There’s a sense you get with JAIE that she’s not making music from or for a specific place, but that she’s making music as a citizen of the world. This largely comes from her being so well travelled (she’s lived in New York, Copenhagen and Berlin amongst other places). There’s a worldliness and spunk about her that’s missing from so many bedroom artisans. But who is the mysterious belle behind the songs? And why is she even making music? Her answer, “I’ve never felt the same connection to other

Naavin did weigh in that a lot still needs to be done for Malaysian football to properly compete on the international stage, “We have to be intentional in developing our players physically and mentally from the grassroots.” However as mentioned before, the tournament is very much a tournament to unearth unknown stars so it’s less about the effectiveness of our training regime and sports science and more about how many of our boys and girls are out there every evening kicking a ball around a fiel

Takahara Suiko is like an atom bomb that was dropped on to our unsuspecting music scene. Since debuting with her band of musical misfits and gypsies The Venopian Solitude, she has been on a warpath to effect and re-orientate the status quo. Her music is in-your-face, quirky and blood-and-guts honest. But the most important thing is that she would have no qualms with making you feel uncomfortable if it means being herself. And people have bought into her Kool-Aid, given that it’s an absolute

What’s in a name? In the case of bands, it could be a lot. From Toad the Wet Sprocket to Dogs Die In Hot Cars, band names are very much an essential part of band-lore. One could argue Death Cab for Cutie’s meteoric rise could be initially equally attributed to their zany name, as much as their delicious indie pop sound. It’s never certain though. Just look at Coldplay. Nobody’s going to be rushing to attribute their world-conquering antics to their tepid moniker. But we can all agree an ‘interesting’ name can get you noticed. And more importantly, what is the story behind how they got those names to begin with? Wouldn’t you want to know how Jaggfuzzbeats came to deciding on their name? As such, we tracked down a few Malaysian bands to find out just what is the story behind their zany band names.

Youth Portal takes a leaf out of the languid indie pop of Chicago band Smith Westerns. It’s not terribly complicated, but it’s got buckets of charm. It’s a straightforward cut built around a driving 4/4 backbeat, a singular guitar hook and two wonderful sounding chords. Sometimes that’s all you need. It’s the kind of music that inspires you to want to make some yourself, by just how easy and effective it all sounds.

It’s not easy being an Introvert in this world. After all, the tenets of modern society requires one to not be constantly alone and inward but to reach out and connect. It has become accepted by introverts the world over that if they want to excel in the working world, they would need to stretch out their more extroverted attributes. The common misconceptions remain, that introverts are not as sociable as extroverts or not as expressive. This definition is not accurate if we are using MBTI as a measuring stick. The only difference between an introvert and extrovert is what activity energises or drains them. An introvert can be as sociable or even more socially apt than an extrovert – it just takes more energy out of them.

Singer-songwriter Amrita Soon is clearly a whimsical creature. One only needs to roughly comb through her blog entries to clearly see that. She talks about experiences like being able to hear her audiences’ conversations while she’s playing or about missing her brother’s laughter because she’s been too busy. But mostly, it’s in the way she talks about music, like it’s not just a large part of her existence, but the reason for it. This is after all a girl who at the tender age of 15, paid her

Much like most musical genres these days, division lines can be drawn pretty intricately on hardcore music. Initially a more aggressive offshoot of punk rock borne out of the streets of Southern California with pioneers such as Minutemen and Black Flag, the genre, much like most genres, has gone through metamorphosis over the years. It has branched out to sub-genres such as metalcore (an amalgamation with metal) up to Nintendocore (look that one up).

It was legendary lyricist E.Y. Harburg who once said that, “Words make you think. Music makes you feel. A song makes you feel a thought”. Within the first few notes of Noh Salleh’s gorgeous “Sarawak”, your thoughts are transported poignantly to another time and place. Of maharajas breezily making their way across padi fields on their elephants while large hand-held fans are waved beside their faces to help them brave the tropical sun. Of maidservants slowly making their way back to palaces w

To call Bittersweet Britpop revivalists would be somewhat incorrect because to them, it never went away. In their world, Damien Hirst remains the artist extraordinaire, Justine Frischmann is the belle of the ball and Oasis is still the loudest band in the world. The single “Inspire Desire” is their latest love letter to Suede. If you think that’s blatant labeling, then pause this song’s music video at 2:31. Bittersweet has never been apologetic about their allegiances. The rich tube-driven g

They say that it’s always lonely at the top, which makes you wonder what would possess the frontman of one of the most popular bands in these parts, one that consistently sells out shows and records, to record and release a solo album. Yet that is what Noh Salleh of Hujan did recently with his solo album ‘Angin Kencang’. But wait, doesn’t he already write all the songs for Hujan? “I guess I wanted to try something on my own,” says Noh, “I’m a big fan of SORE (Indonesian band) and I’ve always dreamt about writing retro French-style pop songs but singing in ‘bahasa’ Nusantara. That’s not really Hujan.

