• According to general belief, the term “Xinyao” appeared in a talk titled “The Songs We Sang”, organised by “Nanyang Siang Pau” on 4 September 1982. At that time, radio stations, Taiwanese campus folk songs and Shiyue (Chinese poetry with music accompaniment) promoted the development of Xinyao. Many junior college and polytechnic students started forming singing groups.
• In 1982, a group of young Singaporean singers and songwriters sought to create an identity for the songs that they wrote and suggested naming their songs “Xinyao”.
• The songs of Xinyao spread among the schools in the form of school exchange programmes and concerts. The songs are usually performed with piano or guitar accompaniment. The first Xinyao concert took place in 1983 at the Singapore Conference Hall.
• “Xinyao” generally refers to Mandarin songs created by Singaporean songwriters in the 1980 to 1990s. In recent years, young Singaporean songwriters have developed their own style of music that differed considerably from Xinyao.

“Showcase 2019” Xinyao music festival opens in Guangyang Secondary School, with the new generation of singer-songwriters sharing many of their beautiful songs with the students. (Lianhe Zaobao, 28/2/2018)