Local gal Zoe Tan hits the right notes in New York
PETALING JAYA : Like many seven-year-old girls, Zoe Tan was hooked on Disney Channel's Hannah Montana. She dreamed of standing on stage, belting out bangers, and winning hearts – just like her pop idol.
'I remember standing up on the sofa, pretending to sing like her, and realising this is something that I really wanted to do one day,' Tan shared with FMT Lifestyle. 'But I just didn't have the confidence that I would be performing my own songs.'
Today the 24-year-old from Petaling Jaya, who is completing her degree in recorded music at New York University, is a budding singer-songwriter in the American city, with the singles 'Distance' and 'Walk Out The Door' already under her belt.
'I've had a hard time communicating how I feel straight up in person sometimes. But when I'm songwriting, it's the total opposite. I'm completely fearless and I have so much courage within myself,' Tan mentioned.
The second of three siblings described her sound as 'cinematic folk music', a genre she's carving out with her own flair in the Big Apple.
Tan is slowly establishing herself as a self-made singer-songwriter in New York. (Izzul Ahiaks)
'I wouldn't be where I am without growing up in Malaysia. That's where I found my voice,' she said, naming Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Shawn Mendes, and Ed Sheeran as key influences.
'What I bring to New York is my community and culture. My music is about creating connections through shared emotion.'
Back in Kuala Lumpur for a short break, Tan is set to perform at Jao Tim on July 11. She'll also be releasing her debut EP next month, titled 'I Will Never Go Back to the Way Things Were Before'.
'Cinematic folk music is music that you can see, hear, touch, and feel with every fibre of your being. There's a certain perception of folk music that we have in mainstream media that I want to alter,' Tan explained.
'I want to bring elements from pop, soul, and R&B into my music … it's about capturing that feeling in the same way a movie does.'
Tan hopes to tour the world with her brand of cinematic folk music someday. (Andrea Rhiannon Edmonds @ FMT Lifestyle)
But music wasn't always centre stage. Tan once danced to a different beat – literally. Ballet, tap, modern dance, and figure skating filled her early years, thanks to her parents' encouragement.
'My school was putting up a Little Red Riding Hood musical and that's how I was introduced to musical theatre. I was so enamoured by the idea of music and performing. Of course, after trying out I realised I didn't like it and I went back to figure skating.'
As fate would have it, music found its way into Tan's life through Ed Sheeran. She remembered falling in love with Sheeran's ability to 'tell stories that wasn't like a stage performance … he was just a guy with a guitar and I wanted to do something similar'.
Her first song that really hit the right note? 'I'm At A Party And I Don't Want To Be Here' – an anthem about social anxiety.
'I was so proud of how I captured everything I was feeling. My parents loved it, too. It meant a lot because songwriting comes from such a personal place,' she added.
Tan was inspired to stand on stage and sing just like her inspiration, TV's 'Hannah Montana'. (Hellen Madeitt pic)
She recalled her very first public performance in New York at Pink Frog Cafe 'being scary' as it was away from the safety of her university. But soon, Tan found her voice through the kindness and support of the public.
A high note in her journey so far? Performing at The Bitter End, a legendary music venue in Greenwich Village.
'Singers like Joni Mitchell and Taylor Swift have performed here. I remembered genuinely feeling the magic and the energy of all the artistes who have performed there before when I was up on stage. It was just a powerful feeling. It reaffirmed what I was doing,' Tan recounted.
Ultimately, Tan hopes her music makes Malaysia proud – and one day, she dreams of taking it on tour around the world.
'I'm not in this dream for the money. It's just the feeling that it brings me every time that I do it. My ultimate dream is to just be able to live off of what I do comfortably, and to be able to share that and to grow my community,' Tan concluded.
Follow Zoe Tan on Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Malay Mail
5 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Selangor Sultan joins in KITA run
BANTING, July 20 — The Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, and the Tengku Permaisuri Selangor Tengku Norashikin participated in the KITA X Pesta Kelaut@Pantai Kelanang 2025 Run held here today. The royal couple arrived at the venue at 7.30am and were welcomed by the Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz and Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari. The run, involving more than 1,000 participants and divided into two categories, namely five kilometres (km) and three km, was flagged-off by Sultan Sharafuddin, who then joined in the run then agreed to see off more than 1,000 participants in two categories, namely five kilometers (km) and three km, before agreeing to participate in the run. Before leaving, the Sultan and Tengku Permaisuri Selangor visited the exhibition booths by the participating government agencies and local entrepreneurs. The royal couple also took time to watch the Pertandingan Sukan Rakyat Pesta Kelaut 2025, which featured traditional games such as pillow fighting, slippery pole climbing, beach tug of war, and coconut bowling. — Bernama
Free Malaysia Today
5 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Shanthini Venugopal returns with one-woman show ‘Look At Me!'
