SINGAPORE – Tucked away on the top half of his shophouse home in the south-central part of Singapore, Dick Lee’s 300 sq ft attic study serves as his primary creative centre.
A split-level personal sanctuary, it is where the local musician maintains a disciplined routine, working from 8.30am to 4pm daily.
One corner is a dedicated music area with equipment such as a piano, computer, speakers and a stand that holds sheet music. An acoustic guitar sits not too far away.
A separate nook functions as a personal art space, taking advantage of the attic’s excellent natural lighting that streams in through windows and the high, exposed pitched roof.
The room also houses an intimate archive for his most cherished diaries, magazines, vinyl records, CDs, mementos from countless concerts and theatre performances as well as toys and trinkets he has collected over the decades.
The attic has a high, exposed, pitched roof that lets in plenty of natural light.
PHOTO : COURTESY OF DICK LEE
Containing a seasoned black leather sofa brought over from his first apartment in Cairnhill in the 1980s, the space also serves as a collaborative hub where he hosts meetings with project partners.
One of his current projects is a concert marking his 70th birthday on Aug 24, Chasing Light: Ding Yi x Dick Lee 70, which will take place at Esplanade Concert Hall on July 25.
The performance sees home-grown Chinese chamber music ensemble Ding Yi Music Company take on Mandarin and Cantopop classics that he wrote and composed for artistes such as Leslie Cheung, Sandy Lam, Andy Lau, Jacky Cheung, Anita Mui, Leon Lai, Aaron Kwok, Kit Chan and Mavis Hee.
Of the sanctum that perfectly encapsulates the ongoing evolution of one of Singapore’s most enduring creatives, Lee says: “I make my music here, I write musicals, and I do all my creative work here, even drawing.”
The room is where Dick Lee works on projects such as the upcoming Chasing Light: Ding Yi x Dick Lee 70 concert.
ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
It is also where recent creative sessions over the restaging of Fried Rice Paradise – The Makan Party, a musical dining experience to be held at Paradox Singapore Hotel from Aug 18 to Sept 11, took place. Lee is directing and adding new songs to this version of the musical that first ran at the same venue in 2025.
The room’s aesthetic has evolved over decades ever since he moved into his two-and-a-half-floor restored Peranakan shophouse in 2001. It was originally a utilitarian area packed with cabinets where “there was nowhere for people to sit”, and a customised renovation about 10 years ago introduced built-in shelving to help organise his extensive archives.
DESIGN DETAILS
An archive of prized possessions
The room houses journals, photo albums and drawings dating back to the late 1960s.
ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
Although Lee donated the vast majority of his extensive career archives to the National Library, he retained a highly personal collection of notebooks and photo albums that occupy the custom shelves.
“I’m a great archiver… I archive everything in my life,” he declares.
These shelves showcase his earliest artistic ambitions, dating back to 1969 when he was a Secondary 1 student. Long before he wrote hit songs, he was crafting elaborate murder mystery games, all documented in his old notebooks, which also contain early handwritten lyrics.
A cupboard in Dick Lee’s study room contains his prized possessions from yesteryear.
ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
“I used to create murder stories, with maps, characters,” he recalls. “Then I will show them to my schoolmates and they will have to figure out the mystery.”
One diary even meticulously documents a fictional murder plot set in his own home, featuring the dramatic demise of his grandmother, brother and aunt. Calling the stories his “own crazy twisted fantasy”, these notebooks sit alongside sketches for a pretend fashion boutique called Rainbow, drawn when he was just 13.
Heavily inspired by his late uncle, prominent architect Lee Kip Lin, the notebooks also feature hand-drawn floor plans. “I wanted to become an architect, so these drawings represent what I could have been.”
A corner for the arts
A bright corner of the study serves as a dedicated art studio.
ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
A brightly lit corner of the study serves as a dedicated art studio. “I get very nice, natural lighting here for when I paint.”
It was a direct result of the pandemic, which gave him the time to reconnect with his visual arts background. “I went to art school when I was young, and Covid helped bring back all these interests.”
Armed with this renewed passion, he spends time in this sunlit corner sketching intimate, memory-driven portraits of his family members, including his late parents and sister.
He also recently rediscovered the joy of tickling the ivories “and I just love to come here and play the piano”.
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