Zee Avi (born Izyan Alirahman, also known as KokoKainalast.fm Koko Kaina
/ref>), PBK is a Malaysian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and ukulele player.

Early life

She is originally from

Miri Miri () is a coastal city in north-eastern Sarawak, Malaysia, located near the border of Brunei, on the island of Borneo. The city covers an area of , located northeast of Kuching and southwest of Kota Kinabalu. Miri is the second largest ...

, located in

Sarawak Sarawak ( , ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. It is the largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia. Sarawak is located in East Malaysia in northwest Borneo, and is ...

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 ...

on the island of

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

. She moved to

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

at the age of 12 and taught herself to play the guitar at 17. Avi played rhythm guitar in a couple of bands while in Kuala Lumpur before moving to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

to study fashion design at the

American InterContinental University American InterContinental University (AIU) is a private for-profit university with its headquarters in Schaumburg, Illinois. It employs open admissions. American InterContinental University is a member of the American InterContinental Universit ...

. After returning from London, she started writing songs.

Musical career

Breakthrough

In September 2007, Avi posted a video of her first song, "Poppy" on YouTube for one of her friends who had missed her first performance in Kuala Lumpur. The friend convinced Avi to leave the video online even after he had seen it, and soon she received positive feedback. This inspired her to put more videos on YouTube. Several months later, on the eve of her 22nd birthday, Avi posted what was supposed to be her final video "No Christmas For Me". The next day,

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

put the spotlight on her video and Avi's mailbox was bombarded with more than 3,000 e-mails and a slew of offers from record labels. After discovering her video,

Patrick Keeler James Patrick Keeler is an American rock music drummer from Cincinnati, who is best known for playing in The Greenhornes, The Raconteurs, and The Afghan Whigs. He plays with both traditional and matched grips. Recording career Keeler has play ...

The Raconteurs The Raconteurs (, also known as The Saboteurs in Australia) are an American rock band from Detroit, Michigan, formed in 2005. The band consists of Jack White (vocals, guitar), Brendan Benson (vocals, guitar), Jack Lawrence (bass guitar), and ...

, passed the link to Ian Montone, the manager of

The White Stripes The White Stripes were an American Rock music, rock duo formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1997. The group consisted of Jack White (guitar, keyboards, piano, vocals) and Meg White (drums, percussion, vocals). They were a leading group of 2000s indi ...

The Shins The Shins are an American indie rock band formed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1996. The band is the project of singer-songwriter James Mercer, who has served as the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes. The band's c ...

, M.I.A. and others. Montone then passed her music on to

Emmett Malloy The Malloys is the working name of music video and film directors and brothers Emmett Malloy and Brendan Malloy. They have been with Superprime Films since 2010. Videography *"Dance with Me (Blink-182 song), DANCE WITH ME" by blink-182 (2023 ...

, who signed her to

Brushfire Records Brushfire Records is a record label owned by singer-songwriter Jack Johnson. Formerly known as '' The Moonshine Conspiracy Records'', the label was founded to release soundtracks for Woodshed Films, a company owned by Johnson, Emmett Malloy, and ...

, a record company that is partly owned by Jack Johnson. "No Christmas For Me" turned out to be her first official song with Brushfire Records. It was featured on Brushfire Records's 2008 charity Christmas album '' This Warm December: A Brushfire Holiday (Vol. 1).''

2009–2011: Debut with ''Zee Avi''

Avi's self-titled debut album was released on 19 May 2009. The album was co-produced by Brushfire Records and Ian Montone's Monotone Records. On the day of the release, YouTube featured her on the front page in Spotlight: Music Tuesday. A day after that, she performed to a full house at the famed Roxy Theater in West Hollywood. The album went on to become the ninth best album of 2009 according to the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

. She made her US television debut on 18 June 2009, performing her debut single "Bitter Heart" live on

Last Call With Carson Daly ''Last Call with Carson Daly'' is an American late-night television series that was broadcast by NBC from 2002 to 2019. Hosted by former MTV personality Carson Daly, the series was initially formatted as a late-night talk show in line with '' ...

2011–2012: ''Ghostbird''

Her second album ''

Ghostbird ''Ghostbird'' is the second album from singer Zee Avi. The album's first single "The Book of Morris Johnson" was released on iTunes on 28 June 2011. Track listing Chart performance References {{DEFAULTSORT:Ghostbird (Album) 2011 albums ...

