'Let It Be': Asean has a new power duo — Thai, Singapore PMs go acoustic

Diplomacy took an unexpected turn toward karaoke this week when Thailand’s prime minister grabbed a microphone and Singapore’s prime minister picked up a guitar.

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul sang The Beatles’ “Let It Be” and Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind,” while Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong provided the acoustic-guitar accompaniment.

The unlikely political jam session took place Wednesday during an official dinner at Thailand’s Government House in Bangkok, held for Wong and his wife. 

Videos of the performance quickly spread online.

And suddenly, Southeast Asian diplomacy had a soundtrack.

The musical interlude came after the Thailand-Singapore Leaders’ Retreat, the fifth such meeting between the two countries' leaders and the first in 11 years, according to Thai PBS.

The leaders' formal agenda was considerably more serious.

Thailand and Singapore discussed food security, energy, the digital economy, defence and supply chains, with the two sides also signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU).

Then somebody apparently decided that regional cooperation needed a guitar solo.

Wong, who became Singapore's prime minister in May 2024, is known to play guitar and has occasionally displayed his musical side in public. 

Anutin, Thailand's prime minister since 2025, meanwhile proved willing to take the microphone.

The result was less Asean summit and more two dads at a very expensive dinner discovering the acoustic set.

The song choices were almost too perfect.

“Let It Be” is, at heart, about staying calm when circumstances become difficult — an unusually useful philosophy for politicians.

And then there was Dylan's “Blowin' in the Wind,” a song famously associated with questions about war, peace and social change.

Whether the two leaders intended any deeper diplomatic symbolism is unclear.

But if Asean diplomacy ever needs a backup slogan, Let it be is not a bad candidate.

There is a serious point beneath the viral video.

High-level diplomacy is normally presented through handshakes, flags, communiqués and carefully choreographed photo opportunities. 

Informal moments such as this can reveal something that official statements cannot: whether leaders are comfortable enough with each other to relax.

Thailand and Singapore have longstanding economic and political ties, with Singapore among Thailand’s important investment and trading partners.

The leaders’ retreat was aimed at strengthening those ties at a time when Southeast Asian countries are trying to navigate supply-chain shifts, energy security concerns and intensifying competition among the world's major powers.

But for a few minutes, none of that mattered. No communique, no talking points, no bilateral dispute.

Just a microphone, a guitar and two prime ministers.

The video was tailor-made for social media.

One leader sings, the other plays guitar, the audience watches.

And suddenly the diplomatic question is no longer: “What did Thailand and Singapore agree on?”

It is: “When is the album dropping?”

Perhaps the duo could call it Asean Unplugged.

Their first single? “Let It Be.” The second? “Blowin' in the Wind.”

Incidentally, the Asean duo could presumably add greater harmony to their next act if they invite Philippines’ President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, to play the saxophone.

And if the negotiations ever get difficult, there is always one more Beatles song waiting in the wings: “We Can Work It Out.”

For once, diplomacy sounds pretty good.