No budget? No problem!

What do you when you're a struggling independent artist with no extra ka-chings in the bank to get your music video done?

You get creative, find the cheapest materials and ask your friends to help out.
That's exactly what I've done and im grateful i have friends whom are willing to jump in the bandwagon.

Just to get you up to date, i have released my first single titled Pulau Hijau. A song i wrote inspired by the beauty of Bali and all it's hidden glory. Digitally published under Sony Music Malaysia, i needed a music video to complete the check-list.

With just RM50, my friends and i have managed to do a one-shot music video. I bought a plain white cloth, coloured rocks and whatever else i can find at home. The video itself too was recorded just with my Samsung Note 5!
That's it...
So if you have the time, do check it out!

'GIVE ME' hits all the right notes!

Greetings blogger world, time for some music update!
Ready for a night out? Wanna get that beat going to warm yourself up in the car or at home as you get dressed for the weekend?

Listen to this! https://youtu.be/WgHhdtf7XS8

GIVE ME is the first single from Malaysia's new upcoming jazz-pop princess, USHERA!
Released about 2 months ago, Give Me is definitely a breath of fresh air to the Malaysian music industry. Infused with a mix of pop, jazz and dance influences, GIVE ME is definitely unlike any other (100%) Malaysian-made dance track.
This upbeat song  tells her own failed love story on overcoming heartbreak and moving on.
The song starts off with a classic scenario about meeting someone in a cafe and falling in love but then, took the unexpected turn of being left out in the dark yet ended up with a mighty force of self-motivation and (dare I say) GIRL POWER!

Ushera has been in the underground local music scene for close to 6 years now, performing in music lounges, clubs and a high demand for private events. I speak for thousands when I say that she indeed makes herself noticed whenever she hits the stage. 
Recently nominated for NEWMAN'S Creative Pioneer Awards (music catagory), we are promised for more surprises from this goddess of music in the months to come and her debut single 'Give Me' shouts out that statement loud and clear!

Don't believe me? Check it out yourself...
GIVE ME is now available on iTunes, Google music and the official music video has been released on VEVO and YouTube.

#askforthebil . Bil Musa

Before you dismiss this post as a campaign run, allow me to quickly point out you're wrong. Dont judge a blog by it's tittle.

Introducing...Bil Musa!
Who?
Let's move out from under the rock and start breathing some fresh air, yo!
Bil Musa (birthname Nabila Musa) is a blooming flower in the Malaysian music scene.
Signed under Yuna Room Records, Bil Musa is flourishing the local indie scene with her recently launched self-tittled EP on the 5th of April at The Bee, Publika.
Consists of 6 tracks, Bil Musa delivers the sort of sound you'd like to listen to on a Saturday morning to kick off a cheery weekend. 

Not running far off from the sound of 'the boss' Yuna, Bil Musa is somewhat an extension to the sort of a sit-back-and-relax musical vibe.
In the EP, there are 2 Malay tracks (both of which I just adore) and 4 other English tracks. Well.. one of her songs, The Beach, has been split to two different versions. One sung in both Malay and English (per track) and the bonus version includes a pinch of French+English+malay. Sassy.

I first came across Bil's 'The Beach' through Facebook and I immediately fell in love with its quirky lyrics. Most of the words played into the lyrics of Bil Musa's songs are simple and straight to the point. There's no beating around the bush with this one...and perhaps, that's why I find it rather 'easy' to listen to.

Like a snap of the fingers I knew that whom I was listening to is taking a step to a milestone. As a matter of fact, I myself has tweeted her (@BilMusa) and state my trust in her potential saying "you will go far". And like the humble person she is, a reply came in thanking me. So I hope she will forever stay grounded as she shoots for the stars. All the best Bil Musa!

Music2Share; Concrete Wall - Zee Avi

- Boom shiclack clack, boom shiclack, boom shiclack clack, boom shiclack-
goes an acapella 'beatboxing' by Zee Avi as the opening of this song... And well, throughout the whole track actually.

'Concrete Wall' is an original by Malaysian born, LA based singer, Zee Avi!
Telling the story of a turmoil relationship, 'Concrete Wall' is simplicity at its best. Accompanied by Zee's hypnotic voice, its a slow and soothing song that needed nothing more to make it an ear candy.

Concrete Wall is one of the tracks from Zee Avi's 'Ghostbird' album and, its an album i'd recommend you to grab in times you need to lay back at home or in your car to lower down your pulse rate and be in a state of musical calmness.
Cant believe i've waited this long to get Ghostbird myself. Outdated me ':D

To add in the awesome-factor to this track, it was also featured in one of the episodes of Gossip Girls! Malaysia bolehhhhh ~ Xx Az

*here's the link to the official music video for Concrete Wall!
Njoyyy

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LFxB-LYipjo (if link fails, YOUTUBE it)

YUNA on PEREZ !

