To celebrate Malaysia Day, We the Rakyat, an artistic social movement cum non-profit international organisation based in Melbourne, directed a music video titled ‘Global Malaysia Virtual Choir’, featuring Malaysians spanning across the globe.
The video which runs for five minutes and fifty-seven seconds, features ‘Sejahtera Malaysia’, a well-known patriotic song. According to the music video’s director and music director, Selangor-born 23-year-old Samuel Choy, the song was masterfully rearranged to become a melodious tribute to commemorate the formation of Malaysia on September 16, 1963.
“We chose Sejahtera Malaysia for its recognisable melody that has filled many hearts throughout generations, but more importantly, the underlying message in the lyrics, which we believe is particularly significant in today’s context,” Samuel said. “The COVID-19 pandemic has undeniably affected how daily undertakings are done.”
Asked on the inception of the virtual choir project, he explained, “It started as an idea of realising a virtual choir based on rapidly advancing technology, which has become an integral part of our lives, especially since the global nation has to stay at home.
“We the Rakyat are mostly made up of Malaysians living abroad, so it’s difficult for them to return home and reunite with family and friends. The fact we’re also prohibited from gathering in large groups for video shoots, we had our participants submit their recorded videos to us.
“The music video’s co-director, Zhen Tan, undertook an amazingly gruelling task of compiling the video shots and producing animations of the final music video,” Samuel elaborated.
The song is an eight-part acappella rendition of Sejahtera Malaysia. Samuel mentioned that there were more than 60 different recorded tracks that needed to be synchronised and edited to achieve the final sound.
“No instruments were involved with the production except for the lovely voices of participants,” he added. “This provides a powerful synergy resonating with the theme of the virtual choir.”
The music video ends with a quote from the late Tunku Abdul Rahman, saying, “We are all Malaysians. This is the bond that unites us. Let us always remember that unity is our fundamental strength as a people and as a nation.”
“I imagined this project as the perfect idea to showcase our resilience towards the pandemic and that nothing will stop us from breathing another day. Our country is one of the safest countries thanks to how well our healthcare workers tackled the virus. As Malaysians, this is something to be proud of.
“Nevertheless, our country is yet to be perfect. To have our differences set aside for the betterment of our country is a reminder of what Malaysia could truly be if we made an effort for it to thrive and prosper, regardless of race and religion,” Samuel expressed.
The music video can be watched on YouTube through the link below.
For more information or updates, visit We the Rakyat’s social media platforms at Facebook and Instagram.
Chris Teh