Shanthini Venugopal has a lifetime of stories to share in 'Look At Me!'. (Moganraj Villavan @ FMT Lifestyle) KUALA LUMPUR : In the 1999 Hollywood adaptation of 'Anna and the King', she played the trusted nanny to Jodie Foster's character's son. In 2001, she donned the nun's habit as Mother Superior in Gardner & Wife Theatre's production of the musical 'Nunsense'. And just last year, she transformed into Patti Shanti, the ruthless leader of a criminal gang in the local TV series 'I.D.'. But most days, you'll find Shanthini Venugopal captivating children with her animated storytelling and theatrics through her collective, The Jumping Jellybeans. For the past 40 years, this 67-year-old has coloured Malaysia's performing arts scene with her vibrant voice, boundless talent, infectious energy – and above all, her unrelenting zest for life. 'Whatever opportunity that comes your way, you can either say 'yes' or 'no'. In theatre, you learn to always say 'yes' first, and then you figure out how you're going to do it. And that is how I have lived my life,' Shanthini, a grandmother of one, told FMT Lifestyle. 'There is nothing wrong in saying 'no', but I always say 'yes' because opportunities don't come by very often. But when they do, you should grab it.' Shanthini is a storyteller at heart, and enjoys entertaining kids. (Shanthini Venugopal pic) One of the most beloved figures in local theatre, Shanthini is now preparing for her one-woman show 'Look At Me!' – an intimate, two-hour journey through her life as an actor, singer, storyteller, voiceover artist, daughter, mother, and grandmother. With a mix of humour, song, and heartfelt storytelling, the Kuala Lumpur-born performer, whose first theatre role was in the 1984 play 'My Three Angels', is set to lay it all bare on stage at Studio Ramli Hassan. 'My performing arts journey has not always been smooth sailing. There have always been ups and downs. It's how you pick yourself up, and move forward. 'I don't think of the past, or even the future. I always live in the present, in the now,' a mantra, she said, that has seen her through her illustrious career. In 'Look At Me!', which she self-funded by working at an antique shop, and as a restaurant hostess, audiences can expect stories from every corner of her colourful life – from a cancer scare which turned out to be about something unexpectedly heartwarming, to poignant reflections on her mother's influence, all woven through with songs by Roberta Flack, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, The Carpenters, and more. Shanthini says her sharing will get personal, spanning from her childhood to her cancer scare. (Moganraj Villavan @ FMT Lifestyle) She's staged the show nine times since 2017, each time reworking and adding new chapters – just like life itself. That life was steeped in creativity from the start. Born to Nalini – a singer, dancer, veena player, and one of the first Malaysian Indian women on RTM – Shanthini and her older sister Sukania were surrounded by the arts. It's no surprise she later became a founding member of the Instant Café Theatre Company. 'My mother was my inspiration. She was the one who gave us so many opportunities and exposure. If it wasn't for her, we wouldn't have known about the performing arts,' Shanthini, who worked as a lounge singer in her younger days, recalled. Their father, a civil servant, never discouraged his daughters from pursuing the arts. In fact, despite society's criticism of his wife – 'singers were considered promiscuous back then' – he remained a staunch supporter, fuelling his daughters' artistic pursuits. Shanthini (second from left) with her father PK Venugopal, sister Sukania, and mother Nalini. (Shanthini Venugopal pic) 'She wasn't bothered by what others said. And I think that's where we got that attitude. I don't care what others have to say about me. I live my life the way I feel is right for myself and for the people around me. I try to be as helpful as possible,' she said. Ultimately, 'Look At Me!' isn't just a performance – it's a window into the soul of a woman who has shaped, and been shaped by, the Malaysian arts scene. And through it all, Shanthini made sure she had fun. 'Whatever you do, you must have fun. If you don't have fun, then you might as well quit.' Look At Me! Venue: Studio Ramli Hassan, 8A, Jalan Tepian Tunku, Taman Tunku, 50480 Kuala Lumpur Date & Time: July 24-26 @ 8pm; July 27 @ 5pm Ticket prices: RM120 Tickets can be purchased here. Follow Shanthini Venugopal on Facebook and Instagram.
