Twins effect: Lee Wei Song and Si Song celebrate music journey with 40th anniversary concert

SINGAPORE – 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.

Wei Song said: “Performing your works before a live audience feels wonderful. And to be invited by Marina Bay Sands to do so feels even better. It is such an iconic location, and in Singapore, where we grew up and where it all started. This performance is something we have wanted to do for so long.”

The quieter Si Song, who is more focused on songwriting and music production, concurred that their 40th anniversary ought to be celebrated in a big way.

Although he shared that he feels more comfortable backstage, his sibling chimed in: “Please, on Dec 31, when he is onstage, of course he will enjoy himself.”

Compiling the set list from the more than 700 songs they have created was a tall order. But among the confirmed numbers are A Thousand Reasons To Be Sad, Wait Until Flowers Wither and Hong Kong singer Sandy Lam’s I Heard That Love Had Returned (1995).

Also expected to make the cut are Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan’s Drunken Master (1994), the late Chinese-American diva Coco Lee’s Thinking Of You 365 Days (1998) and Sun’s My Desired Happiness (2000).

In addition, fans can look forward to the upbeat track Love Words (1991), from the Lees’ album Peter And Paul At Play (1993), which will also give them a chance to show off some dance moves.

Rehearsing for the upcoming show has been a walk down memory lane, harking back to their years of close collaboration around the 1990s.

Wei Song admitted: “As musicians, there will always be some creative differences. But we have been so close for so long, these little things are easy to resolve.”

Si Song added: “There is something magical when the two of us come together. We are more than the sum of our parts, and this special ingredient has helped us stand out and create so many works.”

Guest stars making appearances include local band Dreamz FM, alumni from the twins’ Lee Wei Song Music Academy such as Huang Yida and Jocie Guo, as well as actor-singers Glenn Yong and Jarrell Huang.

Also on the line-up are singers Joanna Dong and Roselyn Liu, daughter of Taiwanese rock band Mayday’s drummer Guan You.

A 20-strong “Song Song” children’s choir, assembled from students of their music academy, will also get their chance to shine.

However, it is unlikely their most famous protege Sun, whom they nurtured in the 2000s, will attend, as she is busy preparing for her four sold-out gigs at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in April 2025, said the Lees.

Si Song said: “She told us she wanted to come. But we think she should focus on her 25th anniversary concerts. As her mentors, we are happy for her and her success.”

The duo treat Sun, 46, like a younger sister, and often meet her to catch up. Wei Song said: “We have the same taste in food. We love Japanese and Spanish cuisine, and local food like lor mee.”

In 2016, Sun appeared as a guest singer at their 30th anniversary concert at Beijing’s Capital Indoor Stadium, and credited her success to them.

In April, Hong Kong stars Cheung and Leung – while on their respective tours – also publicly thanked the home-grown musicians for writing songs for them. During a Beijing show, Cheung expressed his gratitude to Wei Song for Wait Until Flowers Wither, while Leung showed her appreciation to Si Song at her Taipei concert.

The Lees started out composing drama serial theme songs in 1984, and also released six studio albums in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1994, they decided to switch from performing to producing and composing music, as well as grooming other singers.

The straight-talking Si Song acknowledged that the pair went behind the scenes partly because they found it difficult to achieve success as singers. According to previous reports, their debut album Can’t Explain Why (1988) sold only a modest 15,000 copies in Singapore.

“There are limitations to our voices,” he said. “There are some genres which we cannot pull off, like rock or hip-hop.”

Wei Song added: “We decided we did not just want audiences cheering for us. We also wanted to see other singers get awards for songs we composed.”

Getting overseas producers to give their songs a chance was not easy.

In 1994, after Wei Song received the lyrics to Wait Until Flowers Wither, penned by his friend and journalist Ng King Kang, he composed the song’s melody and bought a ticket to Hong Kong to knock on the doors of various record labels to get the song produced.

Wei Song recalled: “I was very scared and shy at that time, but I did it.”

It was during this trip that he floated the work to Mr Michael Au, Cheung’s music producer, who liked it so much that he passed it on to the superstar.

“I remember I met Michael on the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Back then, I was very poor, so that evening, I went to a park, bought a bottle of mineral water and a piece of bread, and watched the children carry their lanterns. That night, I did not feel very good about myself.

“But after I returned to Singapore, I soon heard the song playing on the radio everywhere. It was as if a ray of hope suddenly appeared, and after this, other record companies approached me to write and produce songs. So, this song was a major turning point in my career.”

In 1995, Wei Song founded the then Lee Wei Song School of Music “to bring the joy of music” to people of all ages and skill levels.  

Apart from Sun, Huang and Guo, the academy’s alumni include Singaporean singers JJ Lin, Vincy Chan and Kelly Poon.

Wei Song, who is single, said: “I wanted to discover new talent and nurture anyone with potential.”

