The Straits Times Podcasts

Hear home-grown rapper Shigga Shay's intimate live studio take of his latest single, Overachieve, which will also be included in his upcoming release Hanyu Pinyin. Synopsis (headphones recommended): This Music Lab playlist features the full live performance of music acts invited by The Straits Times to its podcast studio. Listen to Shigga Shay talk about his musical journey in the full audio-only...

Home-grown rapper Shigga Shay is the 14th guest in this music channel. Synopsis (headphones recommended): Each month, The Straits Times invites music acts to its podcast studio. In the 14th episode of Music Lab, ST’s music correspondent Eddino Abdul Hadi hosts Singaporean rapper Shigga Shay. The 31-year-old hip-hop artist speaks at length about his experience as the first Singaporean to take part...

Love or loathe them, could insects also become a food source in the wider context of the global population? Synopsis (headphones recommended): Green Trails is a 4-part environment podcast special for 2024 where The Straits Times hits the ground with experts. "Can this be eaten?” is an oft repeated question that every nature guide is familiar with. In July, Singapore approved 16 species of in...

Aggression from China is driving Manila and Washington closer, spurring a loose coalition against Beijing. Synopsis: Every third and fourth Friday of the month, The Straits Times' global contributor Nirmal Ghosh shines a light on Asian perspectives of global and Asian issues with expert guests. Despite talks between China and the Philippines regarding resupply of the small contingent of Philippine...

A motor industry expert connects popular culture to the success of Chinese car brands in Singapore. Synopsis: Every third Tuesday of the month, The Straits Times offers expert insights on new vehicles or transportation trends. BYD is leading the sales chart in Singapore and other Chinese car brands are also making their way here. In a market where the total number of vehicle registrations is cappe...

Climate and environment data disclosures are vital. But real action is needed for cutting emissions and nature protection. Synopsis: Every first and third Sunday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change. There’s a saying in sustainability circles: What gets measured, gets changed.  And this applies particularly...

What triggers one’s frustrations in Singapore? Even the smallest inconvenience can spark irritation, making it feel like we’re always on the edge of our temper. Synopsis: The Usual Place host Natasha Ann Zachariah explores contemporary societal choices and youth perspectives. Murals and HDB block patterns, poor service, bad food, long queues, queue cutters, ‘undeserving’ seat occupiers on public t...

ST sports reporters and the SG bronze medalist look back at memorable moments in the Paris Olympics. Synopsis: The Straits Times tackles the talking points in sport every second Wednesday of the month.  History was made on Aug 9, 2024, when kitefoiler Maximilian Maeder became Singapore’s youngest Olympic medallist after he clinched a bronze in the Formula Kite event. In this episode, ST's sports r...

Two HDB resale flats had listing prices of $2 million in May, which were debunked by the authorities for being misleading and unrealistic. Synopsis: Every second Monday of the month, The Straits Times takes a hard look at Singapore's social issues of the day with guests. The authorities sat up and paid attention when a jumbo flat in Sengkang was put up for sale with an asking price of $2 million i...

A well-written job description helps employers and jobseekers find the right fit. Synopsis: Every second Monday of the month, The Straits Times helps you put your career on the right footing from the outset. The job search is never easy, with limited time and lots of ground to cover. This means it is important to be able to suss out, with confidence, the likelihood a job opportunity is the right o...

We chat with Mayank Chhaya, Chicago-based veteran chronicler of the Indian diaspora, on Kamala Harris’s appeal and chances in the upcoming Nov 5 US presidential election. Synopsis: Join The Straits Times' senior columnist Ravi Velloor, as he distils his experience from four decades of covering the continent. In this episode, Ravi speaks with the veteran journalist, author and broadcaster Mayank Ch...

How effective are your skincare products? Synopsis: Every first Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times helps you make sense of health matters that affect you. We all want to look as young and as healthy as possible, and one way to do so is to have healthy skin. But, as we age, our skin becomes thinner, less elastic and more dry and sensitive. There’s also a difference between Asian and Caucasia...