'' was released on 23 August 2011. "The Book of Morris Johnson" was the first single off her sophomore effort. ''

'' topped the US Billboard

Heatseekers Infrared homing is a passive weapon guidance system which uses the infrared (IR) light emission from a target to track and follow it seamlessly. Missiles which use infrared seeking are often referred to as "heat-seekers" since infrared is ra ...

Albums chart and spawned hits like "Swell Window" and "Concrete Wall" after both songs were featured in Season 5 of the hit television series ''

Gossip Girl ''Gossip Girl'' is an American teen drama television series created and developed by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage and based on the series of novels of the same name by Cecily von Ziegesar. It follows a group of students on Manhattan's ...

''. Avi has the distinction of being the first Malaysian singer to have albums on the US Billboard Hot 200 Albums chart and top a Billboard chart (Heatseekers Album). She toured the United States with

Pete Yorn Peter Joseph Yorn (born July 27, 1974) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He first gained international recognition after his debut record, '' Musicforthemorningafter'', was released to critical and commercial acclaim in 2001. He is ...

from June to August 2009, the final leg being at the Music Box, Henry Fonda Theater in Hollywood, California on 27 August 2009.KCRW Events schedule
/ref> She opened for the multi-talented Jack Johnson during his concert at the Greek Theater, UC Berkeley on 6 October 2010,Yahoo Events schedule
/ref> and had the honor of collaborating with Johnson on a live mash-up of their respective hits "Just You And Me" and "Breakdown." She also opened for Grammy-winning singer/songwriter and feminist icon

Ani DiFranco Angela Maria "Ani" DiFranco (; born September 23, 1970) is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. She has released more than 20 albums. DiFranco's music has been classified as folk rock and alternative rock, although it has additional influenc ...

at the Chameleon Club in Lancaster, Pennsylvania on 21 October 2011 to mark the 20th anniversary of World Cafe. Avi has performed sets at some of the most celebrated music tours and festivals, namely

SXSW South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...

in Austin, Texas (March 2009),

Bonnaroo Bonnaroo (or Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival) is an American annual four-day music festival developed and founded by Superfly Presents and AC Entertainment. Bonnaroo has taken place at what is now Great Stage Park, a 700-acre (280 ha) far ...

in Tennessee (June 2009), San Francisco's

Outside Lands Outside Lands was the name used in the 19th century for the present-day Richmond District and Sunset District on the West Side of San Francisco. With few roads and no public transportation, the area was covered by sand dunes and was conside ...

(August 2009), Byron Bay Bluesfest in Australia (April 2010),

Lilith Fair Lilith Fair was a concert tour and travelling music festival, founded by Canadian musician Sarah McLachlan, Nettwerk Music Group's Dan Fraser and Terry McBride (CEO), Terry McBride, and New York talent agent Marty Diamond. It took place during ...

in Ohio, New Jersey and Massachusetts (July 2010), Mountain Jam in New York (May–June 2012) and

Rainforest World Music Festival The Rainforest World Music Festival (often abbreviated as RWMF) is an annual three-day music festival celebrating the diversity of world music, held in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, with daytime music workshops, cultural displays, craft displays, ...

in Kuching, Sarawak (July 2012). She toured Asia in November 2011, performing in Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Singapore, Bali, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Miri. This was followed by a US East Coast Tour in February 2012, with gigs in New York, Massachusetts, Philadelphia, Maryland and North Carolina. In September 2012, she performed in six cities during her California Tour. Zee Avi SXSW 2009

In December 2012, Avi was conferred the state order and medal of Pegawai Bintang Kenyalang (Officer of the Order of the Star of Hornbill Sarawak) for her service to the state of Sarawak by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Head of State). The award is the Fifth Rank of the Darjah Yang Amat Mulia Bintang Kenyalang Sarawak (Most Illustrious Order of the Star of Hornbill Sarawak).

2014–2016: ''Nightlight''

Avi's latest offering is ''Nightlight'', a 9-track album consisting of covers for children that was released on 22 April 2014. The album, which was recorded in

Woodstock, New York Woodstock is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in Ulster County, New York, United States, in the northern part of the county, northwest of Kingston, New York, Kingston. It lies within the borders of the Catskill Park. The popula ...

within a span of just four days, includes covers of "Ben" (

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

); " The Rainbow Connection" (Kermit the Frog); " The Circle Game" (

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan Mitchell (née Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and painter. As one of the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitch ...

); "Colors of the Wind" (

Judy Kuhn Judy Kuhn (born May 20, 1958) is an American actress, singer and activist, known for her work in musical theatre. A four-time Tony Award nominee, she has released four studio albums and sang the title role in the 1995 film ''Pocahontas'', includ ...