Simultaneously, Si Song went abroad to produce music for overseas singers, and form new connections with record labels and singers outside Singapore. He has written music for singers such as Hong Kong’s Lam, Ekin Cheng, William So and Hacken Lee.

The brothers thus created a system between themselves to spot and develop local talent, as well as give promising students a chance to develop their careers regionally.

Even today, both teach masterclasses at their academy on how to perform a pop song and how a song is written and produced. They also take on the role of vocal “stylists”, advising students on which musical styles best suit them. In addition, the two organise music camps, coaching existing songwriters on how to improve their craft.

Said Wei Song: “To be successful in music, there are many paths. You do not have to be a singer. As teachers, we get to play around with music, and we are always surrounded by our students’ youthful energy and curiosity. It makes us feel young.”

However, they acknowledged that the music industry has changed dramatically since their heyday in the 1990s.

Apart from the decline of Cantopop, collapse of the CD industry and rise of streaming platforms in recent decades, the proliferation of smartphones in the late 2000s has led to fragmented audiences, making it harder for newcomers to amass fans the way Sun did in the early 2000s.

Si Song, who is married to a 58-year-old housewife and has two sons aged 28 and 30, said: “To make it big today, there are many factors – a label’s marketing, the audience’s taste and the singer’s luck. But I believe it is still most important to have a good voice and good songs.”

Most recently, he composed the melody for a new Mandarin ballad, Off-Season Highways by China-based Thai singer Sunnee, which was released on Nov 19.

That same month, an original musical featuring new songs written by the twins opened in Shanghai, China. Titled Back, the fantasy-comedy tells the story of a workaholic who travels back in time, triggering a series of humorous and romantic events.

After their 40th anniversary concert in Singapore, the duo hope to take it overseas.

Wei Song said: “Our path has been forged with hardship. In the last 40 years, we faced many challenges, and walked on many roads which did not work out. This performance is so meaningful because it has been so hard-fought. Looking back, it feels like yesterday that we just entered show business. Time really passes so quickly.”

Si Song added: “We know our purpose in life is to do music. We have always believed in it, and that people will appreciate it – music made in Singapore.”

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Twins’ timeline:

1966: The Lee brothers were born on July 24. Wei Song is older than Si Song by five minutes.

1984: They participated in a songwriting competition for television series The Awakening (1984) by the then Singapore Broadcasting Corporation, now Mediacorp. Both their entries made it to the finals, but did not win. They continued penning drama theme songs, and wrote memorable tunes for productions such as Men From The Past (1985) and Samsui Women (1986).

1988: They released their first album Can’t Explain Why. Five more followed, the last being Peter And Paul At Play (1993).

1995: The Lee Wei Song School of Music was established. Billed as Singapore’s first pop music school, its first batch of students included Singaporean singer-songwriter Huang Yida. It was later renamed Lee Wei Song Music Academy, and also developed publishing and production capabilities. It currently operates from Esplanade Mall and offers classes in pop vocals and songwriting.

1996: Jacky Cheung’s After Leaving (1995), whose melody was composed by Si Song, was among the top 10 songs at the RTHK Top 10 Gold Songs Awards and Jade Solid Gold Best Ten Music Awards Presentation. The Ultimate Song Chart Awards Presentation named it My Favourite Song. The twins began to attract the attention of other Hong Kong singers.

1997: Stefanie Sun, then an undergraduate at Nanyang Technological University, enrolled as a student at the music academy. Her debut album Yan Zi (2000) was co-produced by the brothers, and they also wrote tracks such as Cloudy Day, Love Document and Leave Me Alone.

2001: Si Song clinched the Best Composer award at Taiwan’s Golden Melody Awards for Cloudy Day. Sun also won Best New Artist at the event.

2001: The twins received the Special Achievement Award at the Star Awards.

2009: They held a concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium to commemorate their 25th anniversary, in which they also sang. Among their guest stars were Taiwanese singers Show Luo, Jam Hsiao and Jolin Tsai.

2000s and 2010s: Reality singing programmes began to gain popularity in China, and many of the twins’ past compositions were performed by younger singers. Taiwanese diva A-Lin covered Wait Until Flowers Wither during the third season of I Am A Singer in 2015. That same year, Chinese singer Geng Sihan performed an electronica version of the track on The Playlist.

2016: The twins held their 30th anniversary concert at Beijing’s Capital Indoor Stadium, alongside Mandopop stars Sun, Tsai, Julia Peng and Gigi Leung.

November 2024: The original musical Back opened in Shanghai. The fantasy-comedy features new songs written by the twins in Mandarin and the Minnan dialect.

2025: Lee Wei Song Music Academy will celebrate its 30th anniversary.

Book It/Lee Weisong & Lee Sisong – Forty For You: A 40-Year Musical Journey Concert

Where: Sands Grand Ballroom, Level 5 Sands Expo and Convention Centre, 10 Bayfront Avenue
When: Dec 31, 8.30pm
Admission: $68 to $288 via Sistic (call 6348-5555 or go to

www.sistic.com.sg

)