I realized my childhood dream never changed and never went away
At twenty-five, Frances Tan Si Min stands at the intersection of two worlds — law and music — carrying Singapore's name into a global song contest while quietly asking what it means to honour a childhood dream deferred but never abandoned. Her journey from the lecture halls of LSE to the stages of Taipei and San Francisco is less a story of career change than one of self-reclamation, a reminder that the paths we are expected to walk and the ones we are called to walk are not always the same. With public voting open until May 31, her original song Just Me invites not only judges but an entire nation to witness what happens when someone chooses, at last, to be exactly that.
- A young Singaporean who trained as a lawyer is now competing against finalists from seven Commonwealth nations, with her musical future hinging on both public votes and the judgment of ten thousand industry professionals.
- The tension at the heart of her story is intimate — a mother's discouragement, a daughter writing songs in secret at thirteen, and years of choosing the 'sensible' path before finally turning back toward the one that mattered.
- Her rapid rise has not been frictionless: producing the music video for Ride Into The Sun meant battling licensing hurdles, rejected filming permits, and crushing deadlines, all while preparing for roughly thirty performance commitments tied to Singapore's SG60 celebrations.
- She is now building a deliberate architecture around her artistry — an entertainment law degree at UCLA, a debut album dropping May 31, a book for young people navigating their own crossroads, and an ambassadorial role meant to seed the next generation of Singaporean creators.
- The contest deadline and album release converge on the same date, making May 31 a single, charged moment where her public identity, her creative work, and her national representation all land at once.
Frances Tan Si Min is twenty-five years old and representing Singapore in the Commonwealth Song Contest 2026, competing against finalists from Australia, India, Nigeria, Saint Lucia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom with her original song Just Me. Public voting closes May 31, after which ten thousand music professionals will determine the winner.
Her route to this stage was anything but direct. She graduated from the London School of Economics with a law degree in 2022 and interned at leading Singapore firms, but during her final year she came to a quiet reckoning — her childhood dream of making music had never really left. She enrolled in a summer songwriting workshop at NYU immediately after graduation, which led to a full Master's programme in Songwriting, completed in 2025. This August, she heads to UCLA to study entertainment and media law, a deliberate move to understand the legal machinery behind the industry she now inhabits.
The achievements have come fast. Just Me won the UK Songwriting Contest in 2024. She has performed for former President Halimah Yacob and Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, received the SG100 Foundation's B.O.L.D. Award, and was named its youth and arts ambassador. Her 2025 tribute to Singapore's founding fathers, Ride Into The Sun, drew her into the heart of the nation's SG60 celebrations — around thirty appearances, including international showcases in Taipei and San Francisco — though producing its music video tested her with licensing battles, rejected permits, and relentless deadlines.
The personal undercurrents run deep. Her mother, scarred by forced childhood piano practice, discouraged her musical ambitions at eleven. Tan responded by writing songs in secret from age thirteen. Her forthcoming album I Am Frances holds a track called 20s that sits with the anxieties of early adulthood and the weight of watching her grandparents' health decline. The album launches alongside a live performance at SAFRA Toa Payoh on May 31 — the same day voting closes.
Beyond the contest, Tan is building something longer-lasting. She has written a book, Discover Your Passion, documenting her transition and offering exercises to help young people find their own direction. She speaks openly about wanting to combine her legal and creative knowledge to mentor emerging Singaporean artists and lift the local arts ecosystem toward a global standard — ensuring, as she puts it, that Singapore's cultural offerings one day match the calibre of its infrastructure.
Frances Tan Si Min is 25 years old and competing in the Commonwealth Song Contest 2026, representing Singapore against finalists from Australia, India, Nigeria, Saint Lucia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. Her entry is an original song called Just Me. She is not yet a household name in Singapore's music world, but she is asking the public to vote for her before May 31 at www.commonwealthsongcontest.com. After that deadline, ten thousand music professionals—drawn from the UK Songwriting Contest and the Guild of International Songwriters and Composers—will cast their own votes to determine the winner.
