CELEBRATION OF SONGS

Singaporean songwriter-producers Lee Wei Song and Lee Si Song will mark their music journey with a 40th anniversary concert on New Year's Eve

- Benson Ang

For four decades, they were the brains behind the melodies of many Mandopop classics, from Heavenly King Jacky Cheung's A Thousand Reasons To Be Sad (1995) and Hong Kong balladeer Gigi Leung's Chicken Chic (1998) to home-grown singer Stefanie Sun's Against The Light (2007) and Taiwanese artiste Jam Hsiao's Princess (2009).

Since the mid-1980s, Lee Wei Song and Lee Si Song – widely recognised as among Singapore's most prolific songwriter-producers – have been fixtures on the Chinese music scene both locally and abroad. They have composed drama theme songs and chart-topping hits for superstars, and nurtured young singer-songwriters.

Now, the twin brothers will once again take centre stage to sing the songs they wrote for others.

The Lees, who were also singers in the late 1980s and early 1990s, will stage their latest concert at Marina Bay Sands' Sands Grand Ballroom on Dec 31.

Showcasing 40 hits from their repertoire for their 40th anniversary, the Lee Weisong & Lee Sisong – Forty For You: A 40-Year Musical Journey Concert is meant to be a retrospective of their illustrious career.

From a Marina Bay Sands hotel suite on Dec 12, the 58-year-old Mandopop maestros told The Straits Times they wanted to celebrate their milestone with audiences who have loved their music.

The extroverted Wei Song, who is older by five minutes, said he always enjoys performing live. He last did so at the same venue on Sept 29 when a song he composed, Cheung's Wait Until Flowers Wither (1994), was named Top Local Chinese Pop Song at the annual Compass (Composers and Authors Society of Singapore) Awards.

As a duo, they performed together at their 25th anniversary concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in 2009, and what was billed as their 30th anniversary concert in Beijing in 2016.