Gift A Guitar aims to raise $1m from guitars signed by PM Wong, JJ Lin, Taufik Batisah and more

SINGAPORE – At the Sing60 Music Festival at Fort Canning Park on Dec 6 and 7, one of the most visually striking performances will likely be the sight of 60 young home-grown guitarists playing together on stage.

These 60 budding musicians will be selected from the 600 beneficiaries of the ongoing Gift A Guitar charity drive.

Since its soft launch in 2023, the initiative has been collecting guitars signed – and, in many cases, previously owned – by local and international personalities.

They range from Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Mandopop star JJ Lin to American rock band Mr Big’s frontman Eric Martin and Singapore Idol winner Taufik Batisah.

The autographed guitars will be auctioned off for the first time in November, and the Gift A Guitar organisers are hoping to raise $1 million from the sales.

The money will go to The Business Times Budding Artists Fund and will be used to pay for 600 guitars and lessons for the 600 youth, aged between 13 and 20 and who come from underserved backgrounds.

Their guitars will be from brands such as Singaporean boutique guitar-maker Maestro Guitars, and the lessons will be conducted by local music school Timbre Music Academy.

Gift A Guitar is an initiative by local charity organisation The Music Society, Singapore (SGMUSO) in partnership with arts and culture non-profit The Rice Company Limited to celebrate Singapore’s 60th birthday in 2025.

The charity drive is the brainchild of Danny Loong, chairman of SGMUSO and founder of local food and beverage, music and events company Timbre Group.

He and home-grown singer Awi Rafael, who is also the principal of Timbre Music Academy, have even written a theme song for Gift A Guitar titled Me And My Guitar, which will be performed by the 60 young musicians at Sing60.

Loong tells The Straits Times that the idea for Gift A Guitar was sparked in 2019 when PM Wong, then National Development Minister, asked him if he knew any youth who would benefit from a PRS electric guitar that he wanted to give away.

The guitar was eventually gifted to 11-year-old Christie Seah from performing arts school The Little Arts Academy. Inspired by the move, Loong decided to expand the giveaway into a bigger initiative.

In a gig to mark the soft launch of Gift A Guitar in 2023, Christie performed with PM Wong, Loong and the rest of Loong’s blues band, Raw Earth, at the now-closed restaurant and bar Timbre Signatures @ The Arts House.

The first of the collection that will be auctioned off in November is another PRS electric guitar that PM Wong formerly owned and autographed.

Loong, 53, tells ST: “From there, I started approaching people like JJ and Taufik, and they were all very supportive. We have 15 now, but we might get more by the time we do the auction.”

Martin and Steve Lukather from American rock band Toto signed their guitars when they were in Singapore for gigs in 2025.

Other personalities involved in Gift A Guitar include Malaysian guitarist Jo Branko, who signed a guitar by American guitar brand Gibson, and Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo, who donated and signed one of his acoustic guitars.

Companies have also stepped up. Corporate donations include a one-of-a-kind bass guitar from the Lego Group made from Lego bricks. Others that contributed include music retailer City Music Singapore, live music venue and restaurant The Blackbird and Timbre Music Academy.

ST reached out to six of the Singapore musicians who took part in Gift A Guitar to find out what the instrument means to them.

When JJ Lin first held a guitar as a teenager, it opened up a world where he could dream, express himself, and connect with others through music.

To support Gift A Guitar, the 44-year-old singer and musician donated his acoustic guitar: a Martin D-45, one of his favourite models.

“Donating it feels meaningful, because music has given me so much, and I want this instrument to carry that spirit forward, to inspire and to help those who need support the most,” he says.

To the future owner of the guitar, he adds: “I hope this guitar reminds you that our acts of support, no matter how small, can truly make a difference, bringing hope and strength to those in need.”

Lin, who owns between 30 and 50 guitars, is a fan of English veteran Eric Clapton, American singer-songwriter John Mayer and Slash from American rock group Guns N’ Roses.

In 2022, City Music Singapore posted on Facebook that Lin possesses a top-of-the-line edition of the Martin D-45, Fire & Ice, that features a phoenix and dragon artwork by renowned American luthier Harvey Leach. Lin’s is the only one out of two in South-east Asia.

The guitar donated by singer, songwriter and actor Benjamin Kheng has special significance: It was his primary instrument when he started expanding his musical palette in the past few years.

“It’s got to mean something, the axe I’m giving away,” says Kheng, who is one of the artistes performing at Sing60. “I actually adore this piece, it really springboarded my solo career as I decided to move into a heavier, more overdriven sound. It’s served me really well.”

The electric guitar, a Yamaha Revstar RS820CR, is a discontinued model that he bought second-hand in 2022. “I had long sought this model, particularly in this tone – the Rusty Rat edition.”

Kheng has been seen using the guitar at gigs such as Music Matters Live and Celebrate YOUth!: Electric Garden, both in 2023.

The 35-year-old – who counts his father, a hobbyist musician in his 60s, Australian singer-songwriter John Butler and American nu metal band Limp Bizkit’s Wes Borland as his favourite guitarists – used to have 10 guitars in his possession, but has whittled the number down to five.

Kheng’s message to the future owner of his Yamaha electric guitar? “I’m sure you’ll make way better use of it than I did. Don’t judge your music too quickly and play to an audience of one first.”

