Pop melayu () is a

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

music genre influenced by rhythms and musical traditions of the Malays of

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

, and

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, plus their

cultural sphere In anthropology and geography, a cultural area, cultural region, cultural sphere, or culture area refers to a geography with one relatively homogeneous human activity or complex of activities (culture). Such activities are often associa ...

History

The progenitor of this genre is the frequent movement of

bangsawan ''Bangsawan'' ( Jawi: بڠساون) is a type of traditional Malay opera or theatre performed by a troupe and accompanied by music and sometimes dances. The ''bangsawan'' theatrical performance encompasses music, dance, and drama. It is widel ...

acts between

Malaya Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia: Political entities * British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...

, Deli (now Medan),

Riau Islands The Riau Islands () is a provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia consisting of a group of islands located in the western part of the country. It was established in 2002 after being separated from the neighboring Riau Province. The capit ...

and

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

which later developed into ''Orkes Melayu'' ("Malay orchestra") starting in the 1930s, their compositions took from

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous peoples o ...

and

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

influences played with Western instruments, while their song lyrics often took from

pantun ''Pantun'' ( Jawi: ) is a Malayic oral poetic form used to express intricate ideas and emotions. It generally consists of an even number of lines and is based on ABAB rhyming schemes. The shortest consists of two lines, known as the in Mal ...

. Malayan- Singaporean cinema was often a huge inspiration, especially from

P. Ramlee Teuku Zakaria bin Teuku Nyak Puteh (22 March 1929 – 29 May 1973), better known by his stage name P. Ramlee (Puteh Ramlee), was a Malaysian actor, filmmaker, musician, and composer. Born in Penang, Malaya, he is regarded as a prominent icon ...

. In 1960s Singapore, many 'fast guitar groups' (''kumpulan gitar rancak'', abbreviated as ''kugiran'') sprung among the Malay community there influenced by contemporary Western music incorporating similar traditions. Since the 2010s, There are two pop melayu streams including the classification which is popular in Malaysia and the other is in Indonesia. In Indonesia early, pop melayu was popular in the mid-2000s which was pioneered by ST12. Until now, there have been many popular music groups with this genre. Those that managed to penetrate the domestic and international markets included ST12,

Wali The term ''wali'' is most commonly used by Muslims to refer to a saint, or literally a "friend of God".John Renard, ''Friends of God: Islamic Images of Piety, Commitment, and Servanthood'' (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008); John ...

, Kangen Band, Armada, Radja, Hijau Daun, Dadali, Repvblik, Demeises, and others. The success of the pop melayu genre in dominating the market share in Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei in general has also changed the color of the arrangements of pop genre music groups which were originally popular.

References

Indonesian styles of music Malaysian styles of music Malay-language music {{Malaysia-stub

History

See also

References