Think speed dating, singer-songwriter style. 12 Malaysian singer-songwriters were paired-up to write 12 brand-new songs in a mere 12-hour period.
The producers threw in another curveball. The singer-songwriters only found out who they were paired up with a day before the launch of …And The Curtain Rises on 25 May. Fuad of Kyoto Protocol confessed that, normally, songwriting would take months!
If that doesn’t sound challenging enough, each pair had to write not one but two new songs about issues and causes close to their heart. Whether the sparks flew or not, the singer-songwriters had no choice but to make it work.
The singer-songwriters brave enough to take up the task were Aina Abdul, Beverly Matujal, Brendan de Cruz, Dickson Chai, Endee Ahmad, Fuad of Kyoto Protocol, Isaac Ho, Melissa Toh, Nick Davis, Otam, Priscillia Xavier, and Shir Ling & Jacq Teng.
The singer-songwriters brave enough to take up the task were Aina Abdul, Beverly Matujal, Brendan de Cruz, Dickson Chai, Endee Ahmad, Fuad of Kyoto Protocol, Isaac Ho, Melissa Toh, Nick Davis, Otam, Priscillia Xavier, and Shir Ling & Jacq Teng.
During the live performance on 26 and 27 May, music lovers gathered to witness the premiere of the 12 new songs at …And the Curtain Rises. In high spirits, these brave singer-songwriters delivered a powerful show on abuse, suicide, racism, the environment and more that ran for an hour and a half at Pentas 2, klpac.
Although the producers took a risk in pairing the singer-songwriters this way, the gamble clearly paid off. Aina Abdul said that it was her first time working with Nick Davis, but it gave her the opportunity to attempt a more aggressive style and to achieve a whole new sound in her singing.
So, did the 12 singer-songwriters deliver? Judging from the final curtain call and wild cheers from the audiences at both shows, they certainly did.
Fuad of Kyoto Protocol and Aina Abdul kicked off the show with a moving song titled, “Dollar”. The duo were inspired by a quote from a person living with HIV who said, “Saya tak perlu satu ringgit pun dari kamu tapi saya perlu sokongan kamu.” They dedicated their song to Moon.
For many of the singer-songwriters, it was their very first time working with each other. Well-known singer-songwriter Dickson Chai’s dream came true when he was paired up with Endee Ahmad. It was his first time working with Endee, but it certainly did not show in their catchy song, “Don’t Take It For Granted”, where they alternated between Bahasa Malaysia and Mandarin.
The songs will not be performed again at the festival finale. For those who missed it, you still have a chance to grab the CD of the live recording. The CDs will be awarded to early-birds who attend the Yayasan Sime Darby Arts Festival 2018 (#YSDAF2018) finale weekend on 18 & 19 August at The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (klpac).
Only 1,000 CDs will be given out each day, and early-birds need to register at the enquiry desk for on-the-spot collection. The CD is unavailable for sale.
Here’s the CD’s track listing:
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