Free Malaysia Today
5 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Local gal Zoe Tan hits the right notes in New York
Zoe Tan expresses how she truly feels through her songs. (Andrea Rhiannon Edmonds @ FMT Lifestyle) PETALING JAYA : Like many seven-year-old girls, Zoe Tan was hooked on Disney Channel's Hannah Montana. She dreamed of standing on stage, belting out bangers, and winning hearts – just like her pop idol. 'I remember standing up on the sofa, pretending to sing like her, and realising this is something that I really wanted to do one day,' Tan shared with FMT Lifestyle. 'But I just didn't have the confidence that I would be performing my own songs.' Today the 24-year-old from Petaling Jaya, who is completing her degree in recorded music at New York University, is a budding singer-songwriter in the American city, with the singles 'Distance' and 'Walk Out The Door' already under her belt. 'I've had a hard time communicating how I feel straight up in person sometimes. But when I'm songwriting, it's the total opposite. I'm completely fearless and I have so much courage within myself,' Tan mentioned. The second of three siblings described her sound as 'cinematic folk music', a genre she's carving out with her own flair in the Big Apple. Tan is slowly establishing herself as a self-made singer-songwriter in New York. (Izzul Ahiaks) 'I wouldn't be where I am without growing up in Malaysia. That's where I found my voice,' she said, naming Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Shawn Mendes, and Ed Sheeran as key influences. 'What I bring to New York is my community and culture. My music is about creating connections through shared emotion.' Back in Kuala Lumpur for a short break, Tan is set to perform at Jao Tim on July 11. She'll also be releasing her debut EP next month, titled 'I Will Never Go Back to the Way Things Were Before'. 'Cinematic folk music is music that you can see, hear, touch, and feel with every fibre of your being. There's a certain perception of folk music that we have in mainstream media that I want to alter,' Tan explained. 'I want to bring elements from pop, soul, and R&B into my music … it's about capturing that feeling in the same way a movie does.' Tan hopes to tour the world with her brand of cinematic folk music someday. (Andrea Rhiannon Edmonds @ FMT Lifestyle) But music wasn't always centre stage. Tan once danced to a different beat – literally. Ballet, tap, modern dance, and figure skating filled her early years, thanks to her parents' encouragement. 'My school was putting up a Little Red Riding Hood musical and that's how I was introduced to musical theatre. I was so enamoured by the idea of music and performing. Of course, after trying out I realised I didn't like it and I went back to figure skating.' As fate would have it, music found its way into Tan's life through Ed Sheeran. She remembered falling in love with Sheeran's ability to 'tell stories that wasn't like a stage performance … he was just a guy with a guitar and I wanted to do something similar'. Her first song that really hit the right note? 'I'm At A Party And I Don't Want To Be Here' – an anthem about social anxiety. 'I was so proud of how I captured everything I was feeling. My parents loved it, too. It meant a lot because songwriting comes from such a personal place,' she added. Tan was inspired to stand on stage and sing just like her inspiration, TV's 'Hannah Montana'. (Hellen Madeitt pic) She recalled her very first public performance in New York at Pink Frog Cafe 'being scary' as it was away from the safety of her university. But soon, Tan found her voice through the kindness and support of the public. A high note in her journey so far? Performing at The Bitter End, a legendary music venue in Greenwich Village. 'Singers like Joni Mitchell and Taylor Swift have performed here. I remembered genuinely feeling the magic and the energy of all the artistes who have performed there before when I was up on stage. It was just a powerful feeling. It reaffirmed what I was doing,' Tan recounted. Ultimately, Tan hopes her music makes Malaysia proud – and one day, she dreams of taking it on tour around the world. 'I'm not in this dream for the money. It's just the feeling that it brings me every time that I do it. My ultimate dream is to just be able to live off of what I do comfortably, and to be able to share that and to grow my community,' Tan concluded. Follow Zoe Tan on Instagram.