Among the guitars up for auction is a Furch acoustic guitar signed by the winner of the first season of reality singing show Singapore Idol (2004) Taufik Batisah.

The instrument is donated by The Blackbird, the local live music bar and restaurant located in Gillman Barracks.

The 43-year-old singer, who is also a prolific F&B entrepreneur and real estate agent, says he used to have two acoustic guitars and an electric guitar for music production, but has given them all away.

“Music has shaped my life, so supporting Gift A Guitar felt natural,” Taufik tells ST. “This project aims to give others a chance to experience the same joy and confidence that music has brought me and I’m proud to play a small part in that mission.”

Taufik, whose favourite guitarists are Clapton, American blues icon B.B. King and American pop icon Prince, hopes that music lovers will bid generously for the guitar.

“You’re not just buying a guitar, you’re also helping someone else start their musical journey. Your bid will help fund new guitars and lessons, creating opportunities for others to find their own rhythm and voice through music.”

The guitar donated by singer, songwriter and actress Inch Chua stands out from the rest in the Gift A Guitar initiative because it is a Les Paul Goddess, a limited-edition Gibson model marketed towards women as it was less bulky than the standard models.

Chua received hers in 2008 when she was a brand ambassador for the company.

“On paper, it sounded like Gibson’s attempt to make the guitar world more inclusive. In practice, it felt a bit like being handed a ‘ladies’ screwdriver’. Admirable intent, questionable execution,” the petite 36-year-old tells ST.

“A lot of people found that marketing patronising, and fair enough. But here’s the twist: It’s actually a fantastic guitar. For someone my size, it felt like the first time a guitar wasn’t fighting back.

“It’s light, elegant and a little misunderstood, like most women who play guitar, honestly. I didn’t care that it was ‘for women’; I cared that it didn’t weigh as much as a small boulder.”

Chua used the 3.4kg guitar when she was living in the United States and recording songs for her 2013 album Bumfuzzle.

A fan of guitarists such as Japan’s Ryosuke Nagaoka, American musician St Vincent and Graham Coxon from English band Blur, she has five guitars that she actively uses and another seven that are either in storage or loaned to friends.

But the Les Paul Goddess holds a special place in her story. “It’s one of the first electric guitars I ever owned, and probably the one that taught me how to have a proper conversation with an instrument.”

Singer-songwriter and actor Shabir Sulthan, winner of the inaugural Vasantham Star music reality show in 2005 that was voted on by the public, was very keen to be part of Gift A Guitar when he was first asked to contribute to the initiative in June 2025.

“It was the community that supported me from the very beginning, so giving back has always been central to my journey. I believe that music should never be out of reach because of financial barriers,” says the 40-year-old musician, who shuttles between Singapore and India and is part of the Sing60 performing line-up.

“Over the years, I have made it a point to support community and youth-led initiatives. Gift A Guitar is one of the ways I can continue that commitment.”

After winning Vasantham Star, Shabir also made his name as a songwriter and composed music for the Indian film industry, such as 2019 Tamil action flick Sagaa.

He also composed and sang Singai Naadu (Singapore, My Country, 2012), a popular tribute to Singapore that has been performed at several National Day Parades.

In addition, he won Best Actor at the 2011 Pradhana Vizha, Mediacorp’s annual awards show that celebrates the best of Singapore’s Indian entertainment.

While his main instruments are primarily the keyboard and piano, Shabir has three guitars that he uses to write songs in his studio in Chennai, India. The guitar that he autographed for the auction, a Blueridge acoustic, was donated to Gift A Guitar by a member of the public.

Shabir’s music tastes are eclectic, and his favourite guitarists range from American icon Bob Dylan to Tom Morello from American rock band Rage Against The Machine.

“When I was young, music felt like a luxury, and if I had access to support like Gift A Guitar, I could have learnt and grown faster.”

The 600 young recipients of Gift A Guitar will receive lessons at Timbre Music Academy, including from singer-songwriter Awi Rafael, who has been the music school’s principal and managing partner since 2022.

He autographed one of the guitars, an Epiphone acoustic-electric donated by the school, that will be auctioned off. Awi owns 12 guitars, mostly acoustics, and counts rock icons such as late Beatle John Lennon and American singer Elvis Presley as his favourite guitarists.

“I’m excited to work with the next generation of guitar players,” Awi tells ST. “Training 600 beneficiaries and 60 performers for Sing60 in just a few months is a huge challenge, but also a powerful opportunity to inspire and uplift through music.”

Awi, 39, first made his name as the frontman of home-grown pop-rock outfit Bhumiband. He launched his solo career in Malaysia in 2011 and has scored hits such as Pulanglah (Come Home, 2011) and Kalau Aku Kaya (If I Am Rich, 2013), a song with Malaysian rapper Altimet.

To the future owner of his signed guitar, he says: “Use this guitar to write songs, play beautiful new chords and maybe learn a guitar solo that can stir up others’ souls. Be assured that your donation will be channelled to possibly change another young musician’s life.”

Where: Fort Canning Park
When: Dec 6 and 7, from 3pm
Admission: Tickets are available via Sistic (go to

sistic.com.sg

or call 6348-5555) at $40 for a one-day pass and $60 for a two-day pass
Info:

sing60fest.com