You Heard It Here First

In an industry riddled with culture cringe, where art is sometimes reduced to just 15 seconds for an Instagram story, what does it take for a musician to thrive in the Malaysian music scene?

- By LingJie Tuang

No one likes being told what to do. When it comes to matters of taste, the age-old adage of Support Local Arts has long run its course as a relevant sentiment for garnering interest in local acts. It is now a beaten horse, a throwaway statement to showcase performative solidarity without actually doing the walk.

From the jump, local artistes have been subjected to cultural cringe, a phenomenon best described as a sense of inferiority we feel towards our own culture. It often manifests as an abstract feeling of “Oh, I don’t know, they just aren’t my vibe” even before being given a chance for proper consumption. In an era where content is pushed through the echo chambers of algorithms, what space do Malaysian musicians occupy to strike a chord with their homegrown audiences? Gathered at Rumah Api and all dressed in Onitsuka Tiger, purveyors in the local music scene chat with Men’s Folio about what it takes to make their mark.

How much does virality figure in determining commercial success in the Malaysian music industry? “When I am in the process of writing a song, I don’t expressly think about whether it will go viral. This is not the main goal for a musician and songwriter,” says Ismail. As a DJ, Joyvnn prefers to channel her energy into creating what she likes. “I think others tend to expect my work to sound commercial since I started off as a DJ making TikTok tunes,” she chimes in. Rather than seeing it as pressure to go viral, DOLLA’s Sabronzo prefers to see it as pressure to create music that their listeners would love. “In an industry where music evolves so very quickly, we try to balance between jumping on the hype train without losing our identities,” she quips.