Where are the HDB blocks in NDP 2000’s Shine On Me music video? Singaporeans think they’ve found them

Where are the HDB blocks in NDP 2000’s Shine On Me music video? Singaporeans think they’ve found them Eagle-eyed netizens believe they’ve traced the HDB backdrop behind singer Mavis Hee to Serangoon North – right down to where she may have been standing. National Day is just around the corner, which means it’s time for the Parade, fireworks and a healthy dose of nostalgia. And if you celebrated National Day in 2000 and know your Housing Development Board (HDB) estates well, you might have been able to solve one netizen’s very specific mystery. In a Reddit post titled “Need help identifying HDB estate from old NDP video”, a user shared screenshots from the music video of the NDP 2000 theme song, Shine On Me, which had versions performed by Jai Wahab and Mavis Hee. In several scenes, Hee is seen dancing in front of a cluster of HDB flats, which the OP believed were built in the late 90s. “I’ve been trying to identify where these flats are located and whether they still exist. Unfortunately, there aren’t many contextual clues in these scenes. Please help me scratch this itch in my brain,” the user wrote. Naturally, Reddit got to work. A handful of users guessed Pasir Ris, with the OP admitting: “I thought it was Pasir Ris too but couldn’t find an exact match.” But many others were convinced the answer was Serangoon North. Some believed they had pinpointed the exact location. One user wrote: “Serangoon North Avenue 3. Some of the nicest and biggest flats in that cluster, but also some of the worst accessibility by public transport, even till today.” Another added: “Looks like Block 550+ at Serangoon North Avenue 3, but it was probably filmed from a different block.” Armed with those clues, the OP did some detective work and came up with a theory about the filming spot. “I did a bit more exploring and think that the MV was probably shot from Blk 550A (the MSCP) facing east. “You’ll see the following blocks from left to right: 548, 549 (the block at the back that you were referring to), 550 and 554. Mavis Hee was probably standing on the rooftop of the MSCP, or perhaps the MSCP was not yet built at the time of filming.” MSCP refers to multi-storey carpark. Turns out the mystery had been bugging more than one person. One commenter wrote: “[This is] a question that I have had for quite a while. Love this era of flats much more than the flat and boring blocks of the 80s. The 90s flats really feel like the best era.” Another suggested: “You should do a YouTube video of your find.” So, would you have guessed Serangoon North?