Here In My Home

The inspiration for this entry came along when I suddenly realised today that I've NEVER seen the video for Innuendo's Belaian Jiwa despite it being one of my all time favourite songs. Almost like a chemical reaction with an added catalyst, it triggered me to realise that in fact there are a lot of local videos which I've not had the chance to see before. Whereas in the old days, the only way you could hope to catch them was determined by whether the TV stations wanna play them (and even if they did you might not be watching at that time), nowadays we have the saviour in the form of YouTube!

I have to admit 95% (or more) songs I listen to are not local music, as I believe is so with many other people who grew up in the cities in Malaysia. So in hopes to boost the confidence and belief in our local music industry, I've decided to post up some videos of songs made wonderfully by our very own Malaysians, and will also give other kids who grew up in the Klang Valley like myself a chance to watch these videos and relive the songs, maybe for the first time even:

1) Belaian Jiwa - Innuendo


Come on, everyone knows this song (or so they should). Who would have thought Innuendo could come out of nowhere with such a HUGE and beautiful ballad that had everyone, and I do mean everyone, in school singing and swooning along? To date, I have not encountered a single Malaysian who can say they don't love this song. Of course, in today's time, it would be very weird seeing a bunch of guys with long floppy hair singing a love ballad. That's sooo yesterday. But the quality of the song definitely survives the test of time. Until today, I have yet to come across a local Malay song which was as big as this was back in its heyday. Of course, everyone waited with bated breath then for Innuendo's next follow-up hit, and we waited... and waited...

2) Kau Ilhamku - Man Bai


Another HUGEEE song that I grew up listening to. This was THE acoustic song to play back then if you wanted to inject some local flavour into your performance. Back in my school days, Talentime contests were held all the time (not sure if the tradition still continues now), and you can bet at least 1 person will perform this song for sure! Yes the video looks low budget (and probably is, I mean it's basically a few guys sitting together with guitars, and some standing fan placed in front of Mr Man Bai to provide the shirt-being-blown effect), but once again it's the song quality that takes centrestage.

3) Istimewa - Indigo


I'm ashamed to admit I have never heard this fine Malay song until I accidentally discovered it from one of Hariz's song collections. And I was hooked ever since. Once again though, the video leaves much to be desired. I mean does it not remind you of the Salem Cool Planet videos of yore? I actually rolled my eyes when I saw the guy riding into the forest on a white horse. Eee damn cheesy man...

4) Seindah Biasa - Siti Nurhaliza


No list of local songs would be complete without mentioning Siti, now would it? Without doubt the undisputed pop goddess in the local music scene. I admit I do not listen to her regularly, but I have to admit she's got fantastic vocals with a pretty and marketable face to boot. I still remember vividly she first burst onto the music scene with her Jerat Percintaan winning performance on Anugerah Juara Lagu, and well she has never looked back since. There was even a time when she NEVER walked away from award shows empty-handed for YEARS! Certainly one of, if not the biggest, singer Malaysia has ever produced.

5) Gemilang - Jaclyn Victor


Admit it. Jac was definitely the saviour of Malaysian Idol. It's no secret the quality of contestants on the show was sorely lacking, and if not for Jac, the show may not even have returned for a 2nd season (and it showed when no one in the 2nd season could even hold a candle to Jac's brilliance). Jac literally swept the floor with Dina during that finale night. I still remember watching her perform Gemilang and it still gives me goosebumps watching her build the momentum up, and the next morning, EVERYONE at work was raving about the performance and how good she was. Everything was perfect: the vocals, the rapport with the back-up singers and audience, all building up to 1 final big note. And I mean BIG. Now this is what all big vocal singers should regard as the Holy Grail performance. So good was she that night, she was never able to repeat it again in subsequent performances of the same song (as evident on last year's Asian Idol).

6) Estranged - Itu Kamu


This is definitely one of the newer songs on the block. Very refreshing and definitely one of the better local rock songs to hit the airwaves.

7) Operator, The Line Is Dead - Lo


If I thought listening to local Malay songs was rare, it was even rarer to listen to local English songs! During my schooling years, local English songs were really few and far in between, and it was only in the recent years when Hitz heavily promoted local English artistes did we start to notice them. Of course Lo was also one of the main guys involved too. He debuted his Evening News hit with such great response that he was an instant hit. I personally think his songwriting skills have improved tremendously as is evident with this Operator song. Haha I also think he's one cool local celeb, definitely someone I wanna photograph with given the opportunity (well Lo, if you are somehow reading this please take note!).

8) Tong Hua - Michael Wong


We can't forget the fact that our local Chinese artistes are actually VERY huge in the international Chinese market, and one fine example is Michael Wong. This is really a huge favourite song of mine. Simple, touching, with the perfect sing along chorus. Think you will enjoy this even if you are not Chinese.

9) Superwoman - Gary Cao Ge


Another local Chinese lad who has gained a big reputation overseas. I think he did really wonderful with this Superwoman remake. So NOT cheesy, and he has somehow managed to add such a cool vibe to a classic song.

10) Here In My Home - Malaysian Artistes For Unity


Well this is the last one and also the latest! I love the fact that all these local celebs are joining hands to make such a recording. It's reminiscent of the US artistes who often come together for the big charity songs eg We Are The World, and the more current What's Goin' On a few years back. This song is definitely timely to celebrate the diversities of our cultures. Yes we may not be perfect yet, but if I myself can have a Malay bro and an Indian buddy, what isn't possible?