The musical spark behind Ola Bola and numerous patriotic songs, US-based composer and lyricist Rendra Zawawi is back — this time on a special Petronas project with two 'super singers'
WHEN Malaysians are asked to name successful male musicians based in the United States, Rendra Zawawi is often the first to come to mind.
The award winner has had his work featured on international shores including the US, the United Kingdom, Japan and Southeast Asia.
The Los Angeles-based composer and music producer graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston in contemporary writing and production, and is best known for composing the scores for films such as M For Malaysia and Ola Bola.
Rendra has carved a niche for himself In Hollywood too, composing music for dramas such as Fox's American Horror Story and FX's American Crime Story.
He has also composed and written songs for Malaysian artistes, most notably We Are The Ones (performed by Jeryl Lee), Together We Rise (the SEA Games 2017 song performed by Jaclyn Victor and Vince Chong) and Bermula Kita (by Yuna).
Rendra's singing credits include being featured in Rock The World 2010, opening for legendary singer Datuk M. Nasir, and performing at the Rhythm Of The Universe 2013 in Boston.
His latest project
Back in Kuala Lumpur on Dec 10 to catch up with his family, Rendra is currently undergoing quarantine at a hotel in the Bukit Bintang area.
He is delighted to unveil his latest project, which he describes as his "patriotic duty" to the national oil company Petronas.
Rendra's newest composition titled A Growing Passion is specially commissioned by Petronas to mark its rebranding campaign for 2021.
The power-packed song performed by "super singers" Adibah Noor and Jaclyn also comes with a state-of-the-art music video produced by the company.
In it, Adibah and Jaclyn portray various Petronas personnel in different scenes. They range from scientists involved in developing green technology, to engineers working on an oil rig in the South China Sea.
The prestigious Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) joins them, too, being Petronas' major contribution to Malaysian music.
In a league of their own
Rendra said: "I worked only on the song and was not involved in the music video except maybe its direction which followed the song's narrative.
"I was approached by Petronas around August last year to musically translate its new vision for the coming year.
"The song needed to encompass its new branding and design. It also had to be memorable and catchy with the right amount of synchronicity."
Rendra took a month to conceptualise and finalise both music and lyrics.
"One night, I was walking around KLCC at 2am, circling the majestic Petronas Twin Towers for inspiration. That's when I came up with the title A Growing Passion."
As for the choice of Adibah and Jaclyn as the singers, Rendra said they were approached by Petronas.
"I'm glad they did. Adibah and Jaclyn are absolutely amazing to work with. They are talented artistes and great human beings.
"I worked with Jaclyn for the SEA Games 2017 song but it was my first collaboration with Adibah. The process of recording was effortless.
"A big hand to both of them for a job well done. I hope I can work with them again in the future."
Rendra described Adibah and Jaclyn as "singers who are in a league of their own".
"There was never a doubt in my mind that their performance was going to be beyond satisfactory. I allowed them to bring their own artistry into the song as they truly bring magic into everything they sing."
In touch with loved ones
A Growing Passion is Rendra's first major corporate project and he is honoured to be involved in the rebranding project by Petronas which for him, is a truly Malaysian multinational brand.
Rendra's quarantine ends only on Dec 23 but it hardly bothers him, as he wants his family members to be safe.
"It's just a prolonged period of quiet time for me. Thank God for social media as I'm always in touch with my loved ones," he said, adding that for this return trip, he wanted to spend quality time with his parents.
"I'll be starting on some projects in February back in LA, and will be pretty much occupied the whole year round."
Music for TV and cinema
Throughout 2020, Rendra has had some cool opportunities to provide music for various shows in the US.
"You can hear some of them in shows like NatGeo's Life Below Zero, Real Murders Of Orange County, Running Wild with Bear Grylls and Nightwatch.
"I also had the opportunity to work on a really cool triple-A title video game earlier this year, and it's something to do with zombies!
Once he is back in LA, Rendra will be writing music for television shows.
"My biggest dream is to score for Hollywood films, and I'm pretty close to achieving that."
On whether he collaborates with his younger siblings, US-based musician Hameer Zawawi and UK-based singer-songwriter Kai Khan, Rendra said they mostly met up in KL.
"We used to jam together on stage back in the day. But nowadays, with everyone so far apart, it's a little less organic to do things.
"Furthermore, each of us now has grown. We are so vastly different in our musicality.
"But never say never. It's not impossible that one day we may just decide to do a song together!"
The music video for A Growing Passion can be viewed at www.facebook.com/watch/?v=690808224890892