KL SING SONG 2009: The 5th Annual Showcase of Malaysian Singer Songwriters

Music Concert

Fri 30 & Sat 31 Oct, 8.30pm
Sun 1 Nov, 3pm

Presented by Troubadours Enterprise

Admission RM25 (Presale), RM30 (Door)
Passes available online at http://www.applause.org.my


Troubadours Enterprise is proud to present KL Sing Song, an annual showcase of the best of Malaysian singer songwriters. Now in its 5th year, KL Sing Song 2009 presents yet another smashing instalment of soulful and endearing songs of love, life and survival as written and performed by our very own modern troubadours. This year we’re featuring 19 singer songwriters performing in three concerts held over three days at our new venue, The Annexe Gallery, located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.

This year’s list of stellar performers include Najwa, Nick Davis, Wani Ardy, Esam Salleh (from Stoned Revivals), and Nik who will be performing in KL Sing Song for the first time. Also featured are KL Sing Song stalwarts Pete Teo, Meor, Liyana Fizi (from Estrella), and Karen Nunis Blackstone. We also welcome back to KL Sing Song our favourites Yuna, Melina William, Rendra Zawawi, Edwin & Albert, Paolo Delfino, Sharidir & Nizam P, Otam, Izzy Mohamed, and special guest David Knight.

Passes for KL Sing Song 2009 will be available for sale online at http://www.applause.org.my starting 26 September 2009.

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PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Latest Update: Liyana (from Estrella) and Wani Ardy changed their performance slots. So Liyana is now performing on Fri 30 Oct, and Wani is performing on Sat 31 Oct. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Latest Update: We regret to announce that Shanon Shah has pulled out of KL Sing Song 2009. A replacement for Shanon will be confirmed soon.

Latest Update: We're mucho happy to announce that Ray Cheong has been confirmed to play KL Sing Song 2009 on Sunday 1 Nov. This is the first time Ray is appearing in KL Sing Song.

FRI 30 OCT, 8.30pm
Liyana (from Estrella)
Melina William
Rendra Zawawi
Paolo Delfino
Nick Davis
Izzy Mohamed

SAT 31 OCT, 8.30pm
Pete Teo
Karen Nunis Blackstone
Meor
Slowjaxx
Edwin & Albert
Wani Ardy

SUN 1 NOV, 3pm
Ray Cheong
Yuna
Najwa
Otam
Sharidir & Nizam P
Nik
David Knight

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SINGER SONGWRITER BIOS
In alphabetical order

DAVID KNIGHT
David Knight has played widely within the San Francisco Bay Area, most notably during his run with the ambient/rock band Day One Symphony. He has also toured the east coast of the US, played shows in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and a solo tour in Kuala Lumpur in 2008. His current catalog includes the Day One Symphony EP 'A Vicious Circle' (2005), his own 'Collected Works (2005-08),' and the online EP 'Mandala.' David is also a member of Bay Area band Panthelion as a singer/guitarist/effects technician.
Visit: http://www.myspace.com/knightdavidl

EDWIN & ALBERT
"We're not a duo, not a band, not a group…we're cousins!" says Edwin, one half of, well, Edwin & Albert. They both have different taste for soft drinks and the brand of hair gel they use but they both share a love for The Beatles. Members of the same church, they've been performing on and off since 2005 and write mostly happy, catchy uplifting songs that smell of rainbows and morning dew. Music has always been a way of finding beauty and happiness in the midst of their chaotic lives and playing music and writing songs helps them to do just that.
Visit: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=40822552488

IZZY MOHAMED
Izzy has been singing for 4 years now. She first started singing in late 2004. Ever since then she has been active in the singer-songwriter scene. She’s performed at Alexis, No Black Tie, KLPac, Paul’s Place, SohoKL, La Bodega and couple of other places. Izzy is sometimes accompanied by a back-up band consists of Aie on drums, Alda Tan on Bass, and Ling on keyboard. Besides singing at gigs, she also experienced singing at weddings. Izzy sings pop, acoustic folk, alternative and sometimes jazz. Her songs are about love, life and experiences. Apart from singing, she organizes gigs occasionally around Kuala Lumpur.
Visit: www.myspace.com/izzymohamed

