Sarawakian sape' artiste Alena Murang's 'Warrior Spirit' video has earned Best Asia & Pacific Music Video and Best Costume at the International Music Video Awards UK and more
It was back in 2019 that Alena Murang and her cousin-cum-producer Joshua Maran first worked on a demo for her single Gitu'an, a dreamy, ethereal track with lyrics in Kelabit, one of many endangered languages in Malaysia. Another song of hers, Meno', was written in Kenyah, another endangered language native to Sarawak. Though not fluent in either Kelabit or Kenyah, Murang threw her heart and soul into the project, working with aunts and other family members to master the nuances of the languages and their pronunciation.
Breaking barriers and overturning taboos as the first female professional sape' player and teacher in Malaysia, Murang has gone on to perform in music festivals around the world, earning an award in March 2021 from the Sarawak government in recognition of her contributions to this indigenous musical art form. Murang is currently part of the Roads To Our Heritage project which aims to promote the stories of native music craftsman in Sabah and Sarawak.
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Unsurprisingly, her masterful sape' skills feature strongly in both singles Gitu'an and Meno' as well as in other tracks in her new album Sky Songs, which officially launched in March 2021. The follow-up to her EP Flight released in 2016, Sky Songs features four songs in the Kelabit language, one song in Kenyah, two instrumental tracks and an English song.
Just months after its launch, the album was nominated for several awards by the Summer Solstice Indigeous Music Awards Canada and more. In June, the music video for the album's Warrior Spirit track bagged the Best Costume Honourable Mention and Best Asia & Pacific Music Video at the International Music Video Awards UK.
The music video, which has garnered over 187k views on YouTube, has also earned other honours such as Best Music Video at the Rome International Movie Awards Italy, Best Ethnographic Film and Best Music Video at the New York International Film Awards and the Special Jury Award at the LA Film Awards.
"In Malaysia, music, dance, fashion and film industries are hard ones to be in; and given the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic it has been incredibly tough," shares Murang. "In spite of that, incredibly, everyone still came together to pour their heart, time and resources into the making of 'Warrior Spirit'. I’m already so proud of the team for creating something so beautiful and meaningful, and these awards are an added honour."
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