Portal:Singapore/Selected biography/4

Zubir Said (1907–1987) was a Singaporean composer who composed the national anthem of Singapore, "Majulah Singapura" '. Born in the Minangkabau highlands of Indonesia, Zubir later moved to Singapore to make a living as a musician at the age of 21. There, he worked as a score arranger and songwriter for Cathay-Keris Film Productions for 12 years, composing numerous songs for the company's Malay films. He is believed to have written about 1,500 songs, although less than 10 per cent of these songs ever recorded.

Zubir was said to be viewed by many as a composer with a "true Malay soul", as his songs were interwoven with historical messages and Malay truisms, and that he and his Minangkabau contemporaries awoke a wave of national consciousness in the 1950s.