If you’re looking for some original rock compositions, the Penang state assembly is unlikely to be your first port of call. However, assemblypersons Zairil Khir Johari (Tanjong Bunga) and Syerleena Abdul Rashid (Seri Delima) have more than a few tricks up their sleeves.
Aside from being elected representatives, the pair are also talented musicians. While Zairil’s piano-playing skills have been displayed to a limited audience in the past, Syerleena gigged in the UK back in the days when she was in a band with her brother Riz, whom the regulars at PJ’s Merdekarya will recognise, is part of the Brian Gomez-fronted Sons of the Soil.
Both of them can be considered rising stars in the new wave of DAP politicians.
Zairil, the son of former minister Khir Johari, was first elected Bukit Bendera MP in 2013 before transferring to the Penang state assembly in 2018. Currently serving as the Penang state executive councillor for infrastructure and transport, he is a former president of the Football Association of Penang and is married to politician Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud.
Zairil also happens to be turning 38 today.
Merdeka baby Syerleena, who was formerly with NGO Aliran, first came to prominence as a vocal Penang city councillor in January 2015 and also made the switch to the Penang state assembly in the 2018 elections.
Now the duo has teamed up with three indie musicians – vocalist Zam Vigil, bassist Shanx, and drummer Jern Sistynine – to form Priwayat. The band seems to have served as a useful creative outlet in a year that has toyed with Malaysian emotions after a regime change, multiple lockdowns, and a gloomy economic outlook.
While their music is not meant as propaganda, it is no surprise that the group’s five-song EP 'Suralaya' is full of politically-tinged lyrics. In fact, the first single 'Terbanglah' is actually based on a poem written by their party colleague, Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim.
The music video for 'Terbanglah' which debuts this morning was directed by Amir Johari and tells the story of a "fallen angel" who finds himself cast away in an unfamiliar world.
The five-piece group recently made its live debut in Kota Kinabalu at the Petra Kasih concert, held in conjunction with Malaysia Day celebrations, and shared the stage with the legendary Zainal Abidin.
In anticipation of the upcoming release, Zairil and Syerleena spoke to Malaysiakini about their plans for the future.
Q: What motivated you to form a band?
Zairil: Being in a rock band has been one of those things I always dreamed of doing but never took any real effort to realise, until the opportunity to work with Syerleena came along.
What began with the idea of “let’s see where this goes” has turned into a serious attempt to tell our stories through music. And that’s what our music is about, which is why we called our band Priwayat, an uncommonly used Malay word meaning “storyteller”.
Syerleena: I was in a few bands in uni and was in a Penang-based band, Paku with my brother, Riz. It was a great experience as we got to tour the UK in 2007. The band broke up in 2010 when Riz moved to KL, I stayed in Penang and began focusing on politics.
In December 2019, I had an accident and broke my leg. I could not move for two months and that was when I picked up the guitar again and played intensely. I guess you can say things happen for a reason, so when the movement control order (MCO) restrictions eased up a little, Zairil and I started jamming – we played covers, and then we started writing original music, and here we are today.
Priwayat, for me, is more than just a band. It is an outlet and a form of expression. Both Zairil and I write – be it statements or even op-ed articles - so writing music is another form of poetically and musically getting certain messages across.
Q: How long have each of you been playing?
Zairil: I learned to play the piano as a child but had stopped for more than 10 years due to work commitments. I began playing again during the MCO, started jamming with Syerleena, and found that it was a great outlet to express my creativity. We started writing songs and one thing led to another.
Syerleena: I first learned to play the organ as a child, but I lost interest as soon as I started learning. It was not fun for me, so I stopped. I taught myself guitar in secondary school and gigged frequently during my uni days.
Q: Who are your biggest influences?
Zairil: My favourite band of all time is Queen. Musically as a songwriter, I find myself very much influenced by Britpop rock bands Coldplay and Keane. That said, I draw inspiration from a wide variety of music. Great ideas come in all sorts of sounds.
Syerleena: My brother, Riz, has always been and still is a huge influence. He is such a cool big brother and you can say introduced me to guitars as well as awesome bands. I listen to a lot of music – the Replacements, Soundgarden, Guns & Roses, AC/DC, Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr, Love Me Butch, Faith No More, too many to list.
I am also a hardcore fan of 80s music. I agree with Zairil, great ideas come in all sorts of sounds and that is the beauty of being in a band. You draw inspiration and influence from other bandmates who listen to other music to create your own sound.
Q: What can you tell us about the lyrics for the songs on this upcoming EP?
Zairil: As the name of our band implies, we try to tell stories through our songs. We also tend to be a bit lyrical.
