The Beatles reigned over music charts everywhere in the world in the 1960s, but in Singapore, a local band called The Quests knocked them off the top with an original track that changed the country’s pop scene. The mastermind behind this feat in 1964 was Daisy Devan, a businesswoman who was the first female local artist and repertoire manager of one of the biggest international recording companies then, EMI. Though Daisy was the force behind some of the country’s greatest hits makers, little is known of her and how she shaped Singapore’s pop music golden era.

Actor and singer Rebekah Sangeetha Dorai seeks to understand who Daisy Devan was by getting into her character and performing a song about her. She meets with Daisy’s friends and the few surviving artistes who were under her, searching and piecing together traces of her from their memories. As she untangles the myth behind Daisy, Rebekah discovers an inspiring woman ahead of her time.

00:00 Lady boss of Singapore's golden era of music: Daisy Devan
04:22 Numerous songs recorded in Singapore in the '60s
06:58 Prolific record producer with no recorded credits?
10:09 Daisy Devan and Singapore's national anthem
14:10 Spotting (and nurturing) talents before the internet era
17:05 A rare woman in the workforce in the 1950s
23:56 Singaporean musicians recall their memories of her
26:41 Daisy and the world of Malay pop
33:45 EMI's tough recording contracts and Daisy's business acumen
36:50 Culture shifts and the decline of Singapore's golden music era
42:33 Daisy Devan's passing and her memory

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About the show: Forgotten stories of three trailblazing women in the world of film, fashion and music from Singapore’s past come back to life in the hands of three filmmakers.
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#CNAInsider #UntoldLegendsCNA #Singapore #History #Music #EMI #PopMusic #1960s

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