SONIC YOUTH

Meet these trending noisemakers who are bringing hyperlocal sounds and subcultures to a world that is ready to connect. Dive into them right now by scanning the QR codes for the exclusive mixes.

- Syazil Abd Rahim

“My music is quite melancholic, which I think it’s the kind of music that people can relate to when they’re feeling sad or brokenhearted or when they need to have a good cry over it to make them feel better,” says Airinna Namara, a KL-based rookie whose top-search single on Spotify titled Hate That I Still Think About You sets high-gloss hooks against steel-string dreadnought groove, creating a blueprint of calming rhythm overpowered by thoughtful and deep-cut lyrics, especially for those who are going through rough patches in their love lives. “And since you asked, I think the best emoji to describe my music is the one with a smiley face and a teardrop,” she says, laughing.

“Generally, I write songs in my bedroom where it’s quiet and free from distraction,” Namara shares her way of churning out memorable lyrics. “I find it easier to write and finish a song when I’m alone with my piano, notepad and voice recorder on my phone. There are times when I’m on the train or having a conversation with someone when words or a line of lyric would just pop into my head. Whenever that happens, I’ll just jot them down in my notepad and add melodies to those fragments of lines when I get home.”

When singer-songwriter started playing the piano at the age of 12, she immediately became interest in music and songwriting. Extracting inspirations from the works of Regina Spektor, and The Smiths frontman, Morrisey, and seeing herself as someone with a genuine fondness towards poetry and storytelling, Namara took her passion a step further, continuing to study music at the International College of Music and working with music producers and people within the industry. And then, her own music career blew up.