Our EP is titled 'Suralaya', which is a Sanskrit word meaning “the abode of the gods”. We have two songs, 'Terbanglah' and 'Janabijana' which are narrated in a somewhat classical style of Malay. In fact, 'Janabijana' is an archaic Malay word that means “the land of our birth”.
Both these songs carry political connotations.
We leave it to listeners to make sense of it and relate it to events current or past. One of the songs, if I may reveal, was inspired by a notorious “political move” that happened in our country. There are other themes in the record, such as 'Sumpah Di Bumi Kawi' which retells the legend of Mahsuri. 'Aku Manusia' for example, is about the indomitable strength of the human spirit.
Syerleena: Zairil writes the lyrics, I just write riffs and soundscapes that set the tone of the songs.
Q: The other three members are known as musicians, not politicians. Were you tempted to make it an all-politician band at one point?
Zairil: Haha, that was never the point. We are not a novelty band. In fact, it is merely a coincidence that Syerleena and I are both politicians. As with our other band members, we all have day jobs. But when we are with the band, I am just Zai the keyboardist.
Syerleena: I do not classify Priwayat as a ‘political’ band. Shanx, our bassist is a member of Damn Dirty Apes and Coma, Zam, our vocalist was in Penang indie band Vigil and Jern was in Sepatu 69. They’re all awesome musicians who bring so much to the band. Yeah, it’s just a coincidence that Zairil and I are politicians. I just enjoy playing the guitar and writing music.
Q: Where’s the funding for the band’s recording/promo videos coming from?
Zairil: This is entirely self-funded. We are not signed to any label. Our record is also self-produced.
Q: There have been some cringe-inducing political music videos over the years - MCA’s Love is in the Air, MIC’s Beribu-ribu Tahniah and most recently Selangor state reps did a remake of Standing in the Eyes of the World. What makes you sure that this record is not in the same category?
Zairil: I take offence to this question! (laughs)
I think it’s great that some politicians choose to express themselves through music, but I tend to agree that some of them maybe just shouldn’t. That said, our record is not an attempt to garner publicity for political purposes. It is first and foremost an expression of our musical creativity. We are putting these songs out there, in the hopes that people will like them for what they are.
Syerleena: It is cute in a rather tragic way that those videos are what people think of when politicians and music are mentioned in the same sentence.
The recent rendition of 'Standing in the eyes of the world' had a certain feelgood factor but such music endeavours have a different intent, I feel. We are not campaigning or trying to offer any sort of visual political propaganda. The five of us just enjoy creating and playing music.
Q: Is this a one-off project or the start of something major in your lives?
Zairil: It’s always hard to predict what may come. As it stands, we are already working on new material and should be able to produce a full album in the near future.
Syerleena: Everything in life should be regarded as something major.
Q: What do your family members/other halves have to say about it?
Zairil: My wife has been nothing but supportive. In fact, she has been instrumental in organising some of our activities, such as video shoots, photography, besides helping us with our social media.
Syerleena: My family members and those close to me are happy that I am playing guitar again.
Q: Musicians in Malaysia are really struggling under the MCO. In fact, it was already really tough before with few venues and buyers for original material - what can be done to change this?
Zairil: These are very tough and challenging times. As a new band, we struggle to find opportunities to play. I can only imagine how difficult it is for musicians who earn a living by gigging. I know some have resorted to other means such as playing online shows, but that is much easier said than done.
I think the government should seriously consider opening up the music scene further, allowing more live shows to go on in adherence to SOPs of course. If this situation keeps up, I am afraid it may deal a critical blow to the local music industry, hampering the growth of many talented musicians.
Syerleena: This has become a rather personal issue for me as most of my friends are musicians. I have been advocating at the state level to open spaces for musicians to perform (i.e. shopping complexes, hotels, food courts, etc.).
The Penang state government is supportive of this idea and is working out some details to help support local talents. Some initiatives such as 'Show Penang' where local talents can apply for government grants and the Penang Island City Council's 'Musical Street Busking' events will see more musicians get a chance to perform.
On a personal level, I am also in the middle of opening some spaces within my constituency to allow musicians to play but the recent spike in cases is extremely worrying. Malaysia cannot afford another lockdown. Business premise owners, managements, local councils, and the government need to work together – life must go on but with new regulations and procedures.
You specifically mentioned “original material”.
I still feel original music is not given the same attention as covers. I understand that covers draw crowds which is good for business, but it is the original stuff that showcases true talent. In this context, I think there needs to be a change of mindset and massive industry support to encourage more original material in Malaysia. - Mkini
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