KAREN NUNIS BLACKSTONE
Karen Nunis Blackstone is a Malaysian singer songwriter, and visual artist currently based in Singapore. Her songs are a fusion of blues, jazz, folk and rock, with lyrics that explore her “East meets West” background. Karen has performed extensively locally and overseas, including Japan, Singapore, India, Pakistan, Los Angeles, and New York. She released her first album “Give Me Sanity” in 2000, followed by her second album “Dark Sun Big Rain” in 2008, which was nominated for Best English Album at the AIM 2009.
Visit http://www.myspace.com/karennunisblackstone

LIYANA FIZI
Liyana Fizi, from the pop band Estrella, has been wowing local audiences with her heartfelt songs of youthful romance, showcasing her sensual girl-next-door vibe, melodic songwriting and chilled out bossa nova-ish groove. Their self-titled debut album was a huge hit and their songs “Stay” and "Ternyata" have topped almost every local music chart.
Visit: http://www.myspace.com/estrellaband

MELINA WILLIAM
Renowned as the feisty, energetic and accomplished vocalist, guitarist and bassist of local rock band Tempered Mental, Melina William originally hails from Sarawak and has been gradually building a reputation as a talent to be reckoned with in the local music scene. Tempered Mental recently released their debut album, produced by Greg Henderson.
Visit http://www.myspace.com/temperedmentaltm

MEOR
Meor Aziddin Yusof is an independent Malay language folk singer-songwriter who has been performing since 1984 and has had a major label recording release Pesta Jiwa (2000) before deciding to take the independent route and continued his craft as a busker in Kuala Lumpur, notably in Kuala Lumpur's Central Market. He is the most prolific local independent singer-songwriter with six albums to date. His critically acclaimed album “Itu Padang... Aku Disitu” (2003) is considered a classic in the non-mainstream music scene.
Visit http://www.pestajiwa.net

NAJWA
Known for her soulful and powerful voice, Najwa has been actively performing her own songs since 2004 when she was studying overseas. She is very much influenced by Billie Holiday, EllaFitzgerald, and neo-soul artistes like Erykah Badu and Jill Scott. Currently.pursuing a degree in music at International College Of Music, Najwa plans to record and release her debut album of original songs after her studies. This year, her duet with Malique ‘Kau Yang Punya’ received tremendous airplay on radio stations.
Visit http://www.myspace.com/najwamahiaddin

NICK DAVIS
Nick Davis is an actor, singer songwriter and composer. He composed and performed music for Helena Foo's directorial debut "The Shape Of Things" and recently acted and composed music for "Lao Jiu, The Ninth Born" directed by Chee Sek Thim. He is recently worked on a new project composing for Helena Foo's "Three", a physical theatre piece and acted as the character William, a play written by Shanon Shah, and directed by Jo Kukathas and Zalfian Fuzi, AIRCOND. He currently produces an acoustic show called "This Is Acoustic" with singer songwriter Ian Chow at KLpac.
Visit: http://nickdavismusic.blogspot.com

NIK
Hailing from Pahang Darul Makmur , Nik bin Jidan is a full time music busker who also performs at indie shows and corporate gigs. He has released 2 EPs entitled ‘Garisan Abstrak’ and ‘javidnamah c4-llpk’. His songs deal with themes of love and humanity. Known for his aggressive strumming and loud, raspy vocals, Nik, a self taught musician, is a familiar face at Central Market where he sometimes busks as well as various popular spots in Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur.

OTAM
Having lived and busked in Calgary, Canada, for several years, Otam made a splash in local circuit with his chilled out acoustic jams, laid back songs and gruff vocals upon returning home. One of the most affable personalities amongst the acoustic performers in town, Otam is sure to wins hearts and new fans at his gigs.
Visit: http://www.myspace.com/otamandnovak

PAOLO DELFINO
Dirty sneakers, broken guitar picks, lush guitar playing and soulful sounds would aptly describe Philippines-born and Malaysia-bred, Paolo Delfino. With a style of music that incorporates strong melodies, acoustic textures and old-school soul mixed with pop sensibilities and a dash of retro vibes, Paolo is quickly garnering attention with his fresh sound and quirky songwriting. No self-indulgent 5 minute solos here, he’s on a mission to entertain and he aims to please. He released an EP in 2008 called “In Between The Odds & Evens”
Visit: http://www.myspace.com/paolodelfino

