MALAYSIA’S REPRESENTATIVE: Gabriel is excited with the golden opportunity presented to him.
KUCHING: Iban recording artiste Gabriel Fairuz Louis has been chosen to represent Malaysia at the XXII Discovery International Pop Music Festival in Varna, Bulgaria, next month.
For the first time ever, an Iban song will be performed at this prestigious competition as Gabriel will sing his own composition ‘Pechaya’ (Believe).
The competition, held from May 17 to 19, will see Gabriel vying for top honours along with a select pool of performers from many countries.
The 27-year-old man from Durin, Sibu aims to repeat the feat of previous winners from Malaysia who include Mila AF5 who was the champion in 2008 and Aizat Amdan (third in 2009).
“The song ‘Pechaya’ has been entered for the Best Song Category. I will also be in the running for the Best Singer Award, in which I will perform ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’.
“I am very excited and happy with this opportunity. I promise to do my very best to bring honours back to Malaysia and elevate the stature of the Dayak music industry,” he said yesterday.
On how he got involved in the competition, he said it started after he was invited to submit an entry to the organisers for a pre-judging.
To his pleasant surprise, he said the song ‘Pechaya’ was well accepted and entered as Malaysian entry for the Best Song Award.
“I would like to record my appreciation to Chris Servey (a UK musician based in Kuching) for his contribution in the musical arrangement for the song ‘Pechaya’.
“I also express my gratitude to the local production company ‘Panggau Buluh Pengerindu’ and the producer Embat Lala for sponsoring me. And I also thank my fans for their support and prayers for me all along,” he said.
Born on May 15, 1985, in Pahang, Gabriel’s family moved back to their homeland in Sibu when he was young before he made Kuching his home base in 2002 after which his singing career took off.
A self-taught musician and singer, he took part in several competitions and also tried his hands in song writing during which he wrote his first two songs in English namely ‘The Promise’ and ‘Give It All’.
He had the privilege to work together with Servey, who helped in the production of his debut album ‘Genggam Jariku’ last year which comprised Iban, English and Malay tracks.
The title track ‘Genggam Jariku’, which was composed and written by Gabriel himself, propelled him as the next big thing in the music industry and he was even dubbed the ‘Anuar Zain’ of Sarawak due to similarities in vocal styles.
The song and the album also won Best Album at the 2012 Dayak Music Awards in Kuching. He also won the Best Male Artiste and Best New Artiste awards.
Many local music enthusiasts see Gabriel, currently working with the Malaysian High Commission in Singapore, as a revolutionary Iban singer because he composes and sings R&B songs in Iban.
To them, this is a far departure from the traditional and ‘joget’ catchy beats associated with Iban songs.