Singapore Tourism Board × XG — February 2026
XG filmed Rock The Boat in Singapore. The world watched
A global pop moment, shot exclusively in Singapore. Five iconic locations, one music video, three forms of exclusivity, and a 5M+ view release that Singapore didn't pay a cent to amplify.
The campaign in numbers
At a glance.
5
iconic Singapore locations
3
forms of exclusivity
5M+
organic YouTube views
14,266
social engagements · first 10 days
19+
organic XG posts · contract was 2
68
countries where the album charted
The work
An MV, not an ad.
Rock The Boat is a piece of entertainment that 5 million+ people chose to watch — and Singapore is a character in it.
Shot entirely across five iconic Singapore locations, credited transparently, folded into XG's creative universe rather than bolted onto it. The creative sat inside the music video format — not adjacent to it — which is why the audience watched without the usual ad-skipping reflex.
A partnership is a co-production. STB provided access. XG provided the world.
Creative footprint
Five locations. One film.
Each place chosen for visual distinctiveness and brand fit with XG's energy.
Anderson Bridge
Signature 'marine' visuals — the hero backdrop.
Gardens by the Bay
Cloud Forest dome — XG's future-facing energy on camera.
National Gallery Singapore
Architectural modernity — and the start of a co-creation moment.
Palawan Beach, Sentosa
The coastal 'summer-ready' sequence — the group on the water.
Singapore Oceanarium
The otherworldly centrepiece — glowing, submerged, cinematic.
Organic social · first 10 days
14,266 engagements. Zero paid.
- YouTube
- 8,271
- 2,545
- TikTok
- 1,576
- X / Twitter
- 1,004
- 870
- 19+ organic XG posts, against a contract of 2.
- Between 21–22 February, XG organically posted 8 Instagram feed posts and 1 Reel.
- Teaser trended #1 on AllKPop before launch.
“Singapore ohmygod”
Earned media · positive across the board
Zero negative framing.
Bandwagon Asia·22 Feb 2026
“XG turn Singapore into their playground.”
KPop in Bay Area·23 Feb 2026
“A tropical-infused summer escape shot in partnership with the city itself.”
JRL Charts·22 Feb 2026
“Surges past 800K views in an explosive debut.”
The Straits Times·Feb 2026
“Covered as a cultural moment, not a tourism ad.”
Partner co-creation · unscripted
National Gallery joined the story.
A rare instance of a destination partner organically extending a paid campaign — the National Gallery posted its own TikTok alongside the MV drop, turning a booked location into an unprompted collaborator.
Credits
- Client
- Singapore Tourism Board · North Asia
- Agency
- Chaos Theory · with The Catalyst
- Talent
- XG
- Label
- Avex
- Film
- Rock The Boat
- Album
- THE CORE — 核
- Period
- Dec 2025 — Mar 2026
- Locations
- Anderson Bridge · Gardens by the Bay · National Gallery Singapore · Palawan Beach, Sentosa · Singapore Oceanarium
Final imagery and motion stills ship with the signed-off case study; placeholders here for layout review.
Singapore didn't appear in a pop culture moment this year. It was the moment.