Synopsis: The Straits Times' executive editor Sumiko Tan, who turns 60 this year in 2024, finds out the challenges to growing older as she confronts her own negative attitudes about ageing. Despite the 38-year age gap between former actor Edmund Chen, 62, and his Gen Z daughter Yixin, the bond between father and daughter is warm and playful as Sumiko Tan finds out in this episode of Sumiko At 60....

Can mid-lifers breathe new life into stale careers with social media? Synopsis: Every first Monday of the month, listen to the Work Talk podcast to help you work smarter, think deeper and get ahead in your work life. Will a leap into social media rain new work opportunities for a stale middle-age career? Will being on TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and more show the boss that mid-lifers are...

In the quest for renewable hydropower, indiscriminate dam building in the basin of the Mekong is changing the landscape and negatively impacting local communities and ecosystems. Synopsis: Every first and third Sunday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change. Unilateral and indiscriminate dam building has been t...

Is it catchy lyrics, a snappy beat, or is there something else that captures the Singaporean heart? Synopsis: The Usual Place host Natasha Ann Zachariah explores contemporary societal choices and youth perspectives. Why do some songs, basking under the golden glow of nostalgia, come back year after year, and why do others fade from the public consciousness once their time has passed? In this new e...

Hengdian, in Zhejiang province, is booming as the location set for two-thirds of China’s period dramas. Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times chats with ST’s global correspondents about life as it goes on, amid the screaming headlines and bubbling crises. They come with stars in their eyes, hoping to become the next Fan Bingbing or Jackson Yee. In Hengdian, they put their na...

From the evolution of MRT lines to buses, wider cycling paths and committing to being “car-lite”, our veteran transport reporter tells all.  Synopsis: The Straits Times offers expert insights if you are in the market for a new vehicle or are tracking transportation trends. In the second part of the conversation, COE Watch host Lee Nian Tjoe hosts long-time senior transport correspondent at The Str...

Hear why this policy is in jeopardy on several levels, including the risk of being outmanoeuvred and encircled by China in its near east. Synopsis: Every fourth Friday of the month, The Straits Times' global contributor Nirmal Ghosh shines a light on Asian perspectives of global and Asian issues with expert guests. It may have been called a “forgotten” war - but the civil war in Myanmar triggered...

A veteran transport reporter tells us what can be done to bring down COE prices and how to buy a new car. Synopsis: The Straits Times offers expert insights if you are in the market for a new vehicle or are tracking transportation trends. In the first of a two-part conversation, COE Watch host Lee Nian Tjoe speaks with Christopher Tan, senior transport correspondent at The Straits Times, to get a...

Hear home-grown singer-songwriter Hongjoin's intimate live studio take of the title track from his sophomore album released recently, Komorebi. Synopsis (headphones recommended): This Music Lab playlist features the full live performance of music acts invited by The Straits Times to its podcast studio. Listen to Hongjoin talk about his musical journey in the full podcast here: https://str.sg/cTrZ...

Hear how Spotify's Radar programme has helped expose home-grown singer-songwriter Hongjoin. Synopsis (headphones recommended): Each month, The Straits Times invites music acts to its podcast studio. In the 13th episode of Music Lab, ST’s music correspondent Eddino Abdul Hadi hosts Singaporean singer-songwriter Hongjoin. The 22-year-old, whose music encompasses genres ranging from R&B and indie...

As more carbon dioxide accumulates in the atmosphere, the urgency is growing for safe and sustainable methods to remove this main greenhouse gas from the air to limit the impact of climate change.  Synopsis: Every first and third Sunday of the month, The Straits Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from biodiversity conservation to climate change. CO2 is the main greenhouse gas in...

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry wants to take action to get people to return to brick-and-mortar stores. Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times chats with ST’s correspondents in the Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe, about life as it goes on, amid the screaming headlines and bubbling crises. The Japanese are sentimental about bookstores, viewing them as precious...

Is our celebration of old buildings, or even old-school businesses, a little too late? Synopsis: The Usual Place host Natasha Ann Zachariah explores contemporary societal choices and youth perspectives. In the last few months before Peace Centre closed in 2024, people flocked to the Sophia Road mall to soak up the vibes. Golden Mile Complex in Beach Road, an architectural icon that is conserved, a...