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Final remarks and future plans for Insomniacks

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Final remarks and future plans for Insomniacks

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In the last few minutes of the interview, there were thoughts from the members of Insomniacks about the reflection on performing music and their upcoming plans for the future of the band. When it comes to performing their records in a live setting, Iqbal believes that performing them as close as the recording itself was truly important as it should be genuine and as true as what they felt when creating the song itself. Additionally, both Iskandar and Iqbal appreciate and find a boost in confidence when their fans sing along the chorus of Pulang during their live shows. Moving on, in the aspect of future plans be it short term or long term, the band stated that they will soon be releasing a new single that has elements of a pop-rock tune that they truly cherish. The song was written along with their supporters during a livestream that took place back during the first lockdown of Malaysia in 2020. On top of that, they would be working with multiple different producers and artists to create filler songs to fill up an upcoming EP or album.

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https://drive.google.com/file/d/104SZNc0vYsp2MTWrs9nzIjXYWxtNgGb5/view?usp=sharing

OR

https://soundcloud.com/muazrabbani/insomniacks-malaysian-music-interview-by-muaz

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Insomniacks, a band that has taken on the Malaysian music scene by storm, has had multiple and various contributions in one way or another. One of the many contributions from them would be the success in the domestic market and charts in the Malaysian music scene. Furthermore, both Pulang and Sempurna have dominated the local streams with each of their releases – not to mention the influence that they had spreaded throughout the younger generation from those songs. Evidently, they have created and released records that are extremely memorable and personal to Malaysians – backed up by the fact that these songs in particular are played practically anywhere and everywhere. Personally, I’ve heard their songs in grocery stores, train stations, weddings, and local buskers who play in and around the city, among many other situations and locations.

Not to forget, their latest EP, Kepala Batu and Reminisensi have their own stories and much influence to the music scene, as making it big in the domestic scene in such a desolated market would spark much inspiration for young aspiring musicians around Malaysia to be like them and chase after their musical dreams. Insomniacks themselves are the living and breathing evidence of passionate individuals that went from being just a young group of friends having fun doing what they love and making covers at home, to writing memorable records and performing on big stages for their fans and music-loving individuals around the country.

On a more business standpoint, both Sony Music Malaysia and Universal Music Malaysia have been represented by Insomniacks and in one way or another, their success has sparked and raised the image and value of those companies that trusted and signed with them from the get go. With the success that has been achieved by the band, there is no doubt how much they have given back to their respective labels after earning their trust to invest in them and their music.

In terms of awards and nominations, the band was nominated as the “Best Band” in “Anugerah Planet Muzik 2018” which was conducted in Singapore. Insomniacks were nominated alongside artists such as Noah, Last Child, Search, and Sheila On 7 which at that time, were distinguished artists and bands. Moving on, the band was also awarded with multiple awards in different categories such as, “Top in Domestic Charts”, “Weekly Radio Charts”, “Top streamed domestic song/artist in Malaysia” based on Spotify, and many more.

As for perfomances, the band had showcased their recognition through performances in MeleTOP, Immortal Songs TV3, and Muzik-Muzik 37 (Wikipedia contributors, 2022). Last but not least, according to the RIM Charts, Insomniacks have three of their singles that are currently at the top 10 of the charts which are Pulang at fourth place, Reminisensi at seventh place, and Sempurna currently holding the number one spot in the RIM Charts (RIM, 2022).

Even in terms of film, I personally find that Insomniacks has also uplifted the idea of web series’ in Malaysia, and they have proved to show that the web series subcategory are just as important as movies or tv series in the domestic entertainment industry. In a way, Insomniacks have contributed for aspiring and dedicated film producers to experiment and create web series’ to expand their horizons. Hence, stigma and stereotypes on creating superficial web series would slowly cease to exist if more individuals around the world or in Malaysia would commit to the art itself. Additionally in the aspect of film, the creation of music videos for an artists’ music are detrimental, for it is also an artform that creates a bridge between the film and music industry. Not to mention, with a music video, it is possible for fans and other individuals to receive a visual image of the message and ideology that the artist or the band wishes to deliver to their listeners. To not stray too far off topic – without the assistance and collaboration between the film and music industries, the Malaysian music scene would be dull and unappealing, as these aspects would be able to enhance the entire Malaysian music scene and have the standard set by the artists themselves. Hence, with the creation of music videos for both of their hit songs, Pulang and Sempurna, they themselves have indirectly contributed to both the Malaysian music scene and the Malaysian film scene – the best of both worlds.