Today marks the 8th death anniversary of much-loved film director Yasmin Ahmad. Her loss was one that was felt by all Malaysians. If you did not resonate with her brilliant films, you would definitely have been touched by her moving festive-themed ads for Petronas. The growing mainstream interest in Malaysian films since the mid-2000s can be attributed to her 2005 film ‘Sepet’, a simple interracial love story that captured the hearts and minds of Malaysian viewers from all walks of life. Here are a list of directors who, like Yasmin, have in one way or another made an impact on Malaysian cinema.

Films capture moods and feelings probably in a way no other medium could. We watch comedies to cheer ourselves up during sad moments and we watch fantastical blockbusters to get away from the mundanity of life. If you’ve just broken up, it’s probably best to avoid ‘The Notebook’ for awhile. Films can make us feel things we never knew we could. That’s why we love them, because there is always a film for every mood or moment we have. Here’s a list of local films and when we think you should be watching them.

Record producers are always credited with the success of an album. However, do you know what is it exactly that they do to make that happen? Just what is it about the world-renowned producers such as Mark Ronson (Adele, Christina Aguilera and Amy Winehouse) and Rick Rubin (Metallica, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Aerosmith), that have huge artistes all over the world clamouring to work with them? The internet describes them as ‘being the person that oversees and manages the sound recording of a band or performer’s music.’ They are the ones who gather musical ideas for an album and work with the artiste to help improve the lyrics and arrangements of the songs. If they have enough clout, they can even strongly suggest how a guitar riff should be played, or how a piece of lyric should be delivered.

Urbanscapes rather loftily dubs itself as ‘Malaysia’s creative arts festival’, but the truth is, not many would argue against it. The first edition played host to just a couple of hundred guests but recent editions have seen thousands filling up venues all across the Klang Valley to get a piece of the action. 15 years is a long time for almost anything these days, and for Urbanscapes to still be generating buzz after all these years speaks volumes about its influence on the Malaysian creative ar

There are many Malaysian artistes that have made it to the international stage but some of them have had to work hard on their own and earn that success through sheer determination. No government sponsorships, no help from friends in high places. Just constantly plugging away without giving up while being powered by their obvious talent. Here, we’ve listed 6 artistes that have had international success by the merit of their own grit and toil, which in turn makes us feel even prouder that they carry the birth flag of our country.

Malaysia is a footballing mad country, and few would disagree. People shuffle off to sports bars, ‘mamaks’ and the comfort of their couches on weekends just to catch the latest EPL and European matches. In that same breath, these same football crazy fans would love to have a national football team they can be proud of. Malaysia has not always impressed in the international stage, but there have been some wonderful, celebration-worthy moments. We’ve listed 7 below.

Crews are an essential part of the hip hop experience. Most hip hop artistes worth their salt have a crew to back them up. An artiste’s crew acts as a petri dish for germinating ideas, collaborations and rhymes. It’s what hip hop is all about. A solid crew can really move and shake the scene. Just look at Odd Future. It’s no different here in the hot and humid Malaysian hip hop scene. But do you know the main crews that rock the scene in these parts? We list a few essential ones to get you started.

Is it possible to be engaged at work without relating to the people you work with? Probably not. As much as some of us would not be warmed to the idea that our happiness at work is dependent on another person, more often than not, it is. Having someone at work you can relate to on a personal level is the thing that gets you out of bed with that extra zip. As humans, we fundamentally crave connection, even at work. But finding someone you can relate to at work is not a given. Sometimes we are thrust into work situations where we are surrounded by people we have little or no affinity with. How do you know if you are fitting into your work community? Here are some signs.

When the best leader's work is done the people say, 'We did it ourselves.' - Lao Tzu There was an age when monarchs used to lead their troops into battles. They would be soiled with the blood of their people and those that were not, caked in the same grime as their people in the trenches, ate the food that their people were fed and quite often, died with their people as well. To be a leader in that age was to be someone who would never ask their people to do something they were not willing to do themselves. It wasn't enough that you ascended through royal lineage, you had to be ready to prove yourself capable and worthy to lead everyday. And at the end of the day, to lead sacrificially when necessary.