Marina Bay stands for everything Singapore is about: Dick Lee

In this series, The Straits Times speaks to designers, residents and celebrities about urban spaces that inspire them

- Chantal Sajan

Who: Dick Lee, 68, home-grown singer-composer and Cultural Medallion recipient, has penned songs for some of Singapore's best-loved stage musicals, such as Beauty World (1988) and Fried Rice Paradise (1991). He also composed the iconic National Day theme song, Home (1998).

Lee recently curated the landmark multimedia exhibition, SingaPop! 60 Years Of Singapore Pop Culture. It is on at the ArtScience Museum till Dec 28 and explores the island's multicultural society from the 1960s to the 2020s.

"I rediscovered my love of Marina Bay on solitary morning jaunts when I try to put in my 10,000 steps a day — during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

I took to walking as a form of exercise back then partly because it was an excuse to be outdoors without having to don a pesky mask all the time.

I live in the Chinatown precinct, so taking long walks regularly each week to Marina Bay during the pre-dawn hours gives me quite a workout.

I love the contrasts of my walk, which takes me from the Chinatown of old Singapore to the glittering metropolis of the city and then to the Housing Board heartland — beautiful facets of our beautiful home.