View more snapshots from Zee Avi’s showcase for Anthropologie’s Push Play Project and get a free download of her hit “Concrete Wall” here.
The good people at Anthroplogie are singing praises of Zee:
“The petite star’s witty lyrics and whimsical sound made for one of our favorite shows to date”
Zee Avi performs “Honey Bee” and “Bitter Heart” at Anthropologie, Berkeley.
Zee Avi signed with Jack Johnson’s Brushfire Records and released her debut album to wide critical acclaim. She has also landed spots on major U.S. tours and festivals including SXSW, Bonnaroo, and Lilith Fair.
Her affinity for the U.S. led her to move to the States. Her latest songwriting efforts were inspired by a trip to the Florida Everglades, once she returned to her apartment in Brooklyn, New York. While Zee’s popularity is on the rise, perhaps 2013 will catapult her into the Esperanza Spalding stratosphere, or even beyond to the Taylor Swift outer reaches of the musical solar system.
Honey Bee - Zee Avi
Probably the best unofficial music video I’ve ever seen!
Zee Avi - Concrete Wall (Official Music Video)
Zee Avi’s “Concrete Wall” music video has premiered on Vevo and is featured on Filter.
The picture above is taken from the director Jason Baum’s website.
From Filter Magazine …
When it seems every music video needs a complicated plot and a huge production value nowadays, it’s refreshing to watch an artist just perform their heart out.
This is the basic idea of Malaysian singer/songwriter Zee Avi’s video for “Concrete Wall”—the second single off of her sophomore album Ghostbird which was released last year. There is one catch to this a cappella video which showcases Avi’s amazing set of pipes: she just happens to multiply in a room all by herself. That makes sense right?
Check out the entire video which features the turntable handiwork of Cut Chemist.
These are the latest photos of Zee, which I have enhanced a little. The original photos can be found in an article about Zee on Kosmo! Online. According to the article, Zee is currently in the early stages of producing her 3rd international album and will endeavour to record a full-length Malay album after that.
International musician Zee Avi will be one of the speakers at the International Youth Cultural Conference (IYCC) to be held at the Sarawak Cultural Village (SCV) from 28 to 30 November.
Zee will speak on ‘Youth Aspirations’.
Yayasan Perpaduan Sarawak (YPS) has invited the US-based singer-songwriter to take on a different role to her public appearance because she can give youths a boost in pursuit of their dreams.
“I believe she is most suited to speak to youths on the topic of ‘Youth Aspirations’ because of the success she has achieved,” said Mark Noel Bonchol, Secretary to the YPS Board of Trustees.
Fourteen countries will be represented at IYCC and the number of registered participants is expected to increase from the present 322.
Youths aged between 18 and 25 can register to participate and the closing date is 14 November.
“With so many international youths coming in, the conference promises to nurture and establish a sense of celebration of unity and harmony amidst differences and diversities,” said Mark.
YPS, Sarawak Development Institute (SDI) and Faradale Media-M Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Angkatan Zaman Mansang (AZAM) Sarawak, are looking forward to concluding the ‘March on for Unity 2012’ Calendar of Activities after a year-long effort to promote unity among Sarawakians and those beyond the state’s borders through various activities such as forums, talks, competitions, and public film screenings.
Meanwhile, the organisers have announced that they would partially cover the accommodation expenses for delegates staying at the conference’s designated hotel.
Details on the subsidised room rates for IYCC delegates can be viewed at the SDI website link http://www.sdi.com.my/iycc_speaker/updates.php.
For those interested, they can still sign up by sending an email to registeriycc@gmail.com or contacting the organisers at (082) 415 484 or (082) 416 484.
Members of the public are also encouraged to find out more about IYCC by visiting the YPS Facebook page facebook.com/ YayasanPerpaduanSarawak.
Twitter users can also join in the conversation by tweeting #IYCC.
(Source: New Sarawak Tribune)
Zee Avi is planning to release a Malay album for her Malaysian fans and wants to collaborate with Aizat Amdan, a fellow Malaysian singer-songwriter. Zee apparently is a huge fan of Aizat. The album, according to Zee, will be inspired by classic Malay music from the 50s and 60s.
(Source: mStar Online)
A recent photo of Zee with Aizat (source: Aizat Amdan)
Koko Kaina (The Singing Chin/Zee Avi) makes a comeback, covering a Mandarin classic by Teresa Teng titled “The Moon Represents My Heart”. Accompanying her on guitar is her father.
The Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak (Governer of Sarawak) has awarded Zee Avi the state order and medal of Pegawai Bintang Kenyalang (Officer of the Order of the Star of Hornbill Sarawak) for her service to the state of Sarawak.
The award is the Fifth Rank of the Darjah Yang Amat Mulia Bintang Kenyalang Sarawak (Most Illustrious Order of the Star of Hornbill Sarawak).
Congratulations Zee! You are an inspiration to many Sarawakians and Malaysians.
Photo by Vanessa Elyse Black. Click here for more photos from the shoot.
by Maria Bakkalapulo (The World)
Twenty six-year-old Malaysian native Zee Avi has had a meteoric rise. Avi says she struggled to find her place growing up, and turned to writing poetry, adapting her rhymes to songs. She created music videos and posted them on YouTube. Her simple, Malaysian inspired songs clicked with her generation. Her shy, beautiful voice immediately appealed to millions. Now she’s living in New York City. But she recently performed at the Rainforest World Music Festival in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, Borneo. And that’s where Maria Bakkalapulo met up with her to talk about her unique journey to the big time.
Life often changes quickly, sometimes dramatically. Zee Avi’s life was altered forever in 2007 after promising a friend that she would share some of her music with him on YouTube.
“I shot just like half of my face so no one would know what I look like,” she said. “So it has my chin and my guitar. The first song was Poppy. And the next day I got 30 views. I thought, wow, where did these people come from. And then I posted another video. And I kept posting more videos and more videos and more people started leaving comments, and I was like ‘far out, this is crazy.’”
She was eventually featured on YouTube’s homepage and the views skyrocketed, reaching the million mark. She became a “YouTube Sensation” and soon found herself obsessed.
“I used to write five songs a day and all the songs on YouTube were fresh out of the oven,” Avi said. “They were written maybe 10 minutes to a half an hour before I posted them. You know, back then, YouTube was just starting out and that was my home for a while.”
Her inbox started to fill with offers from record labels and management agencies.
“And then about 4-5 days after I got featured I got this inbox: ‘Hi my name is so-and-so from Monitor Management, we manage The White Stripes, MIA, The Shins, and all these great bands that I am a fan of and I said, alright. We exchanged information and they called me and said, ‘your English is so good.’ I said, ‘yeah, thanks, it’s Sesame Street,’” she said.
Avi moved to America and away from the shelter of her family’s home to record in a professional studio. Her music is simple and sweet, about young love and nature.
Being in Borneo brings back memories of the simplicity that inspires her.
“Back then, I didn’t grow up in a household where I had video games, or anything like that,” she said. “We played outside, my cousins and I. And I lived five minutes away from the South China Sea and I went there every day. My dad made it a point to take me to the beach every evening. That was my backyard too.”
She also reflects about her own struggle with feeling awkward about leaving Borneo for the big city of Kuala Lumpur, where her life would begin to change quickly.
“A lot of the elements that I write from are based on nature. But it’s really not intentionally at all,” Avi said. “I guess that’s how the songs chose to write themselves. But the fact of the matter is that is where my inspiration is most fertile is when I’m in this sort of climate and when there is stillness and calmness and there is nothing but the sounds of ants crawling, or birds, or crickets or cicadas.”
Avi’s father moved the family to Kuala Lumpur when she was 12. She says living in a “concrete jungle” was quite a shock. Concrete plays a big role in one of her current songs. A song she plays on an instrument called a sape-lele, a cross between a Sape – Borneo’s indigenous lute – and the ukulele.
“‘Concrete Wall’ is about couples qualms. Trouble in paradise moments. And that song is basically about letting it all out, letting it all reel on the table and being hopeful at the same moment because that song it has no conclusion,” Avi explained.
The Malaysian government is promoting Avi as a role model for young people in the country, even as an ambassador of the state of Sarawak. Google Zee Avi’s name, and your search will come up with an endless list of other young Malaysian girls, and even dance troupes, covering and dancing to her songs.
“I know, that is crazy. And it’s great because, you know, covers are your own interpretation of somebody’s art. So to know you are not alone in what you went through is, for me, just very rewarding,” she said.
With two albums out, and a third in the works, Avi gives the YouTube generation of musicians something to aspire to.
Listen to the interview here.
(Source: The World)
A video showcasing performances and behind-the-scenes moments from Zee Avi’s Homecoming Concert in Miri, Sarawak.
