As we move towards what looks to be a short 2 months of creating a Pop Song, today I'm taking a look back at my favorite break out songs here in Malaysia since I was a kid. Honorable mentions: Zainal Abidin's "Hijau", Manbai's "Kau Ilhamku", Innuendo's "Belaian Jiwa and everything P. Ramlee did.
Please note that this list is from the songs that I listened to while growing up here in Malaysia and are in no particular order.
- Butterfingers - Mati Hidup Kembali
Butterfingers is a no brainer as in my own opinion: they're completely synonymous with Malaysian Music. However, despite the amount of push they received they solidified themselves with this song. They issued a new wave of Pop Music with depth of lyrics, melody, and complexity in simplicity.
- The Venopian Solitude - Mahar
The Venopian Solitude fronted by Suiko Takahara have been one of Malaysia's craziest innovators. Malaysian music finds it's comfort within the confines of ballads and structure, until TVS. It's a top pick for her writing style, hidden complexed lyrics and innovation of sound.
- Amir Jahari - Aku Juga Manusia
Being a singer-songwriter is easy to claim but never easy to live up to. It's about a discipline to write songs consistently with your instrument filling in the spaces between phrases making context of the song as a whole. Amir Jahari has completely emulated the art of being a singer-songwriter. In this song which is my most played song on Spotify of 2017, Amir takes you on a journey through instrumentation, lyrics and a bleeding heart.
- Mia Palencia - So Many Hands
Okay, obviously there would be a Mia Palencia song in my ranks but this one has hit home hard. So many of us were incapsulated by her incredible performance representing us in the grand opening of the 29th SEA Games. There's a difference in being able to write a hundred songs for one person (usually yourself) and being able to write one song for a hundred people. Capturing the emotions of the athletes, then moving it through audience members and television screens until eventually it rung nation wide strong.
- Meet Uncle Hussain - Pokok
I first fell in love with the song when I did a version of this with the cast of a movie I was in. After many many replays, I finally understood the context and depth of the song. Translating it into a Pop Punk song was even more impressive. The generation that grew up on Punk Rock sang anthems and made their feelings known, showing a new era of vulnerability. With the concept of the song so complexed, it is right to become the voice of a generation.
Let me know your favorite Malaysian Songs! Your contribution will help me develop a better ear as we move forward in creating a Pop Song.
CBPPLS.