); and a medley of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," "Lima Anak Ayam," "Air Pasang Malam," "Lagu Tiga Kupang," "Sing A Song of Sixpence," and "Rock-a-bye Baby." Avi released two tracks from the album,

The Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground were an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1964. Its classic lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Lou Reed, Welsh multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and percussionis ...

's "Who Loves The Sun" and

Bobby McFerrin Robert Keith McFerrin Jr. (born March 11, 1950) is an American singer, songwriter, and conductor (music), conductor. His Vocal pedagogy, vocal techniques include singing fluidly but with quick and considerable jumps in Pitch (music), pitch—fo ...

's "Don't Worry, Be Happy" in February 2014, as teasers for her new record. ''Nightlight'' made it on the iTunes Best of 2014 Albums (Children's Music) list. On 26 November 2016, Zee Avi won her first major international award with Best Original Film Song at the 53rd Taipei

Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Taipei Golden Horse Awards () are a film festival and associated awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. The festival and ceremony were founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Repub ...

for ''Arena Cahaya'', the theme song she co-wrote and performed for one of Malaysia's highest grossing films of all time, ''

Ola Bola ''Ola Bola'' is a 2016 Malaysian Malay-language sport drama film directed by Chiu Keng Guan starring JC Chee, Luqman Hafidz, Saran Kumar, Marianne Tan, Katrina Ho, Frankie Lee and Bront Palarae. The film was inspired by the glories of the Mala ...

.''

2019-present: Third studio album, ''Ellipses''

In August 2019, Zee announced that she is working on her upcoming third studio album titled ''Ellipses'', which is her favourite punctuation. The first single of the yet-to-be released album, "Who are U?" was released on 2019 Malaysia Day. ''Ellipses'' will feature nine songs that she wrote over the past seven years and will be released independently. In December 2019, Novartis Malaysia chose Zee to compose a song, "My Skin" with the aim of creating awareness on

psoriasis Psoriasis is a long-lasting, noncontagious autoimmune disease characterized by patches of abnormal skin. These areas are red, pink, or purple, dry, itchy, and scaly. Psoriasis varies in severity from small localized patches to complete b ...

. The song was produced by Yuswa Ansari. The music video features psoriasis fighters from different background and was uploaded on Novartis Malaysia's YouTube channel on 9 December 2019.

Artwork

Avi is also a visual artist and a lover of art. "The Book Of Morris Johnson", which is the lead single from her second album, was inspired by paintings by Morris Johnson, a Floridian folk artist. Avi's original artwork is featured on the CD of her second album

. She also produced three art pieces for a charity project with

Pledge Music PledgeMusic was an online direct-to-fan music platform, launched in August 2009. It was started to facilitate musicians looking to pre-sell, market, and distribute projects, such as recordings and concerts. It bore similarities to other artist pa ...

. Some of her artworks, emblazoned on

ukulele The ukulele ( ; ); also called a uke (informally), is a member of the lute (ancient guitar) family of instruments. The ukulele is of Portuguese origin and was popularized in Hawaii. The tone and volume of the instrument vary with size and con ...

s, are also given away as gifts to a selected number of her fans.

Musical influences

She cites swing bands, Gershwin and America jazz from the 1920s as influences. She has been likened to

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phra ...

many times and one writer called her "the next heiress in the bloodline of young women with supernaturally classic voices". She also describes herself as a "rock lover at heart". She has a diverse musical preference from

The Carpenters The Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen Carpenter, Karen (1950–1983) and Richard Carpenter (musician), Richard Carpenter (born 1946). They produced a distinctive soft musical style, combining ...

The Cranberries The Cranberries were an Irish rock music, rock band formed in Limerick in 1989. The band was composed of lead singer and guitarist Dolores O'Riordan, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan (Noel's brother), and drummer Fergal Lawler. O'Riord ...

. She draws inspiration from

Cat Power Charlyn Marie "Chan" Marshall ( ; born January 21, 1972), better known by her stage name Cat Power, is an American singer-songwriter. Cat Power was originally the name of her first band, but has become her stage name as a solo artist. Born in ...

Regina Spektor Regina Ilyinichna Spektor (, ; born February 18, 1980) is a Russian Americans, Russian-born American singer, songwriter, and pianist. After self-releasing her first three records and gaining popularity in New York City's Indie music scene, in ...

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on society's underworld and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He began in the American folk music, fo ...

Jolie Holland Jolie Holland (born September 11, 1975) is an American singer and performer who combines elements of folk, traditional, experimental, and rock. Career Growing up in her birthplace of Houston, Texas, Holland left in 1994, moving to Austin, Ne ...