In case you've been out of technology's reach lately and somehow decided to stumble on my blog for some reason then let me update you a little something on one of my (and Malaysia's) favourite rising singer, Yuna.

Yuna did 'ballad-indie' cover version of Nirvana's 'Come As You Are' recently and it sure has gotten a lot of attention from big names on planet Hollywood..and one of then is blogger, gossip God, PEREZ HILTON!

Yes, Perez posted the video up on his blog saying "This is so lovely!

Check out this awesome take on the Nirvana classic Come As You Are by Malaysian singer Yuna! ".

And it sure is a lovely version of the classic indeed. Smells like what? Smells like success yEAH!


To check the video out on Perez's website, here's the LiNk >> http://perezhilton.com/2011-07-06-listen-to-this-smells-like

lets WHIP IT!

Will Smith's daughter, WIllow, is only 9.
Yet, she's dubbed as officially the coolest kid in MY book!
Her single 'Whip My Hair' is not only catchy but her music video is AMA-ZING!
Im expecting numerous awards for this one!

Check out the video here > http://radiobigboy.com/?p=18244

'Decorate' by YUNA!

Known as Malaysia's Norah Jones, Yuna is one of the country's most precious diamond in the music industry.
I had a listen to her 2nd album- 'Decorate' - and i was left in aww.
One word can described this album....Awesomely Beautiful! (okay so its 2 words but thats only because i really think its worth calling it AWESOME!).

'Decorate' consists of 10 tracks.
1. gadis semasa
2. these streets
3. penakut
4. fireworks
5. random awesomeness
6. rocket
7. permission
8. cinta sempurna
9. decorate
10. super something & dan sebenarnye


So im not a professional critic....but here's MY point of view on each track.

-Gadis Semasa-
previously known as 'Lagu Baru' before Yuna had a name for it, I can honestly see this track to be used as one of Grey's Anatomy soundtrack. But only because it reminds me strongly of the kind of music used in the show.
And therefor i wont be surprise one day we'll be hearing this as one of our local drama/movie soundtrack.
Gadis semasa talks about how typical boys always seems to want to find that certain girl who is willing to give him everything, not seeing what he already has infront of him and is just too inlove with himself. A situation both boys and girls have/been/will go through. Therefor its universally an acceptable song..if you understand malay ofcourse ;)

-These Streets-
This track has a more urban indie feel to it. I tend to imagine myself walking down the dark corners of an empty street. But im just explaining the music's FEEL in it.
What it's about? > When a relationship gets complicated due to the emptiness of a dying spark, one can only wonder where its going....
need i say more?

-Penakut-
Another one of my top favourites, 'Penakut' explains the complication of one's intention on another due to uncertain wants. Love is not all easy right? Especially when one does not belong to the other. long story short. The music in this is more simple, sad and direct. And thats all thats needed to make a song so beautiful yet strongly expressive.

-Fireworks-
There's always an up and down. In my book, this is one of those songs i have yet to have a 'liking' to it.
If i have to describe a scenario for this melody, it'll be a group of teens high on drugs in a room while the visions blur in and out spirally out of control. Can you picture it?..Keep in mind this is all only my point of view ya!
what the song is about? > ummmm....... (im too distracted by that image, i can hardly focus on the words).

-Random Awesome-
Back to being sober!
'Random awesome' is just awesome (period)
The melody in this one is just happily breathtaking yet simple. Its talks about falling in love and keeping it in between themselves.
It expresses the beauty and thrill of finding new love perfectly. This is one of those songs that just makes you want to smile quietly.
;)

-Rocket-
If you're a Yuna follower then this track would be all too familiar.
One of the 3 tracks from her previous album, 'Rocket' talks about being appreciative and happy to always have a partner to go through life with.
An easily love-able track, the melody here is so bubbly and fun...you can sense the happiness and love in this one. And Yuna still somehow keeps it simple and pleasing!
Now, all 3 tracks from the previous album had work done on the instrumentals. Here, there's more background vocals and extra instruments.
This track was recorded in LA.

-Permission-
Catchy indie beat.
'Permission' explains how one cope with a break-up. Pretending is all what she's trying to do. To pretend to move on and be happy when in fact, she's upset and empty.
Once love ends, EMPTINESS sets in everything an ex couple shared.
Just a brief explanation about this track.
Come to think of it, this track should just be tittled 'Empty'. :p


-Cinta Sempurna-
aahhhhh....'Cinta sempurna'
Another of my favourite from her previous album. One of the most emotional, heartfelt, sad malay song to date.
'Cinta Sempurna' tells how one is nto able to accept another's love and commitment due to fear of...perfection.
Did i not mention that love is complicated?
Well this song just states that not everything thats perfect ends beautifully.
The 'improvements' made on this track includes the background vocals and added violin instrumentals. classic.