PETE TEO
Pete Teo achieved cult fame in the Hong Kong alternative pop scene as one half of the duo Mid-Century. After disbanding the group, Teo returned to Malaysia, and gradually returned to making music industry as an independent solo artiste. Known for his intelligent and accomplished songwriting and performances, his debut solo album “Rustic Living for Urbanites” (2003) was released to critical acclaim, winning awards and backed by promotional performances in Japan, USA and Singapore. Teo also founded a series of concerts called “The Songwriters Round” which featured many local singer songwriters. He released his second album “Television” (2007) which won Best English Album at AIM 2008. He is very active in the film industry, appearing in films by James Lee and Ho Yuhang and contributing to film soundtracks including Yasmin Ahmad’s “Talentime”. Most recently he produced 15Malaysia, a short film project involving 15 Malaysian filmmakers and artistes.
Visit http://www.peteteo.com

RAY CHEONG
Ray Cheong has a voice as true as a bell, world-weary as a Charlie Chaplin smile, as broken as a heart. Hailing from Penang, Ray has performed both as a solo artiste and with his band on numerous stages including the “U-Countdown 2007 New Year’s Eve Concert” with famous Taiwan artistes, Project OMG, KL GP Couture and Cusine Festival, No Black Tie and more. Ray was winner of Digi Celebriteen Singing Competition 2006 and was featured as one of CLEO magazine’s 50 most eligible bachelors. His music is a funky blend of bluesy pop rock that has drawn comparisons with John Mayer and Ben Harper.
Visit http://amp.channelv.com/raycheong

RENDRA ZAWAWI
Rendra Zawawi is a soul-folk acoustic singer-songwriter known for his strong vocals and his honest yet dynamic songs. Rendra writes about everyday life - love, turmoils, environment, wars. His studies abroad in UK have given him unique influences on his music - both in melody compositions and lyrics. He has performed extensively locally and overseas, including Japan and Dublin. Rendra released an independant EP in the year 2005 which was recorded in Luncai Emas. In 2007 he released a CD-R of his new materials.
Visit: http://www.myspace.com/rendrazawawi

SHARIDIR & NIZAM P
Known to be one of the most talented buskers around, Sharidir or formerly known by his nickname Sherry, is a veteran independent folksinger-songwriter who writes distinctively unique songs, with equally unique and melodious vocal styling that is both strong and raw. With experience of busking overseas and performing songs in both English and Malay, he has been entertaining passersby in the streets of Central Market , KL for the past decade or more. His performances are also supported by fellow partner Nizam P on percussions.
Visit: http://www.the-wknd.com/index.php/sessions?task=videodirectlink&id=35

SLOWJAXX
Founding member of The Stoned Revivals, Esam Salleh dabbles in stripped down acoustic music on his solo project Slowjaxx, cheekily branding his form of music as “void deck rubber soul”. Born in Singapore, Esam moved to KL in 2006 and has performed and collaborated extensively with musicians and artists in both countries and overseas in Vietnam, Thailand, San Francisco and Haight Ashbury. Esam plans to invade Melbourne next.
Visit: http://www.myspace.com/thestonedrevivals

WANI ARDY
A pasisonate wordsmith, Wani Ardy personifies the bipolarities of modern twentysomething. Her campfire-esque singalongs are celebratory, intense and nurturing, the perfect soundtrack to growing up, getting lost and finding your way back home in the big city. She released a self-released EP in 2008 which has been making its rounds around town and winning new listeners.
Visit: http://www.myspace.com/waniardy

YUNA
Yunalis Zarai began writing songs when she was 14 years old, and started performing at 19 for small acoustic shows for cafes and events, and continued performing at numerous places around Malaysia for the past 3 years. Yuna’s meteoric rise into the local independent scene is largely thanks to the strong following she gained through her Myspace Music account. It is hard to resist the charm she enthuses in her music, causing her daily listenership that to rack up to a thousand or two; an astonishing feat by a local act.
Visit http://www.myspace.com/yunaroomrecords