Client Success Story: Jewel Changi Airport with Immersive Background Music
Elevating a Global Retail Icon with Intelligent Multi-Zone Music Strategy
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Reimagining What an Airport Can Be
Jewel Changi Airport is not just an airport facility—it is a visionary reinvention of the airport experience.
Opened in 2019 as a joint venture between Changi Airport Group and CapitaLand, Jewel is a 10-level, 135,700 m² mixed-use destination that seamlessly blends nature, commerce, and travel into a single awe-inspiring space.
At the heart of this world-first concept is a powerful design idea: transforming transit into a destination.
Conceived by Safdie Architects and engineered by some of the world’s leading design firms, Jewel is anchored by the 40-meter Jewel Rain Vortex, the world’s tallest indoor waterfall, surrounded by the Forest Valley, a terraced indoor garden with over 100,000 plants. Above this, the Canopy Park on Level 5 offers attractions like sky nets, mazes, and sculptural playgrounds. Beneath the greenery, over 280 premium retail and F&B outlets are interwoven with aviation services, a hotel, and cultural programming.
Equal Strategy was chosen for its unmatched expertise in multi-sensory design, with over 25 years of experience curating soundscapes for the world’s leading hospitality and retail brands.
World-Class Architecture Demanded An Emotionally Intelligent Music Design
Jewel needed a background music solution that delivered an elevated experience consistent with the premium positioning of Changi Airport.
- Matched the emotional tone and brand identity of different areas within the complex.
- Could be dynamically programmed to match traffic flows and seasonal moods.
- Allowed instant updates and remote access for fine-tuning and operational flexibility.
- Created a music environment that complements the design vision—evoking awe, calm, and discovery.
The sound design supports the architecture by guiding emotional response at key touchpoints: from dramatic orchestral moments that match the waterfall’s scale to calming soundscapes that enhance reflection in the Forest Valley.
This alignment between space and sound is the hallmark of effective multi-sensory branding in destination environments.
Multi-Zone Background Music Curation Tailored to Purpose and Energy Flow
Equal Strategy deployed a zone-based music strategy using behavioral science and acoustic principles. In the waterfall atrium, sweeping cinematic scores by John Williams, Hans Zimmer, and Michael Giacchino evoke wonder and elevate the visitor experience.
In retail walkways and lifestyle zones, instrumental bossa nova and lounge music establish a sophisticated, cosmopolitan atmosphere, proven to increase retail dwell time and customer engagement.
In elevators and washrooms, ambient and new age tracks provide a discreet yet premium sonic backdrop, supporting relaxation and privacy.
Every soundscape was purpose-built to enhance customer experience through music without overwhelming or distracting from the environment.
Backed by Behavioral Science & Experience Design
Every playlist and zone was informed by over two decades of research into how sound influences mood, memory, dwell time, and brand perception. Equal Strategy’s advisory draws from:
- Cognitive neuroscience
- Retail psychology
- Sonic branding best practices
- Hospitality experience models
This made us a natural partner for Jewel’s design collaborators, who also grounded the architecture in user-centric design thinking.
Real-Time Music Scheduling for Agility, Seasonality, and Brand Control
Jewel required more than curated playlists—it needed a platform capable of dynamic, on-demand changes.
Equal Strategy’s internet-delivered background music system enables remote updates across all zones in real time, empowering Jewel’s operations team to respond instantly to crowd levels, time of day, and seasonal moments.
Morning playlists are calming and light, mid-day tracks increase energy, and festive themes are seamlessly introduced for Christmas, Lunar New Year, and Deepavali without disrupting the brand tone.
Compared to the previous provider’s static and manual system, Equal Strategy offers unmatched speed, flexibility, and future-ready music management.
Storytelling Supported With Curated Background Music
Since its implementation, the music experience at Jewel has:
Elevated Jewel’s position as a benchmark destination for integrated multi-sensory design..
Supported over 50 million visitors in the first 6 months with a stable, immersive soundscape.
Enhanced photographic and social sharing moments at the Rain Vortex through emotionally matched music and lighting.
Reinforced retail dwell time and mood via seamless zone programming.
Enabled 100% licensing compliance and operational agility through instant update capability.
Read about how Equal Strategy scented Mondrian Singapore Duxton, elevated the global icon Changi Airport Jewel with intelligent multi zoned music strategy, scented Johnnie Walker House at Changi Airport, UOB Privilege Banking at MBS Shoppes, the world’s first New Balance experience store in Beijing, Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, Singapore’s first luxury boutique hotel – Naumi, the living breathing rainforest experience at Equarius Hotel, how we scented 25,000 cubic meters within 20 seconds for a pavilion at Shanghai Expo in 2010, and Asia’s first scented drive-through exhibition, Moo Moo Park.
