“Look up at the skies! And heeere they come!”
Moments after William Xavier’s iconic command booms across the National Day Parade (NDP) venue, fighter jets from the Republic of Singapore Air Force soar overhead in a bomb burst manoeuvre.
The signature aerial display at every NDP sees a tight formation of aircraft suddenly fan out in different directions, like fireworks exploding in the sky.
Down in the stands, heads tilt upwards and arms shoot up, phones poised, mouths agape, as the planes thunder above. The magic is fleeting, but real.
And Xavier, affectionately known as Mr X, has been ushering in this spectacle since 1998.
As the parade’s official emcee and “Voice of NDP”, anyone who has watched the show – even just a rehearsal – would recognise his deep baritone. He’s not seen on stage, unlike the four main hosts. But his voice is a hallmark of the NDP experience.
In industry speak, his “disembodied voice” is known as the “Voice of God”, the 66-year-old told CNA Lifestyle ahead of Saturday’s (Aug 9) show about a role he’s glad to reprise yearly.
The term refers to a voice that proclaims from on high, issuing announcements or instructions that carry weight and are rarely disputed, he explained.
“(It’s the) all-seeing eye, reaching down and saying: Let there be light … And since I’m the only one speaking, somebody’s got to reach for a switch or replace a light bulb,” he quipped.
“You don’t dispute the Voice of God because he speaks with a certain level of authority. In other words, if the Voice of God says ‘stand up’ because the president is here, (there’s) nothing much to be discussed.”
THE ONLY “VOICE OF NDP” SINCE THE START
Now a radio DJ with Mediacorp’s Gold905 where he helms Nite Flite on weeknights, Xavier began his career in 1981 as a radio and television presenter, as well as voiceover artiste.
But it wasn’t until 1998 that he first lent his voice to the NDP.
He took to the stage as a host that year, alongside the late Victor Khoo, Dahlia Z and R Chandran. Announcements, such as introducing the prime minister’s motorcade, were simply read from a sheet on hand by whichever host was available at the time.
