Forrest Li's Sea Ltd bids S$650,000 for PM Wong's signed guitar, will fund music access for underserved youth

Sea Limited, a tech conglomerate, has placed a winning bid of S$650,000 for Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s signed guitar, with proceeds going towards supporting underserved youths through Singapore’s national Gift a Guitar movement.

Bid will help to support youths islandwide

Gift a Guitar, a movement jointly run by The Rice Company Limited (TRCL) and The Music Society, Singapore (SGMUSO), helps to equip youths aged 13 to 19 with instruments, structured music lessons, mentorship and performance opportunities.

According to TRCL, the proceeds from Sea Limited’s bid will allow the programme to support 600 youths islandwide, each receiving a new acoustic guitar and guided training by professional instructors.

Owning the guitar as something meaningful

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sea Limited, Mr Forrest Li, said the company was “glad to contribute to the development of young musicians in our community”.

“Owning this guitar is meaningful for us at Sea.”

He added that the guitar symbolises a shared belief that young people should have avenues to explore and express themselves through music.

TRCL’s Head of Arts and Community, Ms Santhiya Subra, also said that music offers young people “a structured way to express themselves and develop important life skills”, adding that the organisation is grateful for the support that will allow it to continue providing accessible lessons, mentorship and performance platforms.

Growing national movement

The programme’s impact was highlighted at the Sing60 Music Festival at Fort Canning Park, where Gift a Guitar youths made their debut on Dec. 6 and 7.

The showcase featured artists Awi Rafael and Danny Loong performing alongside 60 young guitarists from The Business Times Budding Artists Fund, presenting "Me and My Guitar", an original piece composed specially for the movement.

Bidding continues for other collector instruments

With PM Wong’s guitar successfully auctioned, bidding remains open for other instruments contributed by prominent Singapore artists, including:

• JJ Lin, Mandopop star and internationally recognised singer-songwriter
• Taufik Batisah, Singapore Idol’s first winner
• Benjamin Kheng, singer and multi-disciplinary creative
• Shabir Sulthan, award-winning Singapore Tamil pop pioneer
• A one-of-a-kind LEGO Bass Guitar, fully functional and built with a LEGO exterior

The public may continue bidding via TRCL’s auction portal.

Expanding reach

TRCL and SGMUSO emphasise that Gift a Guitar goes beyond a one-off auction.

It is positioned as a long-term effort to widen creative pathways for young people, strengthen community ties and nurture confidence both on and off the stage.

Sea Limited’s winning S$650,000 bid, they say, marks a significant milestone in expanding the programme's reach and ensuring that more youths, regardless of circumstance, can meaningfully participate in music and the arts.

Top images via sing60fest/Intsgram, trcl.sg