A record 46 individuals have received the Arts and Heritage Scholarships from the National Arts Council (NAC) and National Heritage Board (NHB) this year, the highest since the scholarships were introduced more than three decades ago.
Of that number, 44 are NAC Arts Scholarship recipients, including 27 recipients of the NAC Arts Scholarship (Diploma) which was introduced this year, as well as two recipients of the NHB Heritage Scholarship.
The scholarships are awarded to individuals who demonstrate excellence in the arts and show great potential to shape the future arts and cultural landscape.
Reporter Nurhelmy Hakim met two of the six Malay/Muslim recipients who share their aspirations and hopes.
Scholarship inspires Mohamed Adi Raiyan Mohamed to pursue his dream of becoming a singer
His aspiration is to become a singer one day.
However, apart from singing and composing romantic songs, Mohamed Adi Raiyan Mohamed wants to unpack deeper issues.
In fact, he wants to ignite change in the thinking of Singaporean society.
The second-year student at LASALLE College of the Arts said: "I think the world already has a lot of love songs. There are many things that have not been explored such as mental health, family issues. There are actually many problems. I want to focus on these types of topics; I hope to be closely related to the community."
"I think, although mental health has become more normal in Singapore, it is still a 'taboo' topic. Therefore, I hope to overcome that hurdle and make sure that everyone knows that mental health problems are normal," Raiyan adds.
Raiyan, who is currently taking the Diploma in Music programme, also wants the arts ecosystem in Singapore to be more 'open-minded' where music can become a space for dialogue and inspiration.
His love for music began to blossom during his secondary school years.
At that time, his dedication to the arts gave rise to various opportunities for him to create and practice art.
Among them, Raiyan once performed at the 2017 National Day Parade at the Marina Bay Floating Stage.
In addition, Raiyan also has a strong foundation in singing through his involvement in co-curricular choir activities.
Due to his dedication and experience in music, Raiyan became one of five Malay/Muslim students to receive the NAC Arts Scholarship for those at the Diploma level this year.
NAC has allocated an additional S$2.3 million annually to empower more young artistic talents, including those from low-income backgrounds, to pursue their dreams.
The scholarship provides financial assistance to cover full tuition fees.
"I feel proud, excited, to receive this scholarship. It will make me more focused in school, and spend more time on my art," said Raiyan.
In total, 27 students from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), School of the Arts (SOTA) and LASALLE College of the Arts received the scholarship this year.
Watch the full interview on BERITA Mediacorp.
