We kid you not!
MTV World Stage Malaysia 2014 was one heck of a music party where both local and international musicians united to perform on stage at Sunway Surf Beach on 16th August. It was indeed a night to remember as B.o.B, Yuna, Boys Republic, and Thaitanium stepped on stage and rocked out in front of more than 10,000 fans.
Thai-American hip hop group, Thaitanium, who performed at MTV World Stage Malaysia 2014 for the first time, opened the night with an upbeat 11-track medley. During an exclusive press conference, the group mentioned that they considered themselves as first-timer performers at MTV World Stage. Following the release of their latest single “Wake Up (Bangkok City)” with Snoop Dogg, the group stated that there were a few songs that they haven’t perform anywhere else, including a new single called “Sukebe” that will be released this October in Japan. They set the crowd’s energy level through some of their older songs including “Do What I Say”, “Bong Tong”, and “Put Your Hands Up”.
The group also talked about the difference between Thai hip hop scene and American hip hop scene as well as the inspiration behind their album. On top of that, they even commented, “Snoop Dogg is like a God!” when they were asked about their working process with the American rapper.
When we asked them about the artistes they’d want to collaborate with in the future, Thaitanium said:
Anybody who wants to collaborate with us. We make music every day so umm..first of all, like it’s easier to say, it’s easier to do, or maybe it’s not easy to do. But here, we shut us out from the money and think like, “Would you to collaborate with us?” It’s kind of like, we like to vibe out in our studio, let it happen organically. With somebody like Snoop Dogg, it happened organically. We just got into the studio and he was listening to some music and then he just started recording. You know, bascially it’s the vibe. Most importantly, it’s hard to work with somebody who have no idea about, like personally or artistically. So you kind of of have to like, being in the same room, and feel each other (not in that way *laughs*). If we could vibe and get to know each other first, then the collaboration could happen.
As Thaitanium has previously collaborated with our homegrown rapper Joe Flizzow for the song “Do It Big”, the group also said that they’d collaborate with him again as “they are in the same family.” They also said, “Whenever a collaboration is about to happen, it’s always good. Actually we spoke to him last night about something new. We are always speaking, so yeah maybe we will collaborate with him in next 10 years?”
Our very own beautiful homegrown talent Yuna kicked off her performance with “Falling“ as she elevated elegantly onto the stage at MTV World Stage Malaysia 2014. During the press conference, the singer talked a little about her thoughts on being a breakthrough artiste:
I try not to think about it so much because it could get to your head. I tried to remember why I first started, making music, like 7 or 8 years ago. I was just a 20-year-old law student, writing music for myself and I always take myself back to the spot whenever I go out to perform for all these people, or making music for a huge family. I think it’s important to always stay true to yourself and not forget why you’re here in the first place. Because it’s your love for music, or should I say, my love for music. Sometimes you tend to forget about something as simple as that but it should all come back to the basic. I’m blessed to be here and I still can’t believe that I get this crazy opportunity to travel, to perform, to go on tour. It’s nice.
It has been a while since Yuna performed in Malaysia but she said it’s always fun to come back to perform. As expected, the crowd gave a warm welcome to their home girl when the singer performed soulful, intoxicating renditions on stage, including “Mountains”,“Lelaki” and “Dan Sebanarya”, “Lights And Camera”, and “Terukir Di Bintang”. Before she wrapped up her set with the magical performance of “Come Back”, she showcased her talent in playing the ukulele while she performed her hit song, “Rescue”.
Before Yuna performed on stage, Universal Music’s first K-Pop boy group made their MTV World Stage debut with a bang as they kicked off their performance with “You Are Special”. Not only are they talented in singing and dancing, the boys serenaded the audience with their charm that sent fans into a screaming frenzy.
During the performance of Boy Republic’s remix of “Video Game”, 15-second mobile phone clips that were posted on Instagram with the #worldstagemyfancam were featured on the screens. A lucky fangirl, who was chosen to become their “girlfriennd” was unveiled during the performance for “Dress Up” as well, leaving the audience screaming with jealousy. Towards the end of their set, the group once again hyped up the crowd with the fan favourite, “Party Rock”.
American rapper B.o.B returned to Malaysia to with an electrifying performance for the audience at MTV World Stage Malaysia 2014. The audience threw their hands up in the air and bobbed their heads to the rapper’s tracks like “Don’t Let Me Fall”, “Ready ft. Future”, “Headband ft. 2 Chainz”, “John Doe ft. Priscilla”, and “So Good”. In fact, the audience was spotted singing along to his hit single “Magic” and some of them even managed to exchange high fives with the rapper himself.
But perhaps the most memorable moment of the night was when a beautiful “silver ocean” was formed as the audience waved their mobile phones to a soulful performance of “Both of Us” ft. Taylor Swift.
Then, in honour of the lost lives in recent plane tragedies, B.o.B paid a tribute while performing his global hit song “Airplanes” ft. Hayley Williams of Paramore. Before he wrapped up his set with “Still In This”, B.o.B brought the house down as he went crowd surfing. With over 1,000 multi-coloured LED balloons thrown into the audience, MTV World Stage Malaysia Insider Aric Teng made his debut on-stage and ended it with a blast!
Check out the gallery below for official pictures from MTV World Stage Malaysia 2014!
Missed the show? Don’t worry! MTV World Stage Live in Malaysia 2014 has been recorded live for global telecast and it will premiere on August 20th (Wednesday) at 8:30pm with a repeat at 12am. For other locations, viewers are advised to check local listings to catch all the artistes’ performances!
(Photo Credits: MTV Asia, Lucas Lau, Aloyrius Lim & Kristian Dowling)
