Guardian MY rejuvenates festive spirit with star-studded Raya music video

Guardian Malaysia has rolled out its first-ever music video campaign for Hari Raya titled "Kembalikan Kemeriahan bersama Guardian" (Restore the excitement with Guardian). The video tells the story of four young sisters who make their long-awaited journey back home, to surprise their mother for Hari Raya.

This gesture celebrates the return of family reunions after two years of restricted travel due to the pandemic. Additionally, it aims to evoke the much-missed feeling of returning to one’s hometown for Hari Raya

The music video is anchored in the song, "Pulang Di Hari Raya", which was chosen for the collaboration given its status as a classic staple amongst Malaysians for the festive season. It additionally features local celebrities Noorkumalasari, Wani Kayrie, and Sofea Shaheera in lead roles. 

Noorkumalasari, who makes a cameo as the mother, is also the original performer of the song. Joining her are actress and singer Kayrie, who performs an updated version of the song and acts as one sister, while influencer Shaheera plays another sister in the video.The sisters' journey also includes stops to help out other Malaysians and sees them face an obstacle in their journey. The video is available on social media and was done in collaboration with Lion & Lion Malaysia.

Angela Teo, head of marketing for Guardian Malaysia and Brunei said, “’The heart-warming tale of the four sisters’ neatly-hatched plan to surprise their mother, only to find it back-firing on them in a joyful way, captures the essence of what most Malaysians are feeling this Hari Raya. It does not matter how long and winding the journey home is, as long as one gets to celebrate Raya safely with loved ones.”

According to Hans Lee, creative director at Lion & Lion Malaysia, every element of the music video was designed to bring out the nostalgic experience of balik kampung (to return to one's hometown), while also making it relevant to Guardian’s younger audience.

Combining tradition with modernity to engage with a new generation, business director of Lion & Lion, Wai Sim Liew, said the brand wanted Guardian’s debut film to truly resonate with young people who had grown up shopping at Guardian, and were now anticipating retuning home and celebrating Hari Raya with their families in person. Wai also added that music videos about Hari Raya are something Malaysian millennials especially look forward to every year.

“We came across Pulang Di Hari Raya by Noorkumalasari and knew that this was the perfect song, with a catchy feel, to capture our storyline. To further resonate with our audience, particularly the younger ones, we updated the lyrics and had Kayrie cover it,” added Lee. The collaboration also opted to use Vespas instead of cars for the sisters' journey, which allowed the video to incorporate more scenic, outdoor shots as the sisters journey across the city, back to their hometown. 

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