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KL Sing Song celebrates 20 years with reunion at Merdekarya
Almost every year of the KL Sing Song series marked a breakthrough for the singer-songwriter scene in the Klang Valley.
From its debut as an ambitious regional gathering of kindred spirits to its leap onto the KLPac stage (then a newly opened venue), the independent series left a lasting mark - propelling the late folk singer-songwriter Meor Yusof Aziddin, better known as Meor, into wider recognition and giving a young Yuna one of her earliest platforms.
Held annually from 2005 to 2009, KL Sing Song was the brainchild of the Troubadours Enterprise trio – Azmyl Yunor, Tan Sei Hon, and Jerome Kugan – who joined forces to give 'outsider voices' a space to shine. They came from different backgrounds – art, writing, teaching – but it was music that connected them.
The second KL Sing Song in 2006 also brought the release of Voices From Next Door, a double CD compilation featuring 24 tracks from a wide-ranging line-up including Azmyl, Meor, Nightlife Camera, Fathulistiwa Soundscapes, Mei Chern, Reza Salleh and Jasemaine Gan.
What set KL Sing Song apart was its willingness to curate beyond the norm – bringing together singer-songwriters in English, Bahasa Malaysia, and Mandarin on the same stage. It wasn't unusual to see scene veterans like the late Hassan Peter Brown and Markiza celebrated, while Boh Cameronian Arts Award winners such as Kugan and Shanon Shah shared the spotlight with AIM winner Pete Teo. At the same time, newcomers like Liyana Fizi (then with Estrella), Mia Palencia, and Reza Salleh added fresh voices to the mix.
In this 2005 photo, the KL Sing Song founding trio (from left) - Tan Sei Hon, Azmyl Yunor, and Jerome Kugan - came together under Troubadours Enterprise to give 'outsider voices' a space to shine. Photo: Filepic/The Star
In its five-year run, KL Sing Song did what few others could – it collapsed boundaries and drew diverse scenes closer together.
Alongside the main event were offshoots like Troubadours (at various venues), Troubaganger (with Doppelganger, a female singer-songwriter/poet collective), and Troubadours Open Doors (at KLPac).
But as John Lennon once sang, 'Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.' In time, KL Sing Song and other Troubadours activities slowed down, as the founders took on new commitments and moved in different directions.
'I couldn't commit anymore - I had started working full-time at the National Art Gallery in 2008. I'd stopped performing and writing new songs, and had shifted my focus to the visual arts scene. We also felt we'd tapped most of the local talent pool, and by then, some had gone on to create their own platforms to support like-minded artists,' says Tan, who stepped back from the scene but continued to find opportunities to feature indie singer-songwriters at art gallery events.
Back on stage
Somehow, music loops you back to your roots – softly, insistently.
Marking 20 years since KL Sing Song first took root, Azmyl – still active on the local and regional gig circuit – floated the idea of a special series of shows to celebrate the milestone and see where it might lead.
His Troubadours partners didn't hesistate to jump back in.
The first event kicks off tonight at 9pm (June 28) with a reunion show at Merdekarya, Petaling Jaya, featuring Azmyl, Tan, and Kugan back on stage alongside Karen Nunis, Mei Chern, and Bihzhu.
The line-up carries a strong lineage to the KL Sing Song story – Mei Chern was a quietly powerful presence on stage in the 2006 edition, while Nunis and Bihzhu bring seasoned voices that reflect the movement's spirit and evolution, blending folk blues and jazzy pop.
'We were outsiders because singer-songwriters, I think, tend to transcend and bypass music subcultures, scenes, and genres. There was nothing particularly 'cool' or trendy about it – just your songs and how you performed them. We also sidestepped the tribalism and cliques that usually come with music scenes. And since we were all individuals, it made things easier – no band politics, no egos to manage. Setting up gigs was simple: all you needed was a PA, a space, and your own instruments,' says Azmyl, reflecting on how naturally the Troubadours trio slipped back into rhythm – and how open Merdekarya was to welcoming them.
'Jerome, Sei Hon, and I came from different backgrounds – Jerome as a writer and poet, Sei Hon as a visual artist and educator, and myself from the underground and experimental circuit. That mix helped us tap into diverse networks, which gave the collective a distinct identity for that moment in time. It felt like a new wave movement, shaped by the media and political climate – we had a new Prime Minister after decades of Mahathirism, and cultural spaces for expression were opening up.
'At the time, solo singer-songwriters weren't being invited to gigs - most shows were still band-based - so we became that platform, building on the pioneering work of Markiza and Hassan's 'Acoustic Jam', and Joe Kidd's 'Unclogged' series. We played anywhere: art galleries, exhibition openings, readings - you name it. We were mobile, and we bypassed the mainstream idea of what 'playing music' looked like. Our collaboration with Jasmine Low's Doppelganger for the Troubaganger gigs at Tengkat Tong Shin in KL further expanded the mix of voices and backgrounds involved,' he adds.
When the stars align
The Troubadours weren't the only singer-songwriter gig organisers in town, but they knew how to connect – keeping the pioneers involved while giving new talent a stage to grow.
'I remember how exciting it was to see all these homegrown talents singing their own songs. And there was such a diversity of styles and approaches that it seemed like a movement. Which is why Azmyl, Sei Hon, and I started KL Sing Song. We just wanted to do an event that captured that singer-songwriter scene. I'm not sure how the bands felt about it though,' recalls Kugan.
In this 2006 photo, Mei Chern lights up the KL Sing Song stage at KLPac with her performance. Photo: The Star/Filepic
The Kota Kinabalu-based Kugan, who has long straddled the arts, literary and music scenes, has also seen movements, venues, and trends come and go during his time living in Kuala Lumpur. For context, both KL Sing Song and Readings KL began in 2005. Two decades on, it's clear that music in Malaysia has had a harder time sustaining that kind of grassroots momentum compared to the literary scene.
'Yes, music always has it harder. The spatial and technical demands of live performance are just more complicated than for readings. Most venues aren't built with music in mind – the stage is often an afterthought. I once performed at a place where the toilet was right next to the stage. So not only were people constantly milling about in front of me, I also had to compete with the sound of flushing toilets throughout the set,' he says.
Keeping independent music alive in Malaysia may always be a challenge, but Kugan is happy to give KL Sing Song a new lease of life.
An evening to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones is always a good place to start.
But tonight's show at Merdekarya is more spontaneous gathering than long-planned affair.
'I'm not sure how much support we'll get. The scene's different now - the new generation is so polished and all over social media. We're not trying to make any big statements, we just want to tap into that KL Sing Song spirit - a space for people to share a common love for music," says Tan.
The weight of legacy is also best avoided.
'I don't know if this counts as a legacy - we didn't start a 'movement'. We just picked up on what was already there and added our own generational spirit to it. The (early) 2000s felt like a zeitgeist moment for Malaysia, a time when solo singer-songwriters were becoming part of the fabric. Globally and locally, that sound was rising, and things happened organically,' says Azmyl.
'This 20th anniversary show came together because the timing was right. Jerome, who's now based in Kota Kinabalu, happened to be back in KL for his art exhibition, and I'd recently reconnected with Sei Hon.
"It felt like a now-or-never moment – same instinct we had back when we started Troubadours and launched KL Sing Song. Karen and Mei Chern said yes right away, and so did the rest of the alumni,' he concludes.
The next KL Sing Song series dates will be announced soon, with performers such as Melina William, Reza Salleh, Panda Head Curry?, Amrita Soon, Umar Akmal, Ray Cheong, Bumi Liar, Otam, Markiza, and Kien Lim already pencilled in.