-Decorate-
The MOST disappointing track in the album.
beautiful arrangements, perfect lyrics, clear expressions......what's the problem???
take a listen and tell me in 1 minuet why.
Time time time!It needs MORE.
Its too short for a bloody good song!!!!
I, no..WE, DEMAND a longer version of this!
such a waste of one of the most best track i've heard.
'Decorate' stories how one has been rejected but stays where they are in hopes of the ex 'comeback'. A sad song actually.
Its even more sad for us listeners when we only get 1 minuet of it. :(

-Super Something-
Back to being catchy, 'Super something' is another soundtrack potential song (to my ears) ;)
To me, it pretty much tells how Yuna is dedicating this song to all her friends who made it possibe for her to be what she is now...from nothing, to a super something!
But the beauty of this song more relates on how it can also be dedicated to just anyone who's made one very happy.

and finally....

-Dan Sebenarnye-
Yuna's winning song. The one that brought her to the limelight, making her known, and made her the big winner at the recent AIM.
'Dan Sebenarnye' is more of a rebound song (or so thats what she said in a radio interview in LA).
What the story is about?> Being in denial after a break-up. A sense of hope and 'what ifs' still holds on to one's bitter heart.
Unlike the other 2 previous song, 'Dan Sebenarnye' has been improvised in a total different way towards it's feel and emotion.
You can consider it an acoustic version of the song but with added instrumentals and better vocal clarity and performance.
To me, this is a better expression of the song. mellow...

So there you have it peeps...Yuna's DECORATE.
Worth the money to get.
The album will be sold nation wide in AUGUST.
Yuna has proven to herself and everyone else that she's a talented artist.

However, if you've been to her showcase or has been youtubing her performances the you'd noticed that some of the tracks she performed are not in the album...example: coffee.
This is due to its release only in her american album. darn....gotta get my hands on them somehow! When there's a will, there's a way baybeh :D


*So to YUNA, Kuddos on this well produced album!*

MUSIC > Safety

YAY!!!
Anastacia is back on the airwaves with another duet, this time featuring Dima Bilan.
The song tittled 'Safety' previewed yesterday on one of her biggest fansite, anastaciadreams.com

Now, time for my honesty....
'Safety' talks about being in love (ofcourse) and as a couple, you are there for each other's safety. A place of comfort.
Its very R&B-ish. Not as 'sprock' as i hoped it to be.
But no matter how, i love love love it!

Its as if my dear Anastacia has been watching over me then wrote and released this song at just the right time!
yes yes, im relating it to my private life here.
*wink

Nevertheless, some will love it, some will hate it.
But thats how the world is anyway...right?

So peeps, go ahead and take a listen. Its on youtube as well.

Ryan Seacrest for Fly.Fm

The rumours were hard to believe but now its true...Ryan Seacrest is the new crew for Malaysia's fastest growing radio station...Fly.Fm!

A delightful surprise indeed.

Starting 1st Jun 2010, Ryan Seacrest will be on air live from Hollywood exclusively for Fly.Fm every working day from 1pm till 4pm.

There's really nothing much for me to talk about other than what u can expect from his show..interviews from hollywoods hottest stars, chart topping music...and the rest, us Malaysian will just have to tune in to see what else Ryan has got to offer.

As from the date this blog is written, Its his second day being a Fly.Fm family member.

Ryan even tweeted saying "big shoutout to everyone listening to my show in Malaysia on @flyfm958! Im reading ur tweets...u guys rock"

Its official now that Fly.Fm is the coolest radio station in Malaysia.

Kuddos to those who made it possible!

~Kelly Clarkson live in Malaysia concert review~

She came, she sang, she conquered!
The 'original' American Idol, Kelly Clarkson, paid a visit to her Malaysian fans on the 25th of April 2010..on her Birthday!
And i was lucky enough to be able to catch her live at Stadium Bukit Jalil, KL.

The show started roughly after 7pm with Malaysian Idol, Jaclyn victor and One In A Million winner, Suki as opening acts.
Jaclyn Victor wowed the crowd with her vocal power by performing her first track on her 3rd album, Koleksi Gemilang (a medly combination of 25 malay songs).
Then, Suki hit the stage by perfroming some malay song ( which i dont know the tittle of) ;p

Finally, time has come...Kelly Clarkson came on stage roughly after 8.30pm with her opening song, All I Ever Wanted!
Dressed in her same outfit that she wore in her Australian concert the day before, Kelly decided to go barefoot! And she did this throughout the show.

