“President Tan Eng Chye, oh you’re a real Island Boy”. Those were the opening lines of a 24-second song (if it can be called that) that encapsulated the Island Boys’ impassioned plea to Professor Tan Eng Chye. In less than an hour, the video attracted more than 30,000 views on our Instagram page and many reactions from amused persons.
If you have yet to watch the video, take a few seconds to do so first before reading on.
https://www.tiktok.com/@wakeupsingapore/video/7054198458479021313?fromUrl=%2FZSeX9caf3%2F&is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&lang=en
For the uninitiated, the Island Boys are an eccentric duo consisting of flyysoulja and Kodiyakredd. They both command a following of 1 million each on Instagram, and a staggering 5 million on TikTok. Prior to the Yale-NUS video, the Island Boys made waves locally for creating a Singaporean spin-off of their eponymous single “Island Boy”. If you were on Tik Tok these past couple of months, you may heard their viral soundbite which goes “Oh you’re a Singapore Boy, Oh you’re an Island boy“.
@flyysouljah Reply to @nickaufmann #duet #fyp #islandboys #flyysoulja #redd_4x
Although the Island Boys expressed interest, by way of their lyrics, in ” pulling up and taking classes at the new college”, it is unlikely that the Island Boys take any real interest in the unilateral and unpopular decision to shut down Yale-NUS college. What most probably happened is that someone forked out anywhere between SGD 230 to SGD 280 to make this happen.
On their Cameo page, the Island Boys advertise their rates for creating a personalised video. The costs start at SGD 230 for a personal video and can go upwards of SGD 810 for business.
Their overtures may not sway Professor Tan, but it most certainly made an impact with many online. The sentiment that the video was so bad that it was good appeared to have resonated with many.
Besides causing amusement and confusion, it also inspired at least one netizen to dream of a world where President Tan too is an Island Boy.
To date, organised efforts against the merger did not move the needle much. If the inactivity on the #NoMoreTopDown Instagram page is anything to go by, it also suggests that the students opposing the merger are weary and that their efforts may be fizzling out. This is due to no fault of the valiant students. Rather, it only serves as evidence of how determined President Tan and his team are to stay the course. Against that backdrop, it remains to be seen if this hail-mary of sorts will go anywhere.
In the meantime, one can only hope that President Tan will “just listen to the real Island Boys.”
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