Daniel Johnston Daniel Dale Johnston (January 22, 1961 – September 11, 2019) was an American singer, musician and artist regarded as a significant figure in Outsider music, outsider, Lo-fi music, lo-fi, and alternative rock, alternative music scenes. Most ...

and

Chris Garneau Chris Garneau (born November 5, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Since releasing his debut album, '' Music for Tourists'' (2006), Garneau has toured throughout the United States, Canada, Brazil, Europe, and Asia. He has relea ...

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday made significant contributions to jazz music and pop ...

, Ella Fitzgerald,

Velvet Underground The Velvet Underground were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1964. Its classic lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Lou Reed, Welsh multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and percussionist Moe Tuc ...

and

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...

Awards and recognition

# The

named Zee Avi (album) one of the Top 10 Albums of 2009 alongside albums by big names like

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...

Jay Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named the greatest rapper of all time by ''Billboard'' and '' Vibe'' i ...

Norah Jones Norah Jones ( ; born Geethali Shankar; March 30, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She has won several awards for her music and, , has sold more than 53 million records worldwide. '' Billboard'' named her the top jazz artist of ...

and

The Black Eyed Peas The Black Eyed Peas are an American musical group formed in Los Angeles in 1995, composed of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo (rapper), Taboo. Fergie (singer), Fergie was a member during the height of their popularity in the 2000s, and ...

. # Zee Avi was nominated for "Break Out Award" and "Pop Star Award" at the 2010

Shout! Awards The Shout! Awards was an entertainment award show created to celebrate the Malaysian entertainment scene which was said (at the time) had rapidly developed. The award recognised people of music, television, film and radio industry as well as t ...

in Malaysia. # MSN Malaysia named Zee Avi one of the Top 10 Young Malaysians in 2011. # Zee Avi was bestowed the Youth Icon (International) Award by the Sarawak State Government in conjunction with Hari Perhimpunan Belia Negara 2011 Peringkat Negeri Sarawak (National Youth Assembly Day 2011 Sarawak State Level). # The Asia Pacific Brands Foundation presented Zee Avi with The BrandLaureate Grandmaster Brand Icon Leadership Award 2012 for Zee's achievements as a singer and songwriter, and for establishing a successful career in the international music scene. # ''Is This The End'' a song written and performed by Zee Avi, and featured in the independent film Transatlantic Coffee, was the recipient of the Bronze Medal for Excellence in the Best Impact of Music in a Feature Film (Artistic Excellence) category at the 2012 Park City Film Music Festival. # Zee Avi was conferred the Pegawai Bintang Kenyalang (Officer of the

Order of the Star of Hornbill Sarawak Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * H ...

) by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Head of State) in an investiture ceremony held in Kuching on 12 December 2012. # ''Nightlight'' was named one of

iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...

Best of 2014 Albums in the Children's Music category. # The song ''Arena Cahaya'', which she performed and co-wrote for the movie

, won the Best Original Theme Song award at the 28th

Malaysia Film Festival Malaysia Film Festival (FFM; ) is an annual awards ceremony organized by the ''Entertainment Journalists Association of Malaysia'' to honour excellence in Malaysian film. It is considered to be Malaysia's own equivalent to the Academy Awards ...

held on 3 September 2016 and Best Original Film Song at the prestigious 53rd Taipei

held on 26 November 2016. # Zee Avi was awarded "International Young Artiste Award" at the 2018 Top Asia Corporate Ball held in

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

, Indonesia.

Discography

Studio albums

Tribute album

* ''Nightlight'' (2014)

EPs

*''One More Time With Colors'' (2010) * ''Concrete Wall (remixes)'' (2012)

Singles

As lead artist

Non-album singles and collaborations

Videography

Music videos

Promotional videos

Charity videos

Concerts and tours

Tours

*2011: ''Homecoming Tour''

References

External links

*
Brushfire Records Artist Profile – Zee Avi
{{DEFAULTSORT:Avi, Zee Living people 1985 births Malaysian women pop singers People from Sarawak English-language singers from Malaysia Ukulele players Malaysian women singer-songwriters Malaysian singer-songwriters Musicians from Kuala Lumpur Malaysian women guitarists Malaysian folk singers Malaysian rock singers Malaysian pop rock singers Malaysian jazz singers 21st-century Malaysian women singers 21st-century women guitarists 21st-century Malaysian musicians 21st-century Malaysian women musicians 21st-century Malaysian guitarists