Veteran Malaysian singer-songwriter Azmyl Yunor has released a new music video for ‘Orang Kita’.
- READ MORE: Azmyl Yunor – ‘John Bangi Blues’ review: A no-frills comeback from Malaysia’s veteran troubadour
The video, which was uploaded onto YouTube today (September 16), arrives just in time for Malaysia Day. Directed by Alina Wong, the video centres on artists trying to realise their creative visions in the face of censorship and control.
Watch the video for ‘Orang Kita’ below.
For Yunor, ‘Orang Kita’ touches upon identity politics within Malaysia. “Identity is always fluid but it is also a powerful currency wielded by those in power for their own benefits to sway the masses,” he said in a press statement.
“The song is a symbolic resistance to this – if you strip away all the layers of race, gender, and religion – institutions that construct differences – we’re all just human – hence the ‘AKU MANUSIA!’ [‘I am a human being’] refrain. We are all the same species. Never forget that,” he added.
‘Orang Kita’ features on Azmyl Yunor’s September 2020 album ‘John Bangi Blues’, which is currently only available on Bandcamp and on CD.
‘John Bangi Blues’ received a four-star review from NME’s Adrian Yap, who praised the record for “its raw power and lyrics that shuffle between satirical humour and a stiff middle finger”.
On New Year’s Eve, Yunor released a music video for ‘Kinchang Penindas’ to commemorate the 10th anniversary of his bilingual folk album ‘Warga’, which the song appears on.