Editorial Assistant: drop like grapes wiki.sg entry

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drop like grapes wiki.sg entry

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[[File:Gandhimathi Muthusamy.jpg|thumb|''Photo from [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOZ2YkrgESk Youtube video].'']]
"Drop Like Grapes" refers to a viral news interview that aired on Channel 5 News in Singapore on 25 June 2013. In the interview, Jurong West resident Gandhimathi Muthusamy described her experience of an unusual hailstorm, memorably stating "I can feel it drop, drop, drop like grapes."<ref name=":0">Ng, Kai. “[https://wonderwall.sg/people/the-cockles-of-our-hearts-60-iconic-singapore-pop-culture-moments The Cockles Of Our Hearts: 60 Iconic Singapore Pop Culture Moments]” ''Wonderwall,'' 7 May, 2025. Accessed 27 November 2025.</ref>

The clip gained widespread attention online and became one of Singapore's most recognized internet memes, with an autotune remix accumulating over 300k views within days of its release.<ref name=":1">Smyth, Barry. “[https://barrysmyth.blogspot.com/2013/07/singapore-hail-remixed.html Singapore Hail Remixed]” ''Barry Smyth Blogspot.'' n.d. Accessed 27 November 2025.</ref>

==Background==
On 25 June 2013, an unusual hailstorm struck parts of Singapore during a period of severe haze. Ice pellets up to the size of coins fell in western areas including Bukit Batok and Jurong.<ref name=":2" /> Hail is rare in tropical Singapore, with the last occurrence reported in 2008, and the event caused significant public interest.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">Ngawang, Chime. “[https://thesmartlocal.com/read/strangest-phenomenons-singapore/ 12 Phenomenons In Singapore Stranger Than The Paddlepop Sky—Explained!]” ''TheSmartLocal,'' 13 March, 2017. Accessed 27 November 2025.</ref>

Mediacorp's Channel 5 dispatched a news crew to cover the phenomenon. During the News 5 evening broadcast, 44-year-old school assistant Gandhimathi Muthusamy was interviewed on camera about her experience of the hailstorm in Jurong West.<ref name=":1" /><ref>“[https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cg4LzlnB6yz/?hl=am-et @pl4ylandd]” ''Instagram,'' 5 August, 2022. Accessed 27 November 2025.</ref>

===The “Drop Like Grapes” interview===
In the interview segment, Muthusamy provided an animated account of the falling hail. Speaking in colloquial English, she likened the hailstones to "ice cubes" dropping from the sky, stating "I can feel it drop, drop, drop like grapes" as she described how the ice pellets reminded her of grapes falling down.<ref name=":0" /> She recounted picking up a hailstone to examine it, saying "I take the ice cube... it's cold," and placing it in her mouth before spitting it out upon realizing it "tastes like water."<ref name=":1" />

<youtube>pOZ2YkrgESk</youtube>

The interview segment was reported by a Channel NewsAsia journalist on location.<ref name=":1" /> Within hours of the broadcast, the clip began circulating online. Channel NewsAsia's official Facebook page shared the video with the title "RAINDROPS LIKE GRAPES," and it quickly garnered thousands of views and shares.<ref>“[https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=10151504539892934 CNA]” ''Facebook,'' 27 June, 2013. Accessed 27 November 2025.</ref>

==Viral spread==

===The infamous autotune remix===
<youtube>EzUjghLO3qc</youtube>

Within a day of the original broadcast, user Mohamed Yahya (alias "FallenSuperheroSG") created an autotune remix of the interview and uploaded it to YouTube.<ref name=":1" /> The remix video featured a musical arrangement that looped Muthusamy's "drop like grapes" line, accumulating over 300k views within a few days.<ref name=":1" /> The video was widely shared on social media and messaging applications. The remix's popularity resulted in the creator being featured in The New Paper on 1 July 2013.<ref name=":1" />

The remixer commented on the distinctly Singaporean nature of Muthusamy's expression, stating "Madam Muthusamy said it in a way that only Singaporeans could understand" and noting "you wouldn't hear someone else say it fell from the sky like grapes."<ref name=":1" />

Muthusamy expressed surprise at her sudden recognition, stating in subsequent interviews that she was "very excited and very shocked because now I'm famous already everyone knows me already."<ref name=":1" />
[[File:Drop like grapes parody tiktok.jpg|thumb|''Photo from [https://www.tiktok.com/@rryanang/video/7351027371593518354?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7570939628112856584 TikTok].'']]

===Social media reception===
The "dropping like grapes" phrase inspired numerous references across Singaporean internet culture. Users on platforms including Reddit and HardwareZone began quoting the phrase as a humorous reference.<ref>Funkster. “[https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/threads/which-year-will-a-hdb-flats-value-start-to-drop-like-grapes-ah.7102355/ Which year will a HDB flat’s value start to drop like grapes ah?]” ''HardwareZone Forums,'' 4 February, 2025. Accessed 27 November 2025.</ref><ref>shesellsseychelles. “[https://www.reddit.com/r/askSingapore/comments/1jwgaxo/what_are_some_uniquely_singaporean/ What are some uniquely Singaporean memes/catchphrases?]” ''Reddit,'' 11 April, 2025. Accessed 27 November 2025.</ref> The original news clip was reposted multiple times on YouTube<ref>sgcafe. “S[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOZ2YkrgESk ingaporean Woman's reaction to Hail in Singapore (Original Interview)]” ''Youtube,'' 26 June, 2013. Accessed 27 November 2025.</ref>, and Facebook pages shared clips and parodies.<ref>“[https://www.facebook.com/sgagsg/photos/a.378177495530578/2049520925062885/?id=378167172198277 SGAG]” ''Facebook,'' 30 January, 2018. Accessed 27 November 2025.</ref>

==Legacy of the meme==
The "drop, drop, drop like grapes" incident remains one of Singapore's most recognized viral moments from the 2010s. When hailstones fell again in Singapore in 2018, news outlets referenced "the lady who became famous... describing hailstones like 'dropping like grapes.'"<ref>Soon Xue Ling. “[https://sureboh.sg/2018/01/31/hailstones-and-fallen-trees-in-yishun/ Hailstones and fallen trees in Yishun after a heavy downpour yesterday]” ''Sureboh.'' n.d. Accessed 27 November 2025.</ref> A 2020 article recalling a hail sighting in Malaysia described the 2013 remix as "an anthem that is etched on our minds even till today" and noted the phrase was "forever inscribed in our Singlish dictionary."<ref>Vernice. “[https://mustsharenews.com/ipoh-hail/ Ipoh Folks See Hail On 20 May Evening, Reminds Us Of ‘Dropping Grapes]’” ''Mustsharenews'', 21 May, 2020. Accessed 27 November 2025.</ref>

The autotune remix has continued to circulate as an audio meme on platforms including TikTok and Instagram, where users apply it to videos of heavy rain or other falling objects. The original clip resurfaces periodically on social media platforms.<ref name=":0" />

In 2025, Wonderwall.sg listed the "dropping like grapes" interview as one of Singapore's top 60 pop culture moments, noting how the spontaneous remark about falling ice became a "widely shared and much-loved meme in online culture."<ref name=":0" />

==References/Citations==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Singapore Culture]]

Drop Like Grapes Channel 5 Interview - Revision history

Editorial Assistant: drop like grapes wiki.sg entry