As far as music and creative choices go in their songs, I personally believe that their songs have contributed to the pop/punk/rock music scene in Malaysia especially for the younger listeners as many young individuals are more inclined to listen to western pop music instead of local music. Therefore, with the records created by Insomniacks for the people, it has boosted the scene of such genres and not to mention, the local music scene for Malaysia itself so that Malaysians would start to appreciate local talent instead of undermining them, solely due to the music scene in Malaysia being quite small compared to other countries such as Korea, United States, and the United Kingdom. I also believe that their music such as Pulang and Pulang (Reimagined) could have contributions in the connecting of pop ballads with pop-rock music in the Malaysian music scene as it is quite unique to see a local band going through with this genre and musical style. As an impact, many aspiring musicians, especially the younger generation, could take inspiration and ideas from Insomniacks themselves to create music that can not only break boundaries but also experiment with different mixtures of genres and music styles. Based on my personal interview with Insomniacks, they did mention the urge to collaborate with many individuals in the music scene such as I-SKY, Shelheil, DOLLA and Yonnyboii. As an impact for the Malaysian music scene, it boosts and endorses the ideology of collaboration and cooperation between musical talents around the country. Hence, it would not only create an interesting mix of music from the various artists but it also portrays them that we as musicians and artists should learn how to cooperate and communicate with one another to share our success and to spread our creativity with each other from the same industry, instead of simply just competing with one another to no means. From an article, one of the band members stated that they did not enter the Malaysian music scene to chase after popularity or create a superstar image, but rather to share their talent, passion and ideology of music with their listeners not only in Malaysia but on a global scale as well (Feride, 2019). Therefore – the music, personality and ideology of Insomniacks as a whole has not only created a sphere of influence for the Malaysian music scene, but it has brought various impacts in terms of film and socialism.

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Insomniacks - Sempurna (Official Music Video)

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Insomniacks - Sempurna (Official Music Video)

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Insomniacks - Sempurna (Official Music Video)

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Listen to Sempurna's Piano Version, which features a visual and lyrical experience to the track.

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Insomniacks - Sempurna (Official Piano Version)

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On a side note, the band had also featured a four episode web series called “Pulang WEDisodes”. The web series focuses and features the overall story and plot of the music video to continue the wave of the growing influence from the song itself. In terms of viewership, the web series has accumulated over a million views on Youtube. The series not only generates influence but also creates a connection between the band and their fans to allow them inside the world that they had built (Gp, 2019).

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Affan, R. (2022, June 13). Gavin “tinggalkan” Insomniacks. Hmetro. https://www.hmetro.com.my/rap/2022/06/851492/gavin-tinggalkan-insomniacks

B. (2022, March 1). Pernah Popular dengan Lagu PULANG, Insomniacks Kini Kembali dengan SEMPURNA. Sensasi Selebriti. https://www.budiey.com/pernah-popular-dengan-lagu-pulang-insomniacks-kembali-dengan-sempurna/

Fatin, A. (2022, May 5). Insomniacks tolak gimik takut tersungkur. Bharian. https://www.bharian.com.my/hiburan/selebriti/2022/03/930424/insomniacks-tolak-gimik-takut-tersungkur

Feride, H. (2019, August 20). Insomniacks tak gelojoh cari populariti. Bharian. https://www.bharian.com.my/hiburan/selebriti/2019/08/598006/insomniacks-tak-gelojoh-cari-populariti

Gp, M. (2019, August 24). Biodata Dan Latar Belakang Kumpulan Insomniacks. iluminasi. https://iluminasi.com/bm/biodata-dan-latar-belakang-kumpulan-insomniacks.html

hitz. (2020, March 4). HITZ | INSOMNIACKS. Hitz.Syok.My. https://hitz.syok.my/special/hitz-behind-the-music/i/insomniacks

RIM. (2022, April 8). RIM Chart – RIM. https://rim.org.my/rim-chart-view/?id=102&type=dmt&type=dmt

Wikipedia contributors. (2022, June 13). Insomniacks. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insomniacks

Facebook Video of Iqbal talking about Pulang

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2379376985637667

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Pulang WEDisode EP 01 & 02 | Insomniacks

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Insomniacks - Pulang (Official Music Video)

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Insomniacks - Pulang (Official Music Video)

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Insomniacks - Pulang (Official Music Video)

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Listen to Pulang (Piano Version), where the video features an emotional story about reminiscing a loved one.

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A new era

As time passes and modernity progresses, so does Insomniacks as they sign with a new record label, Universal Music Malaysia. Following this, they had released their latest single, Sempurna for the masses after transitioning from Sony Music Malaysia to Universal Music Malaysia. From the personal interview that took place with the band members, Sempurna was actually written and composed around the time where their previous label's contract was ending. Their reasoning for not releasing the record under Sony Music Malaysia was that they believed that it would have been much more beneficial for them to release their new single, Sempurna with a new label to test out a new environment and create a fresh start to their campaign. Furthermore, Iqbal stated in our interview that Sempurna eventually turned out to be exactly how they they initially imagined and wanted the song to be, as there were a few tweaks and changes due to the collaboration with a new producer over at Universal Music Malaysia.

Writing Sempurna

Sempurna was initially written by Iqbal and Danial just after they had finished writing their latest EP, Kepala Batu. The situation came to be due to the fact that they had some extra time after finishing the EP, where they figured that a new single should be released sooner or later. Hence, Iqbal pulled out his voice notes to find voice archives of past inspiration that he might have recorded or had discussed with Dan. The initial inspiration of the song was to make a love song that had elements of devotion. However, after some tweaks of the chord qualities, they decided that Sempurna would be much better as a sad song. Hence, Sempurna was released, and the song has reached over 4 million streams on Spotify as of June 2022. According to an article, the band stated that they no longer just want to be known as the band that played Pulang, but they also wanted to be known as the band that created Sempurna (Fatin, 2022). Based on an article, the band has also released an extraordinary music video in collaboration with Atypical Visual and their Instagram Reels to promote their recent single has reached over 50 thousand views. Sempurna now stands top in the RIM charts after 2 weeks the single was released, and the band members stated that they are satisfied with their work on Sempurna as they hope that their fans would love Sempurna as well.

Experiencing different labels

The band also opened up about their experience working with their new label, Universal Music Malaysia. When Insomniacks signed with the new label, the song, Sempurna was the first single that was released and published from the label. However, they did have to re-record both Pulang and Reminisensi by the orders of the label as they would want to have those two songs and the influence that they hold through the new label as well. In comparison to Sony Music Malaysia, the band stated in the interview that there was a difference in the aspect of mutual respect between artist and label as they finally felt that their words and opinions had more weight under their more recent management. Hence, they stated that there were more trusted in the creative opinions from the new label and there was a great and efficient team in Universal Music Malaysia from all departments.

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About the song

Since 2015, Insomniacks have been hard at work creating covers and working their own personal projects. However, in 2017, the band finally release their debut single Selalu under the management of Sony Music Malaysia. Selalu was the band's first single and their first release with a label (hitz, 2020). However, the release of Pulang in 2018 was what skyrocketed the entire band to greater heights in multiple aspects such as public image, respect, and creativity. In a Facebook video released in August 10 2019 by Insomniacks themselves, Iqbal opened up about his thoughts on the meaning of their song, Pulang. In the video itself, he stated that they wanted to create a love song initially - before turning it to a sad song that reminded people of losing someone they love and thinking about when they will meet each other again. Moreover, he gave examples of losing our loved ones be it through death or other forms of being lost. Some examples he gave were losing our significant other, our parents, grandparents, and our friends that we care and cherish for deeply in our hearts.

Mainstream success

In a more statistical point of view of Pulang, on Spotify itself, the band has reached over 13 million streams as of June 2022 - whereas their music video that was released for Pulang reached a staggering amount of 28 million views as of May 2022. As one of the major impacts from the successful release of Pulang, the band were recognized as the only group that had achieved the longest duration a song  has stayed on the RIM Chart (Malaysian Recording Industry Association). The record remains in the Top 10 Domestic Chart until today, standing at 177 weeks long and currently in 4th place. In continuation, Pulang was recorded to be “Top 10 Most Streamed Singles in Malaysia” according to the Malaysian Recording Industry Association (RIM).  During the same time frame of their prime upcoming, Spotify had listed Insomniacks as one of the artists in the "Malaysia’s Top 2019 Spotify Wrapped Charts" as one of the “Top 5 Domestically Streamed Artists” (Wikipedia contributors, 2022). In addition, Insomniacks also holds nominations in the list for the “32nd Berita Harian’s Popular Star Awards” in the collaborative, duo, and group categories where they had to compete against few prominent local artists, such as Alif Satar with Siti Nordiana and other nominees (Feride, 2019).

Struggles

With the band just experiencing joining a major label, there were a number of benefits gained such as that it was easier when it came to planning performances, finding producers, and receiving the funds to go on creative journeys when it came to music. However, the backings from the major label did have a moment of pushback as after the release of Selalu, their first single, as the numbers were not all that convincing in the eyes of the label. As a result, they had to fight for themselves to ensure that their second single, the most well-known song from the band, Pulang, would be able to be published to the masses as they felt that there was a special connection from the song itself. Hence, their image, songwriting skills, and independence in the eyes of the label was somewhat restored as the song reached millions of plays on multiple platforms.

Iqbal mentioned in the interview that the band does not put much priority in the numbers gained from the song, but rather focus more on the creative side and balance in the creation of a song especially during songwriting. Furthermore, Iskandar mentioned that it was quite sad to see that the label and other parties such as their friends and fans had been placing pressure on them to create the next song that would equal or top the charts and overtake Pulang in terms of numbers and influence. Hence, Iqbal believes that as musicians, they should not feel the pressure of having to create a hit song every time, but rather focus on consistency and work to maintain their stay in the music industry for as long as possible, ensuring that their influence continues through the years.

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Musical experience

As far as the musical history of the band members, bassist Iskandar stated that he had little to no experience when it came to music as he was not formally trained. Moreover, he started picking up the bass and practiced on his own while experimenting with different techniques that he would learn from others or even himself through his own research. Next, Danial Doodye had experience in musicals and theatre as he would also sing and immerse himself in the field of arts. Undoubted, the lead singer and guitarist, Iqbal stated in the interview that he took part in the school’s Nasheed (Nasyid) group. For elaboration, Nasheed is a musical style that consists of vocal music which is quite common and popular in the Islamic world. Iqbal also mentioned having a metal band during his school days, where he would be the drummer of the band - and only in recent years take up the role of the lead vocalist.

Inspiration and musical standpoint

From our interview, the band talked about their inspirations and how their idol band, 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS) inspired a few elements. Although they are adoring fans of 5SOS, they still try to maintain their identity as Insomniacks so that they do not stray too far from what they know best in the aspect of musical standpoint and creativity when it comes to songwriting and producing. After being signed to Sony Music Malaysia at the young age of 17 and 18, the band realized that they were rather inexperienced when it came to understanding the business side of the musical industry as they are more focused and inclined towards the creative side of music. Hence, they were also influenced and advised by the label to adapt to the public market to ensure revenue and influence in the domestic Malaysian music scene. From one of the questions about trying different genres, both Iqbal and Iskandar believed that they would want to try every genre or at least incorporate them into their songs every now and then. As an example, in their recent EP, Kepala Batu, they had integrated lo-fi elements into their songs whereas their next releases would include elements from other genres to keep their music fresh and tasteful.

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Who are Insomniacks?

Insomniacks is a four-piece Malaysian pop-rock group that has stormed the modern-day music scene in Malaysia, especially catering to the younger generation with their contemporary take on pop-rock. In the aspect of history and time, the band was coordinated and formed in the year 2015. However, during the early stages of the band, it was solely an independent pop band that had punk and rock elements integrated into their musical style. Only in 2017 did Insomniacks decide that it was the crucial time to become one of the many commercialized artists in Malaysia to speed up the growth of the band and evolve into the next phase of their musical careers.

The group has four band members which consists of Syed Mir Iqbal, Wan Arif Iskandar, Danial Doodye, and Gavin Wong. All four members of the band plays a crucial and respective role in the synergy and musical harmony of the band. In the aspect of roles, Syed Mir Iqbal, who is also commonly known as Iqie, takes on the role as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the band whereas Danial Doodye is another vocalist and guitarist to accompany him. Wan Arif Iskandar takes on the role as the other vocalist to back up the lead as well as the bassist of the band. Last but not least, Gavin Wong takes on the role of the drummer (Hitz, 2020). However, during a recent interview with Insomniacks, the band had stated, “Gavin would be taking a long break from the group for an indeterminable amount of time due to personal reasons, but he would always be family to us. Hence, he would not be a part of the upcoming projects that we would take on” (Wan Arif Iskandar, 2022).

How was the group formed?

It all began with a collaboration between Danial and Iqbal. The dynamic duo knew each other during high school and  decided to create a band together, initially naming it as ‘Dan’s Band’. In later times, Gavin became the third member of the band after being recommended by Iskandar who was a school friend of Gavin and a childhood friend of Iqbal. Interestingly, Gavin was initially a guitarist but eventually he became a drummer for the band. Last but not least, Iskandar would later join as the bassist of the group and become the final piece of the band for Insomniacks. In the early stages of the band, they began making covers of their favourite songs from local and international artists, and uploading on social media such as Youtube and Instagram. As the fruit of their labour, these music covers started to received light as more and more locals discovered their videos. Hence, the band was later discovered by Sony Music Malaysia for their talent and proceeded to sign them as a part of their record label to continue creating, releasing, and playing their music. Essentially, the label would endorse their music and push them as young, 'fresh' artists in the Malaysian music scene.

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In this current modern era, Malaysian music has never been more diverse with the ever-coming wave and spheres of influence from major artists around the world such as Paramore, to the amateur indie artists that we have within the country itself. Collaborations and exchange of musical culture between artists and bands through related mediums have shaped Malaysian music culture to this day. In this padlet however, we would be conducting a more detailed evaluation of one of the recent and prestigious Malaysian pop bands, Insomniacks. The vital focus of this field project about Insomniacks would be to evaluate, analyze and understand three indispensable and significant aspects – the band’s history and their respective members, their works for the music scene, and their contributions and influence to the Malaysian music scene.