Wednesday, September 16, 2009
OPQRSTUVWXYZee.
I would have been contented eating burritos and sipping a chilled margarita at Café Iguana’s on a hazy Tuesday night when I received a call with an invite to the special preview of Zee Avi.
My first reaction: What’s that? I then learnt that Zee Avi is not a thing, but a she – a Malaysian singer-songwriter who was first discovered on YouTube. And my immediate reply to the invite: Nah, I’ll stick to my burritos and margarita instead.
It wasn’t until Hil started his salesman pitch that I decided to at least check out one of her songs on YouTube before blowing off the idea. If you’ve been tuning in to the top 40, you’d have probably heard her first single Bitter Heart on the radio. That was the song I checked out on YouTube and by the end of the first line, I was impressed with her voice.
Next thing I knew, I was erasing that delicious burrito image from my mind and calling to say yes to the St James’ preview.
Thank God for media benefits (Hil’s this time), we beat the crowd and made our way to the seating area just a few metres from the stage, complete with a free drink in hand. The petitely framed 24-year-old with a very big hair came on half an hour later escorted by a three-piece Caucasian band (I’m assuming they’re Americans since she signed on with Jack Johnson’s Brushfire Records) and started belting out some unfamiliar tunes.
I must say that her voice is really quite remarkable – think Renee Olstead on a sugar high – with no local accent to suggest that she’s Malaysian whatsoever. She’s the kind of voice you’d find in the Audiophile CD compilation alongside jazz greats and not be out of place. She’s the type of record you’d play just before you drift into sleep at night.
With time on her side, Zee’s on her way to great things, and before she gets there, I hope she improves on her guitar skills and stage presence. Not that I’m any Simon Cowell or anything, but it’s apparent in the performance that her skill for the instrument is not quite as solid as her voice. In fact, I found myself holding my breath at times, hoping she won't screw it up. Thankfully, she held her ground despite a couple of minor misplucks.
I did like that Zee plays the ukelele. The charmingly lighthearted and uplifting sound of the instrument perfectly suits the tone of her voice and her personality; she ought to use that to her advantage and take on songs like Honey Bee and Kantoi instead of the run-of-the-mill jazz numbers which, more than anything, would only rob her of her youth - and a sizeable fan base.
With the right people, Zee will be a bright spark to watch in the near future. And hopefully, her success will inspire others in our region to bring the music industry to a whole new level.