Her Malaysian fans obviously adored her as they went wild throughout her present on stage and they even sang along beautifully to her songs. 'We' even tried singing happy birthday to her but was interrupted when she started singing another song. Kelly acknowledge our attempt after the song though ;p

Kelly is a fantastic vocalist and performer.
She's real, energetic, fun and you can see that she's very comfortable on stage among her fans and thats what makes me adore her even more!

i must admit that i wasn't really a big Kelly Clarkson fan before, but now after watching her live, im in love with this lady.

The show ended at 10pm and it felt like she just started minutes ago.

If Kelly Clarkson is making her way to a city near you, i'd strongly recommend you to go get your tickets!
















ps: sorry i have no photos of her on stage for i was completely too excited to take pictures when she's performing..lol

MUSiC> Gravity

One of my new favorite artist from the UK...Pixie Lott!
I've heard her album and i'll give it a 4 out of 5 ****

One of my favourite track on the album however has gotta be 'Gravity'.
The song tells the story of how she is in love with a guy but everyone around her says he's not good for her and that she should leave him for her own good.
But ofcourse the power of love sometimes wins, and she ended up not being able to leave him everytime she tries....just like gravity. You can only jump at your highest but your feet will be back on the ground.

One of those songs im sure many can relate to.

The video is simple.
Its shows her doing a contemporary dance in a black tutu, jumping off from the ground in a very nice formal outfit in slow motion and showing her show girl side in a short black wig and sexy black dressing (which reminds me a lot of Catherine Zeta-Jones actually).

Its not one of those dance song, neither is it a slow emotional song...its sort of has a very 'inspirational' vibe to it. But thats only my opinion. Check it out and judge for yourself :)

~Che'nelle~

Some may be unfamiliar with Che'nelle, but one thing's for sure is that here in Malaysia she's a household name and we're proud of it!

Cheryline Lim (Che'nelle's actual name) was born in Sabah, Malaysia.
She moved to Perth, Australia at the age of 10 with her family and studied her way into the music scene untill somebody recognized her talent and signed her up under a successful recording label in the US...Virgin Records America!

Since then, just like most artist out there, she's decided to choose a stage name for herself. Thus, Che'nelle was born!
Her music genre is more raggae-club-pop.

Back in Australia, Che'nelle was once an opening act for Kanye West's concert. This was one of the way she gained recognition down under.

But her big break came after her first single was released...'I Fell In Love With The Dj'.
It was an instant hit!
A smart approach indeed. I mean, how could you not like it?
Its Catchy, the beat is dance-able and the lyrics was written specially for a club scene.
So it's no wonder that all the clubs all over the world was (and still is) blasting the song away.
Once again..SMART ;)

Che'nelle then wrote and sang a soundtrack for 'Take The Lead'. A hit movie that put her on the charts yet again.
The track is simply tittled 'Teach me how to dance'.
The song is an awesome fast dance track and was even heard on 2 famouse reality dance show > 'Dancing With The Stars' and 'So you Think You Can Dance'.

By this time, Che'nelle has grown a large fanbase in Japan.
There, she's made a name for herself not only as a singer and entertainer but also a model. sexyyyyy *wink wink
And to reward her japanese fans, Che'nelle even released another single there tittled 'First Love'. One of my favourites.

In the music industry however, Che'nelle is no stranger...she's literally rubbed shoulders with some of the biggest names in music and even collabrated with some> namely, Colby O Donnis for 'Razor/stranger' and even the Mr. Lover Lover himself, Shaggy for 'Running The Muck'.
Che'nelle is also known for doing covers of other famouse songs (in which she'll turn them into a more sexy female version) such as 'Hot', 'Bed' and even a reply of 'Trading places' in which she kept Usher's vocals in it and turned it into a hot hot hot duet!

Che'nelle may seems like one of those sexy im-too-good-for-you celebrity but in person, she's still Cheryline Lim from Sabah. Humble.
I may not have personally met her before but im always keeping myself updated with her through facebook and myspace (this was way before facebook :p)
And she's never failed to reply any of my messages.
And from this i can tell that she's down to earth and loves keeping her fans connected.

Now Miss Che'nelle is out again with her second album soon to be released and her 2nd single is called 'Feel Good'. A feel good song without a doubt!
One of my favourite slower songs of the album has also gotta be 'Missing' and 'Venus and Mars'.

To all those reading this, i'd recommend you readers to go ahead and take a listen. She's a fantastic singer with an angelic voice and a good entertainer.
Im just waiting for the moment when she'll push Rihanna to the side of the stage! (though she doesnt like it when anyone compares her to Rihanna cuz each and everyone artist should be respected accordingly).

But nevertheless, keep your ears wide open and pay attention to Che'nelle cuz she's got a story for us all ;)