, this means "Working together through tough and easy times".
Favourite local artiste: Taufik Batisah
In the interview, Tharman was also asked who his favourite local artiste was.
He said it was Taufik himself.
Tharman explained that he first became a fan after the first season of Singapore Idol, which aired in 2006, and from which Taufik emerged as the winner.
Two of Taufik's songs that he particularly likes are "Ibu (Mother)", and "Awak Kat Mane (Where are You)".
Tharman shared that he liked the meaning of the lyrics in "Ibu", and liked the way the song — which is a tribute to a loving mother — related to Taufik's own life.
And when Tharman discovered "Awak Kat Mane", he said he couldn't stop listening to it, and forced his family to do so as well.
"That one has style," he shared.
You can watch the full interview here:
More about Tharman's musical interests:
Top image from taufikbatisah & taylorswift / Instagram.