Female singer-songwriters are doing it for themselves at the inaugural YSD Arts Fest, writes Aref Omar
THEY may come from various backgrounds and have different personalities but the one thing the girls have in common is their undying passion for music.
When met at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre in Sentul, singer-songwriters Bihzhu, Ashley Chan and the artiste known as Takahara Suiko (a.k.a The Venopian Solitude) were excited to talk about their love of lyrical rhymes and melodies.
The quirkiest of the three is the scarf and baju kurung clad-Suiko. Expertly evading enquiries on her real name, the Shah Alam girl has been making waves with her experimental music through The Venopian Solitude (check out her YouTube videos for her oddball and strangely fresh music).
“I started when I was a kid but my mother told me ‘focus on studies’, so after SPM, I started messing around on the keyboard,” she says.
The self-taught musician started writing songs to counter stress while studying. When she completed her electronic engineering studies in Japan, she returned home and went into making music full-time.
“The names were all just made up when I wanted to form a band in 2009,” she says.
Currently signed to Aizat Amdan’s Kasi Gegar Entertainment label, Suiko released her debut album, Hikayat Perawan Majnun earlier this year, adding to the colourful indie scene.
Bihzhu, who started gigging in the local indie music scene nine years ago, says that the movement has grown.
“The Internet played a big part and now, every week there’s some musician or artiste doing something somewhere, so you can’t possibly catch them all,” says the Penang-born songstress with a rich and soulful voice.
Ashley adds that genre-wise, we are quite democratic with lots of space for different styles and flavours.
Bihzhu credits the growing interest to a maturing audience. “Unlike previously, it’s cool now to support local music,” she says.
Known for her positive vibes and soothing music which combines elements of jazz, soul, reggae and pop to refreshing results, her song The Heart Way, won Song Of The Year at the Vima 2013 Awards.
LOTS OF POSSIBILITIES
All three feel that the local music scene is currently in a very exciting place.
“We’re still building a lot of things and it can go anywhere so it feels like there are a lot of possibilities,” says Bihzhu.
When talking about challenges, she says that the biggest obstacle to music or any arts development is money.
“It’s a huge gamble for artistes to not have a full-time job with a pay cheque at the end of the month,” she says.
She also laments the ongoing situation where people expect her to do free gigs. “I’m not a diva and it has taken me a long time to be comfortable enough to say ‘no’,” says Bihzhu.
“It’s my career and I have to value myself as a performer and what I create after putting in a lot of hard work in order for others to value me as well.”
The trio agree that the indie music scene is a small one where everyone helps each other out, which include things like producing quality music videos.
“It has a lot to do with people you know and approaching friends for favours but we do give monetary tokens of appreciation,” says Ashley.
Bihzhu adds: “I hope it comes to a point where everyone gets what they deserve but it’s quite a tough challenge.”
As for goals, Suiko says her short-term one is to surpass herself every day. “My long-term goal is to destroy the music industry and for world domination,” she quips with a laugh.
With the success of local female artistes such as Yuna, Zee Avi and Shila Amzah overseas, that doesn’t sound like too big a dream.
“It’s about time,” says Bihzhu.
Ashley adds that their success is a great thing. “We still have that mindset of gender roles and what women are supposed to do but there are people trying to change the way we think,” she says.
For Bihzhu, making music and performing is her way of serving life. “Music is a universal language and being an instrument of love through music is just me doing my part — you never know the ripple effect of that,” she says.
She never thought her song, Tainted Temples, would be played on radio. “I found out from my publisher that it had been played in Scandinavia,” she says with a smile.
Bihzhu will be heading for South Korea next month to perform at the Jarasum International Jazz Festival and if everything goes well she’ll be heading off to Sydney for a gig.
She’s also dropping her new single next month with an accompanying music video and plans to release an album next year, followed by some touring.
“I try not to have fixed ideas of what I want to do since things may change a few years down the road but I hope I can do this for a long, long time,” says Bihzhu, who has performed at the Penang Island Jazz Festival, No Black Tie in Kuala Lumpur and Melbourne’s Miss Libertine.
For Ashley, it’s a great time to find herself musically. Currently a radio announcer, she has also hosted on TV and is active in the performing arts scene.
She is currently a singer with the indie pop punk outfit An Honest Mistake. The band has released three albums and played at shows like Rock The World, Singapore’s Baybeats and the Philippines’ Sonic Boom.
She says she brings a funky and groovy vibe to the band which is busy writing new material in addition to performing.
“I’ve never had a record out, so it’s exciting to make one with AHM but I’m also working on my own solo compositions, something in the veins of down-tempo electronica with R&B vocals,” she says.
ALL IN ONE PLACE
It seems that music is their radar but another thing the girls have in common is that they’ll be performing at the inaugural Yayasan Sime Darby Arts Festival. They agree that the festival is a great place for all to enjoy some quality and educational entertainment.
“Our country is so rich in culture and the festival is a great opportunity for the arts scene, not just in terms of music, since it has everything else all in one place,” says Ashley.
YSD Arts Festival co-producer Rosheen Fatima, who was also present, says that the event is a great way for people to discover different acts within the diverse musical line-up. In addition to the young urban and family crowd, she expects the festival to attract arts lovers from outside the Klang Valley as well.
Running with the tagline, A Malaysian Community Project, the YSD Arts Festival was launched last May.
Activities specially tailored for all age groups have been held since then, with a lead up to the two-day finale which takes place this weekend.
The finale will have over 200 events inculding workshops, performances and an array of contemporary and cultural activities at KLPaC.
Yayasan Sime Darby Arts Festival 2014
When: Saturday and Sunday, 10am-8pm. Gala night on Sunday, 8.30pm-10.30pm
(Bihzhu performs on Saturday at 4pm and Sunday at 1.30pm. An Honest Mistake performs on Saturday at 5.30pm and Sunday at 1pm. The Venopian Solitude performs on Saturday at 2.30pm and Sunday at 4pm.)
Where: KLPaC, Sentul West, Jalan Strachan, off Jalan Ipoh,KL
Admission: Free
Call 03-40479 000 or visit www.klpac.org for the schedule