Clearing the air of negativity with a ‘Stockpile of Love’

Spreading positivity in the midst of a viral outbreak, one song at a time.

Yasmeen Farha

Published: 11 February 2020, 12:00 AM

With the recent outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), Singaporeans have gone the extra mile to prevent the spread of germs. However, they have yet to cease spreading negative vibes all around.

Through the National Youth Council, founder of Creative Nation and Invasion Singapore, Hyder Albar, and junior doctor and musician Stephanie Yeap decided to combine their expertise and create a Spotify playlist to spread love, kindness and positive vibes.

“We noticed how the overall morale of the people around us became more negative as the days passed with more reported news of infected Singaporeans. Despite working in different fields, doctor Stephanie and I felt that the one way we kept our spirits up was through music,” said 34-year-old Hyder.

Stephanie (first from left) and Hyder (first from right) also worked together during the *SCAPE Invasion Tour, bringing local music to schools.
Photo credit: Stephanie Yeap

Titled Stockpile of Love, the public Spotify playlist aims to improve the morale of individuals dealing with the virus in the frontline.

A majority of the songs included in the playlist carry positive messages of spreading hope, love and kindness, to encourage a sense of support and cohesiveness between Singaporeans dealing with the fear of the epidemic.

“The widespread fear of the virus has also resulted in an increased workload for everyone dealing with it on the frontline and in all hospitals. However, instead of recognising the time and effort that goes into keeping everyone safe, we get ostracised instead,” said Stephanie.

Stephanie and her coworkers rely on music to gear up for working long hours, and unwind at the end of every taxing day.
Photo credit: Stephanie Yeap

She was disheartened to see increasing cases of healthcare workers being discriminated against and isolated from the community.

“This affects the morale of my co-workers and myself as well, so Hyder and I hope that this playlist can not only uplift our spirits but also spread kindness and understanding amongst

Singaporeans – serving as a reminder that everyone is doing their best to improve the situation,” she added.

As a musician, Stephanie hopes to spread positivity through the power of music.
Photo credit: Adam Yee

The public playlist encourages all listeners to send in songs that bring them joy and spread positive vibes.

Hyder said: “We will add almost every song requested into the playlist, with no exception of genre or style. We want to make this playlist relatable to all its listeners. ”

But of course, we want to keep this playlist as positive as we can, so we refrain from adding any songs that could draw a tear in anyone’s eye.”

The playlist went live on Monday, Feb 10, and can be streamed on any device with the Spotify application. Users can also start sending in their song requests to be added into the playlist.

“We hope that the playlist can spread positivity and bring Singaporeans together during our times of crisis. After all, we are a stronger force to be reckoned with as long as we stay united and optimistic,” Stephanie said.