Kota Kinabalu’s electronica artiste, Rozella – one of the 3 Tiger Jams finalists – has been handpicked by Chvrches for a special Tiger Jams collaboration.
Written with some guidance from electropop prince Darren Ashley, Rozella’s track “Home To You” is a song about the contrast of “being in the big city with bright lights and missing the serenity of home and island life”.
“I wrote the song on keyboard and sent the demo over to Darren. He designed the music according to the emotions that I wanted to convey, which was a mix of sadness and longing intertwined with excitement,” Rozella explained.
So when she got the news of being selected over the other 2 finalists (Son of a Policeman and Donamarie), Rozella could not believe the timing as she was unwell and longing for home. “I got really choked up because I was feeling all the emotions of the song. It was, oddly enough, a moment that’s come full circle,” said the songbird who moved to make Kuala Lumpur her base in May.
Her video chat session with the Scottish synthpop band took place soon after and for the fangirl, the conversation with Chvrches was rather surreal. They shared with her great industry insights such as how “people will always have an opinion” and that at the end of the day, what’s important is for her to trust her gut feel and to do what is right by her.
As for “Home To You”, Chvrches told her that they loved the simplicity of the track, which allowed them more experimental space to inject their sound including incorporating voice chopping.
Formed in 2011 as a studio project between long-time friends Iain Cook and Martin Doherty – Chvrches, which also features Lauren Mayberry on lead vocals, released their debut album, “The Bones of What You Believe” in 2013. The album earned them widespread critical acclaim as well as a strong fan base after touring extensively throughout 2014. The band’s sound mostly derives from the synthpop genre, with indietronica and indie pop influences.
Their 2nd album, “Every Open Eye”, was released in 2015 to rave reviews, and this year band wrote the original track to the recently released “Mirror’s Edge Catalyst”, an action-adventure platform video game. Their success and grounded personalities make them a no-brainer choice for a collaboration with one of Malaysia’s top undiscovered talents.
Taking place on 2nd Sept at Rhapsody Square, TREC, Tiger Jams Centerstage will feature the top 3 contestants – Rozella, Son of a Policeman, Donamarie, acclaimed Asian acts The Sam Willows (Singapore), ToNick (Hong Kong) and Darren Ashley (Malaysia), and Chvrches. The venue will also showcase art pieces by Tiger Jams’ local visual artist, Donald Abraham, Kenji Chai and Flex, who were also instrumental in the creative production of each of the 3 finalists’ music video made for their Tiger Jams’ original track.
Tiger Jams sets out to be an epic jam session to celebrate the sights and sounds from Asia. It aspires to bring the freshest talents together in celebration of music and art.
For more information on obtaining exclusive passes to Tiger Jams Centerstage, visit Tiger Jams’ website or Facebook page.
