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Faye Faire’s new music honours a friend gone too soon

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Local indie folk-rock outfit’s debut album ‘In My Mind’ consists of 10 poignant and stirring tracks in loving memory of their founding bandmate.

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Free Malaysia Today
(From left) Faye Faire members Isra Gomez, Maira Zamri, Azim Zain, Alena Nadia and Tanuja Kaur. (Tinagaren Ramkumar @ FMT Lifestyle)

PETALING JAYA:
In June 2022, young singer-songwriters Alena Nadia and I-shan Esther met for the first time. Bonding through their similar tastes in music – the two were big Beatles fans – it wasn’t long before they formed a close friendship.

From there, it was inevitable they would form a band. Gathering a few friends together, Alena and I-shan created Faye Faire. The name was a tribute to their music’s female-fronted nature.

Their heartfelt indie folk-rock melodies soon gained them a following, and plans for an album came next.

But sadly, last June 16, I-shan passed away at age 18. Distraught, the band had to make the difficult decision on how to continue.

 

“We decided we couldn’t let her songs go to waste. She was so young. We wanted her to have the musical legacy she deserved. I think her songs are really of a different calibre from a lot of other performers,” Alena, 25, told FMT Lifestyle.

“We realised the best way to appreciate her was by moving forward. Those were the happiest times we had together,” drummer Isra Gomez noted.

Faye Faire currently comprises Alena, Gomez, bassist Azim Zain, guitarist Tanuja Kaur, and bass guitarist Maira Zamri. They name the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, Radiohead, Elliott Smith, and Boygenius as major influences.

Free Malaysia Today
The late I-shan Esther, a talented songwriter and performer. (Alena Nadia pic)

In March last year, the band were catapulted into the limelight after the demo release of I-shan’s song “Telephone”. This was soon followed by a rousing acoustic set at a café, which helped cement them in the minds of many local music fans.

Now, Faye Faire have released their debut album, “In My Mind”, a tribute to their late band member and friend. Released last Friday, it features 10 tracks, with Alena and I-shan having written five each.

Highlights include the high-spirited “Ultraviolet”, and “Our Girl (Smile Because You Loved)”, a reflection on grief by Alena. I-shan sings lead on several songs, including “No Name #1”, “Wild #2”, and the poignant “I’m Still Alive”.

“I also like ‘A Home In the Sea’. It’s a very meaningful song, and feels relevant and reflective of a lot of things going on today,” Maira shared.

“The songs on the album are reflective of the kind of world I-shan and I inhabited: the ups and downs of friendship, our love lives,” Alena added.

The album also features “Siren”, which has been shortlisted in the Anugerah Lagu Indie 2023 Top 30 Rock category. This pensive melody, penned by Alena, has been topping the charts of local radio station Rakita 107.9FM since Jan 4.

Check out the song’s music video below, shot in one take, which features a very unconventional dinner date!

 

“It’s a song reflecting on the nature of an ended friendship,” Alena mused. “You look back at all the good things, but you’re also conflicted. Why did this good thing have to end? You want them, the other person, to go on with their lives and be happy. But at the same time, you’re hurt.”

Crafting “In My Mind” had certain challenges: hearing I-shan’s voice on the recordings was particularly bittersweet.

“Some days, it felt like I-shan had just missed a practice or gone on a holiday. It just didn’t quite set in that she was gone,” Alena said.

The album was completed with the help of I-Shan’s father Martin Vengadesan, producer Ashwin Gobinath of Nadir Studios, Arief and Lisa of the indie band Fuad, and many other talented individuals.

“I never got to know I-shan,” Tanuja shared, “but playing the songs she wrote, it’s like I’m meeting her for the first time because her music was so personal. It’s like I’m becoming her friend through her music.”

Azim added: “It was a whirlwind of an experience – to have all our friends, guest musicians, come together to create this tribute and preserve our friend’s legacy. It was unforgettable.”

The bandmates describe the album as a “rollercoaster of emotions”, and hope their lyrics and melodies will resonate with listeners.

“I hope those who listen to the album will get to know I-shan as a songwriter. She was so intelligent, and it shows in her songs and the way she arranged them. She was such a promising talent,” Alena concluded.

Free Malaysia Today
(Maira Zamri pic)

Listen to ‘In My Mind’ on Spotify. Also follow Faye Faire on Facebook and Instagram.

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