Tan's path to this moment was not straightforward. She graduated from the London School of Economics in 2022 with a bachelor of laws degree and interned at prominent Singapore law firms including Rajah & Tann and Allen & Gledhill. But during her final year of law school, she underwent what she describes as significant personal reflection and realized that her childhood dream of making music had never actually left her. Rather than accept a legal career, she attended a summer songwriters' workshop at New York University immediately after graduation. That workshop led her to apply for NYU's Master's programme in Songwriting, which she completed in 2025. In August, she will move to Los Angeles to pursue a Master of Laws in entertainment and media law at UCLA—a deliberate choice to understand the legal infrastructure that underpins the music industry.
Her musical achievements have accumulated quickly. In 2024, she won the UK Songwriting Contest in the singer-songwriter category for Just Me. She has performed her original compositions at local events attended by former President Halimah Yacob and Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong. In 2025, she received the SG100 Foundation's B.O.L.D. Award and was named the platform's youth and arts ambassador. Her song Ride Into The Sun, released in 2025, is a tribute to Singapore's founding fathers. The music video she produced for it became what she calls her most ambitious project to date, complicated by tight deadlines, licensing obstacles for archival footage, and rejected filming permit applications. The song's release made her a highly sought performer for Singapore's SG60 celebrations, leading to roughly thirty appearances at local events and international showcases in Taipei and San Francisco.
Tan's artistic inclinations were not always welcomed. At eleven years old, her mother—who had been forced to practice piano daily as a child and resented the experience—discouraged her musical ambitions. Tan responded by writing songs in secret starting at age thirteen. Today, she channels her emotions directly into her work. A song from her upcoming album I Am Frances, titled 20s, explores the anxieties of early adulthood and her experience coping with her grandparents' declining health. The album will be released alongside a performance at SAFRA Toa Payoh on May 31.
Looking forward, Tan intends to leverage her combined expertise in law and music to strengthen Singapore's arts ecosystem through education and mentorship. She has recently authored a book called Discover Your Passion, which documents her career transition and offers reflective exercises designed to help young people "chart their own path and write their own story." In a statement to The Straits Times, she expressed her hope to share both her songwriting experience and legal knowledge with young Singaporeans and emerging artists, with the goal of elevating the local arts scene to the global stage and ensuring that Singapore's cultural offerings eventually match the caliber of its infrastructure.
Notable Quotes
The entire music and entertainment industry is built on intellectual property and entertainment law. I believe this programme will be key to preparing and equipping me well to run my music business successfully for many years to come.— Frances Tan, on her decision to pursue entertainment law at UCLA
I hope to continue sharing both my songwriting experience and legal expertise with young Singaporeans and emerging artistes in order to help strengthen our local arts scene and bring it to the global stage.— Frances Tan, on her vision for Singapore's arts ecosystem
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why did you leave law school when you were already at one of the world's best institutions?
I didn't leave in the middle. I finished my degree at LSE, even interned at top firms. But by my final year, I couldn't ignore that music had never actually gone away—it was always there. I had to choose between a safe path and an honest one.
Your mother discouraged your music when you were young. Did that shape how you approach it now?
It made me secretive at first. I wrote songs alone at thirteen because I couldn't share them openly. But I think that privacy actually deepened my craft. I learned to write for myself, not for approval.
You're pursuing an LLM in entertainment law while also being a working musician. That's unusual.
Not really, once you understand how the industry works. Everything in music—publishing, licensing, contracts—is built on intellectual property law. I want to run my own business properly, not just make art and hope the business side works out.
Your song Ride Into The Sun faced permit rejections and licensing problems. Did that frustrate you?
Absolutely. But it also taught me why I need that legal training. Those obstacles aren't random. They're part of how the system works, and if I understand the system, I can navigate it better and help other artists do the same.
What do you want to do with your platform now?
Mentor young Singaporeans. Show them that you don't have to choose between different parts of yourself—you can be a lawyer and an artist, or whatever combination makes sense. And help elevate our arts scene so it's recognized globally, not just locally.
How does it feel to represent Singapore at the Commonwealth Song Contest?
It's a privilege and an honour. But it's also responsibility. I'm not just singing a song—I'm showing what's possible for the next generation of Singaporean artists.