Maxis ropes in East Malaysian artistes to compose festive music videos

Maxis is collaborating with East Malaysian artistes to produce a festive music video, as the harvest festivals of Kaamatan and Gawai in Sabah and Sarawak, respectively, approach. The videos seek to bring to life a unique interpretation of both harvest festivals, as well as the spirit of a vibrant community. 

For Sabah's harvest festival of Kaamatan, Sabahan duo, Atmosfera, has released a video titled "Kaamatan" featuring the characters exploring a local village, and engaging in the activities and celebrations within it. All this is done while singing in the local Dusun language. With the support of singer Sabahan Ayie from Floor 88, Maxis said that the song is both festive and catchy, with a hook that will invite repeated plays at many get-togethers. 

On the other hand, for Sarawak's harvest festival of Gawai, Sarawakian Alena Murang, who is of Dayak-Kelabit heritage, has released a song titled "Sun Hat Song". The song is sung in multiple languages including English, Iban, Bidayuh, Kelabit and Kenyah, in which the acoustics reverbs with classic rock vibes. The music video itself also shines a spotlight on the lives of the locals, such as making traditional food and participating in celebrations and festivals. 

“We join the diverse communities of Rangkaian Malaysia, especially those in Sabah and Sarawak, who will be celebrating Kaamatan and Gawai respectively, together with their families and loved ones. In serving Rangkaian Sabah and Rangkaian Sarawak, we are excited to partner with local artistes in these wonderful songs about the spirit of togetherness," Tai Kam Leong, head of brand and marketing at Maxis said. He added that this partnership reflects the brand's commitment to bringing together communities through collaboration so that they can always be ahead. 

Just last month during the Raya-Ramadan festive period, Maxis collaborated with Persatuan OKU Sentral to work with people with disabilities, who are also musicians. As part of the "Riang Raya Maxis" Raya campaign, they produced a festive film titled "Last Kopek" which tells the story of a group of musicians with disabilities, who still make the most out of their situation by depending on each other. Through this campaign, Maxis sought to bring Malaysians together to unlock new possibilities through technology and lagu Raya (festive songs), the brand said previously in a press statement. 

Separately, Darlie Malaysia also recently celebrated the spirit of East Malaysians with a mural piece in Kuching and the other in Kota Kinabalu. This was part of its four-part year-long campaign #SemangatTogether and was done in collaboration with FCB SHOUT. Titled "The Art of Semangat", the film follows two East Malaysian artists, Artsy Daphy and Lukis Tulis, on their journey of uniting the people of Sarawak and Sabah respectively through the power of art. 

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