KUALA LUMPUR: Thanks to his melodious, yet easy-listening single in Mandarin titled Gulf Of Alaska, young new singer Firdhaus Farmizi has suddenly gained massive attention by trending in China.
The song, which he released together with three other self-composed tracks in an EP titled The Letter last November, went viral on the Chinese app Douyin.
According to a news report yesterday, the app, which is akin to TikTok, saw his Mandarin song receiving more than 170 million views.
The 22-year-old singer from Kulai, Johor said that he is fluent in written and spoken Mandarin due to having received his education at Chinese schools.
"However, being a Malay, of course I can speak and sing in my mother tongue too," he said.
The singer also admitted that many were confused about his ethnic background, since he is fluent in Mandarin and has more Chinese friends and followers on social media.
"I didn't expect that the song would go viral in China," said Firdhaus, who started sharing his cover versions of songs on Instagram and TikTok last year after the movement control order came into effect in March.
It took a while before Douyin users started singing his song on the app but eventually more music listeners began to follow him on social media, including fellow Malaysians.
"There had been requests for me to record a Malay version of the single. God-willing, should an opportunity arise, that's what I'll do," he said.
Loolala Music, the record label that manages Firdhaus, plans to bring the new talent to China once the Covid-19 pandemic is under control and the ban on international travel has been lifted.