[1] The eldest child in a family of three boys and five girls, Zubir was born on 22 July 1907 in Bukit Tinggi, Minangkabau, Sumatra, Indonesia.

[3] In 1928 at the age of 21, Zubir went to Singapore[4] to make a living as a musician, taking up the suggestion of a sailor friend who had described the island as a place of "glittering lights, seller [coffee with milk] and butter".

This was done in the face of objections from his village chieftain father, Mohamad Said bin Sanang, who believed music to be against religion.

Coming back to Singapore in 1947, Zubir worked as a part-time photographer with the Utusan Melayu newspaper[6] while composing and performing music and songs.

[2][3][8] Singapore, then a British colony, had been conferred city status by a royal charter from King George VI in 1951.

"Majulah Singapura" was presented to the nation on 3 December at the launch of "Loyalty Week", replacing the colonial anthem "God Save the Queen".

After Singapore's full independence from Malaysia on 9 August 1965, "Majulah Singapura" was formally adopted as the Republic's national anthem.

[11] In 1962, Zubir's songs for the movie Dang Anom won an award at the ninth Asian Film Festival in Seoul, South Korea.

His third and youngest daughter Puan Sri Dr. Rohana Zubir, a retired lecturer with the University of Malaya,[1] recalled how the family home in Singapore was always filled with music.

[13] Zubir died at the age of 80 on 16 November 1987 at Joo Chiat Place in Singapore, survived by four daughters and a son.

In recognition of his contributions to the State, Zubir was conferred the Sijil Kemuliaan (Certificate of Honour) on 16 March 1963[11] and the Bintang Bakti Masyarakat (Public Service Star) in the same year.