The journey to achieving your dreams may be difficult, but it is not impossible. Who would have imagined that one day Malaysia would have an Oscar-winning actress and, now, a Grammy-nominated singer? Local artist Lyia Meta made history by becoming the first Malaysian vocalist to be nominated for a Grammy Award for her track “Delta Shine”, a collaboration with Latin-American musician Antonio Vergara on his album “The Fury”.
Although she was not nominated as a solo artist, her contribution to “The Fury”, which earned a nomination in the Best Contemporary Blues Album category, is a huge milestone in itself. To celebrate Lyia Meta’s latest achievement, let’s learn a little more about her.
1. Won 2 awards at the Texas Sounds International Country Music Awards
An award ceremony that many wouldn’t expect a Malaysian to even be a part of. Lyia won big after being voted as the Female Vocalist of the Year and Virtual Entertainer of the Year at the 2022 Texas Sounds International Country Music Awards. “Thank you, Texas, for giving me this moment. It took me forever to get here, and although I know I have a long way to go, it is always nice knowing I am appreciated,” she said in her acceptance speech.
2. She’s not the first Malaysian to be nominated for a Grammy Award
lyiameta, darkwoodbrew, speakhertz
Lyia Meta is indeed the first Malaysian vocalist to be part of a Grammy-nominated collaborative album, but she is not the first Malaysian to be nominated for the prestigious music award. Malaysian-born composer Zuriani Khalid Zonneveld previously won a Grammy for her contribution to Keb’Mo’s album “Keep It Simple” in 2005. Aside from her, Malaysian-American audio engineer-mixer Phil Tan won 3 Grammys and received 14 nominations.
3. She submitted two other projects for Grammy nominations
Apart from Antonio Vergara’s “The Fury” album, it was reported that two other projects by Lyia Meta were submitted for Grammy nominations. One was Steven Chesne’s “Descendants (79 Languages)” in the Global Music Album category, and the other was her own album, “Next”, in the Traditional Pop Vocal Album category.
4. She has released 2 albums, 3 EPs and 24 Singles
Lyia has never been afraid to experiment with her music. Scrolling through her social media pages, including her YouTube channel, it’s clear that the KL-based singer has explored a variety of genres across her early and latest projects, including orchestral pop, jazz, R&B, country, gothic rock, and many more. Despite her many releases, her music received little to no radio play in Malaysia, something we hope will change in the future now that she has gotten the recognition she deserves.
5. She has met the former Malaysian Agong and his wife
Lyia Meta is one of the few Malaysian artists who have had the privilege of performing in front of Pahang Royalty. The singer took a photo with Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah Alhaj, who was Agong at the time, and his wife, Tunku Azizah, after her performance at an undisclosed event.
The 67th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony will take place at the Crypto.com Arena on 3rd February 2025 (Malaysian time). We would like to congratulate Lyia Meta on her nomination and wish her all the best for the upcoming event!
