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While he still had a job to go to every day, he saw that many others either suffered pay cuts or lost employment altogether and were forced to literally raise the white flag in a desperate bid for financial aid.
“It was at that time I penned down the chorus of my debut Malay song ‘Terima Kasih’ in collaboration with singer Hazama because I felt grateful about my circumstances,” he told FMT in a phone interview.
He said this collaboration was made possible by the Cultural Economy Development Agency, also known as Cendana, a body set up to help artistes wishing to launch new projects.
Balan, a Klang homeboy, known for his popular Tamil song “Start That Thiruvizha” said that it was a leap of faith for him to not only rap but write the lyrics to a catchy Malay song.
Growing up with Malay friends, Balan said he was proud of his identity as a Malaysian and wanted to deliver a song in the national language. All his previous works are in Tamil and English.
And to qualify as a Malay song, Balan had to ensure that at least 70% of the lyrics were in Malay.
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After Balan had penned the chorus and first verse, renowned rapper Altimet was roped in to polish the language and to ensure the lyrics rhymed well.
The song is a recounting of Balan’s musical journey including the many hurdles he faced along the way and the support he received from friends and in particular, his mother.
He said he never forgot this one piece of advice she gave him: to never shy away from challenges but to face up to them in order to become a good singer.
In building his career as a singer, he also came to realise that materialism had no place in his life.
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“Why should I live a life where the number of properties I own or the type of car I drive defines my identity? I’m grateful for who I am and what I’ve become.”
Making it a point not to agonise over the song’s acceptance once it was released, he was genuinely surprised when several Malay stations called to interview him, including east coast radio station, MolekFM. Later he was invited to EraFm for an interview as well.
“Honestly, since it was my first ever Malay song, I didn’t have any expectations. I just wanted to release a song that was different from the rest.
“If a boy from Klang can perform a song in Malay, why can’t other artistes?” he asked, adding that many local singers were as talented as international ones.
He said it was his hope that more Malaysians would support local bands so they could continue to carve a name for themselves in the local and international music scenes.
‘Terima Kasih’ is streaming on Spotify and YouTube.
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