(Seria, 3rd) As the drums and gongs of the Lunar New Year gradually fade, the Lantern Festival brings a gentle conclusion to the 2026 Spring Festival. During this year’s New Year period, Bruneian local singer and vocal instructor Cai Muxi released her original festive track "Happiness Surrounds Us in Song," collaborating with a professional production team from Malaysia to present the Bruneian Chinese community with a New Year work that fuses professional production quality and youthful participation.
This song is not merely a festive piece; it is also a practice that integrates cultural heritage, music education, and regional artistic exchange.
Cross-Border Collaboration: A New Attempt at Regional Cultural Exchange
This production of "Happiness Surrounds Us in Song" invited a professional Malaysian music team to take part in the lyric writing, arrangement, and recording, and they specially traveled to Brunei for the recording work, achieving true cross-border cooperation. In the Southeast Asian Chinese cultural sphere, New Year songs are an important form of cultural expression. This time, cross-national collaboration not only elevated the overall production quality, but also embodied Brunei’s interaction and integration with regional cultural resources, offering new ideas and possibilities for local music creation.
This production of "Happiness Surrounds Us in Song" invited a professional Malaysian music team to take part in the lyric writing, arrangement, and recording, and they specially traveled to Brunei for the recording work, achieving true cross-border cooperation. In the Southeast Asian Chinese cultural sphere, New Year songs are an important form of cultural expression. This time, cross-national collaboration not only elevated the overall production quality, but also embodied Brunei’s interaction and integration with regional cultural resources, offering new ideas and possibilities for local music creation.
From Family Warmth to Youth Co-creation
Unlike previous years that mainly featured family members in harmony, this year Cai Muxi collaborated with her students to complete the entire New Year song, extending the festive theme from the family setting to the youth group. The participating students ranged in age from 5 to 15. Their voices were meticulously distributed throughout the arrangement, retaining the innocence of children’s timbre while also displaying the steadiness and energy of youth, resulting in a harmonious and distinct choral texture.
Unlike previous years that mainly featured family members in harmony, this year Cai Muxi collaborated with her students to complete the entire New Year song, extending the festive theme from the family setting to the youth group. The participating students ranged in age from 5 to 15. Their voices were meticulously distributed throughout the arrangement, retaining the innocence of children’s timbre while also displaying the steadiness and energy of youth, resulting in a harmonious and distinct choral texture.
The overall style of the project is lively and festive, emphasizing group interaction. The chorus centers on collective singing, enhancing the festive appeal. The students developed chemistry during rehearsals and filming, blending their voices into unity, showcasing the cohesion unique to group creation. This creative direction symbolizes the extension of festival culture from family core to community and educational contexts, giving the “reunion” concept a broader social and cultural significance.
Music Education in Practice: Learning Professionalism through Collaboration
As a vocal instructor, Cai Muxi regards this production as a concentrated presentation of teaching achievements. Facing differences in vocal ranges and challenges in choral coordination among students, she made careful adjustments during production to ensure a unified yet layered listening experience. During recording and filming, students learned not only singing techniques, but also experienced the demands of professional production in terms of time management, attention to detail, and teamwork.
As a vocal instructor, Cai Muxi regards this production as a concentrated presentation of teaching achievements. Facing differences in vocal ranges and challenges in choral coordination among students, she made careful adjustments during production to ensure a unified yet layered listening experience. During recording and filming, students learned not only singing techniques, but also experienced the demands of professional production in terms of time management, attention to detail, and teamwork.
Reunion and Hope: The Extension of Festive Spirit
Centering on the theme of “happiness,” the song becomes a symbol of companionship, growth, and renewal. In today's fast-paced life, the meaning of festivals shifts increasingly towards spiritual connection. Through teacher-student co-creation, New Year reunions are no longer limited to family members, but also include educational relationships and community bonds. Music thus becomes an important medium for connecting generations, regions, and cultural identity.
Centering on the theme of “happiness,” the song becomes a symbol of companionship, growth, and renewal. In today's fast-paced life, the meaning of festivals shifts increasingly towards spiritual connection. Through teacher-student co-creation, New Year reunions are no longer limited to family members, but also include educational relationships and community bonds. Music thus becomes an important medium for connecting generations, regions, and cultural identity.
Lantern Festival Finale: Song as Cultural Memory
With the arrival of the Lantern Festival, the 2026 Lunar New Year celebrations gradually come to an end. Bolstered by cross-national collaboration and youth participation, "Happiness Surrounds Us in Song" becomes one of the representative voices of this year’s festive culture. From family choruses to youth co-creation, from local production to regional cooperation, this song showcases Bruneian musicians’ innovation in cultural expression and reflects the renewal and transformation of festival arts in the new era. As the lantern lights dim, the song still echoes, carrying not only New Year blessings, but also the collective memory of cultural exchange, professional growth, and community cohesion.
With the arrival of the Lantern Festival, the 2026 Lunar New Year celebrations gradually come to an end. Bolstered by cross-national collaboration and youth participation, "Happiness Surrounds Us in Song" becomes one of the representative voices of this year’s festive culture. From family choruses to youth co-creation, from local production to regional cooperation, this song showcases Bruneian musicians’ innovation in cultural expression and reflects the renewal and transformation of festival arts in the new era. As the lantern lights dim, the song still echoes, carrying not only New Year blessings, but also the collective memory of cultural exchange, professional growth, and community cohesion.