Over the long Hari Raya break, we chanced upon a video that featured one aspiring Malaysian drummer who was led to believe that he was testing a VR headset but little did he know, he was in for the shock of his life.
26-year-old city slicker Yup Shinz Joh aka Joh is a part-time drummer for 3 bands. Although gifted and passionate about the art, Joh, like most young aspiring musicians/artistes, had one problem – in reality, he’s simply too shy to pursue “larger than life” dreams.
When asked how he would feel if he had the chance to perform in front of a big crowd, Joh said, “I will be very nervous. And I will mess it up big time.”
Perhaps due to stage fright? A lack of experience? His low self confidence? Or maybe, he just needed to be taken out of reality so that the environment wouldn’t dictate his performance. And that’s exactly what happened.
On 21st May 2016, Joh was invited to KL Venue in Bangsar on the pretense that he was testing a VR (virtual reality) headset for a drumming software.
In the video, he can be seen jamming along to a “virtual reality rock concert”, only to have the curtains abruptly come down for the big reveal. He was in fact on stage with one of Malaysia’s biggest names in the indie alternative rock music scene, HUJAN. The band’s main man, Noh Salleh, then personally invites Joh to play alongside them.
Needless to say, it gave the young Malaysian a chance of (and perhaps also the shock of) his lifetime, and in the most inspiring, touching way 🙂
Watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mo3XgnGUoFk
The video above, which was first published via Ray-Ban’s Facebook page, has since received over 900 likes and garnered over 200 shares as at time of writing.
A deeper search on the interwebs landed us on more information on the above video; Joh’s surprise was a part of Ray-Ban’s newest global campaign to inspire unique creatives to be themselves. Because it isn’t just about having the guts to perform on stage before a high-energy concert crowd as a part of HUJAN, it’s about owning the moment, to embrace imperfection, and accepting yourself for who you are.
And yes, it’s about having courage 🙂
What do you wish you had the courage to do or to do more of? Let us know in the comments below!
For more information on #ItTakesCourage, go here.
