Singapore’s rendition of the Lo-Fi Girl depicts relatable childhood scenes

Does “Lofi hip hop radio – beats to relax/study to” sound familiar?

For many of us, the mention of this title instantly brings up the image of a girl with headphones, studying beside her window. She would serve as our sole companion as we studied late into the night, mugging for exams or rushing to finish assignments.

Drawn by artist Juan Pablo Machado, this girl has been the face of popular YouTube channel ChilledCow, who is famous for its 24/7 Lo-Fi livestreams in which she is perpetually studying. This iteration of the livestream has been ongoing since Feb 23, 2020.

ChilledCow was previously hit with a copyright strike putting an end to his previous livestream and creating one of YouTube’s longest videos in the process – a whopping 13,000 hours of straight studying from the Lo-Fi girl. Probably every Singaporean parent’s ideal child.

Being one of the most popular music livestream channels on YouTube means there’s an international audience. This led to one Reddit user, u/Marccolo, making a thread on the subreddit r/Europe showing his rendition of a Romanian Lo-Fi Girl and encouraging others to do the same for their own countries.

This started a trend in which versions of the Lo-Fi Girl were drawn, showcasing different countries around the world.

The Lo-Fi Girl eventually made her way to Singaporean shores as Reddit user u/Lester6793 shared his version of what the Lo-Fi Girl would look like in r/Singapore on Sep 15, 2020. This version includes HDBs in the background, a pinafore and a familiar sight to some: getting caned while crying over assessment books.

The post immediately went viral and received more than 10,900 upvotes within a span of three days, propelling it to the top post of all time on the subreddit. Many were able to relate to this exact scenario as punishment is an integral part of many Singaporean’s academic journey.

Some hilariously made comments such as “I am in this picture and I don’t like it. Reported”.

There were other versions of course, such as U/Kitsoonkune’s featuring the classic paper calendar, standing fan and what looks to be a Yeo’s packet drink.

As well as u/Sophiedex’s version, which features a Merlion, the NDP 2020 logo and another paper calendar.

But as you can see from the upvotes, many Singaporeans still find u/Lester6793’s version the funniest.

And you know what they say about humour: It’s often based in reality.