Latest news with #Kino
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
#SHOWBIZ: In the footsteps of his mentor
HE has been a disc jockey (DJ) known as Kino since 2009 and, before this, did various jobs such as working as a mechanic, air-condition repair man and cook. Meet Malik Choo, who still goes by the name DJ Kino when he is playing music for the dance floor at venues across Selangor and Kuala Lumpur. As Malik, the 36-year-old KL boy has just released his debut single titled 'Suka Kamu', a heartfelt Malay pop song that celebrates love in its most genuine form. The single, along with its music video, is now available on all digital music streaming platforms and is produced by Persatuan. 'Suka Kamu', which Malik calls a refreshing take on modern romance, emphasises admiration beyond superficial traits and is co-written by Shazee Ishak, Mambang (Altimet) and the singer himself. At the recent launch of his debut single, Malik said: "Kino is a Japanese name that I discovered while playing a game and embraced it almost instantly. "I spent three months learning to be a DJ, and I've always wanted to sing as well," said Malik, an only child whose initial dream was to be a chef. JAY CHOU Encouraged to sing by his mother, Malik grew up listening to hip-hop and R&B music. "My main influences are Linkin Park, Chris Brown, Usher, Jay Chou, Anuar Zain, Misha Omar, Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza and Wang Leehom," he said, adding that he learnt the piano when he was 7 and served as Jay's DJ during the Loud Festival in Singapore held a decade ago. "I also sang 'Ralit' with Tuju of K-Clique, and it was one of the songs in the Zul Ariffin action film, 'J-Retribusi', in 2021." Elaborating on his new song, Malik said that it contains a catchy chorus that goes "Ku suka kamu seperti kamu", which captures the beauty of loving someone for his or her true self. "The music video is directed by Fareez Nasir and brings the song's narrative to life with relatable stories involving couples who find true love," he said. Malik added that the central story is one of multi-racial love between a shy delivery boy played by himself and a bold, outspoken and educated girl played by Wan Nasuha. "The video beautifully captures the nervous excitement of new emotions and hopes, while accepting individuality and acceptance," said Malik. TRILINGUAL A multi-lingual singer, dancer and hip-hopper fluent in Cantonese, Malay and English, Malik was into sports in school and represented the Federal Territories state basketball team. "I do love sports such as basketball and athletics, but I have always envisioned myself doing music someday," he said. "Nevertheless, I took my time to join the industry, and I'm happy to have started as a DJ and model first, as these jobs help me become a good performer." Malik has appeared in many television and print advertisements over the last decade and has had several viral hits including 'Kita Jaga Kita', an anthem that gained nationwide fame during the Covid-19 pandemic and garnered over 10 million YouTube views. He is also behind 'Lelaki Di Telefon', a duet with actor Afieq Shazwan which amassed over 1.7 million Spotify streams and 11 million YouTube views. Discovered and mentored by Altimet, Malik was part of the hip-hop trio Chop in 'The Last Trio Standing', a dance and song reality show. Malik reveals he has two other songs in the pipeline which are set to be released at year end. KUALA LUMPUR Malik looks up to Altimet, and aspires to become a successful composer, lyricist and music producer like him someday. "While it's good to sing overseas, I'm quite the homesick person, so I'm happier to be based in KL, where my loved ones are," he said. When asked where he would love to perform, Malik listed Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States. "As for acting, while it's an interesting thing, I don't think I'm cut out for it. But I'm perfectly okay playing cameo roles in movies and dramas, preferably not as a singer!" MUSICALS Malik would love to star in musicals, especially those which celebrate hip-hop and R&B music. "I believe that the music industry is a lot more Bangsa Malaysia now, especially with the rise of social media artistes, who amplify their talents easily," he said. "But what is most important is that we junior artistes should have good mentors, and in my case Altimet is the best of the best." 'Suka Kamu' marks Malik's first single under Dana Kebolehan Pasaran Domestik, a government initiative to assist budding artistes. It is also a joint release by Sony Music Malaysia and Svltan Management, Malik's management company.
India Today
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Ex-Pentagon member Kino wants to collaborate with W.i.S.H. Girl band reacts
South Korean singer, songwriter, rapper, composer, and dancer Kino, who was a part of the boy band Pentagon, expressed his wish to collaborate with the girl band W.i.S.H in an exclusive interview with India Today Digital. Now, the girl group has responded to it. Expressing their excitement, they found it exciting that South Korea seemed so close!W.i.S.H, which has four members - Ri, Sim, Zo and Suchi - released their first track in 2024 and there was no looking back. In fact, in our interview in May 2024, Kino shared that if given a chance, he would love to collaborate with the girl band. When we told the girls about it, Zo told India Today Digital, "Honestly it's so exciting to know that other artists around the world have heard about us. We would love to collaborate with such cool artists like Kino. It's super exciting and crazy to us that South Korea seems so close (smiles)."advertisementKino, in our interview, had said, "I was recommended by someone about this good Indian artist group called W.i.S.H. Their songs and the music videos, the visuals and movement - all made a big impression on me. So I would really like to collaborate with them. If I have the chance of producing or shooting a video together, beyond just featuring on 8 bars [I would love that]." W.i.S.H, in the exclusive interview, also shared that they want to collaborate with several global music artists, including Dua Lipa, Bruno Mars, Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter, and Jungkook.
