Malaysians are well aware of singer-rapper Namewee (Wee Meng Chee, 黄明志). He’s capable of causing a stir with his music and film which can be rather provocative at times. For instance, he once unintentionally started a war with BLACKPINK fans. He also commonly shares unpopular opinions unabashedly and without fear. His most recent example would be when he supported Wraya (WENGIE) for modernising a classic, much to netizens’ displeasure.
However, at his core, Namewee is a singer, songwriter and film director. His efforts may not always be praised locally, but they are recognised internationally. This afternoon (10th October), Namewee was pleased to announce that two of his music videos (MVs) won awards at the Rome Music Video Awards.
The Rome Music Video Awards is an online festival that celebrates the creativity and imagination of artistes. It is appraised every two months and encourages people from all over the world to submit their work. They look for “creativity, freedom, style and uniqueness in many fields” which can inspire and move people. Although the pandemic disallows them from screening the winning videos physically, they hope to do so when possible.
According to Namewee’s Facebook post, his two winning MVs were “Alzheimer Love (老人癡愛)” and “Our Love is Over (對妳愛完了)”. “Alzheimer Love” won the Best Love Song award while “Our Love is Over” won the Best Jazz Song award. Additionally, “Alzheimer Love” won the Best Editing Award at the International Music Video Awards (IMVA).
Namewee explained that he has been basing his themes off Asian concepts which have gained him international recognition in the past few years. He’s been hoping to spread Asian music to the world, but has found it difficult as there is no framework to guide him. He hopes to break out of his shell and head to Africa where he can shoot an entirely different culture. After years of filming in Asia, he’s starting to feel uninspired.
As for his two award winning MVs, he admitted he had difficulties shooting them as well. For “Alzheimer Love” Namewee had to get creative in displaying the passing of time. “When filming, the difference between thirty years ago and thirty years later need to be made in the same place. Everything has to be changed,” he explained.
For “Our Love is Over”, it required many rehearsals to make the video. As this music video involved actresses from different races, they often had miscommunication issues as they didn’t speak the same language. It was an unforgettable experience since they needed to understand the story to film it well.
Namewee’s hard work and dedication has certainly paid off! We’d like to congratulate him for the awards and hope to see more of his work in the future.
It would definitely be worthwhile to take a break from Asia and explore inspirations in Africa. We look forward to seeing what that journey will bring. Maybe, just maybe, it will lead back to another Rome Music Video Award! One can hope.
Check out his award winning MVs here:
