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.

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.

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

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.