RENDRA ZAWAWI

MUSIC COMPOSER/PRODUCER LOS ANGELES

What have you been busy with over in Los Angeles?

All this while, I have been part of the music department for television series like Mr Robot, Feud: Bette and Joan, Scream Queens and

9-1-1. Not to mention, providing additional compositions for American Horror Story: Cult and American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace, under lead composer Mac Quayle, with whom I’ve performed with at the Movie Score Malaga Music Festival (MOSMA) last year.

I also co-own the music production company Amplitone Productions with fellow Malaysian and Los Angeles resident Alvin Wee. We provide a variety of music services, ranging from music composition and songwriting, mixing, sound design, to other post-audio related work. Through Amplitone, Alvin has recently completed mixes for the film Tag (which starred Jon Hamm,

Jeremy Renner and Isla Fisher), as well as the Kungfu Panda ride at Universal Studios. Currently, we’re working on the audio production for Feisal Azizuddin’s feature film Temenggor, as well as several more television series in Fall 2018. On top of that, we’re also in talks to possibly produce a musical back in Malaysia ‒ an exciting new musical territory for us!

Which projects that you have done in the past would you say you are personally proud of, and which the people back in Malaysia can be proud of?

I believe this would be the collaboration for Arena Cahaya with singer/songwriter Zee Avi, for the 2016 film Ola Bola by Chiu Keng Guan. This song has won us Best Original Theme Song at the 2016 Golden Horse Film Festival (a historical first in the music category won by a “non-local”), and the 2016 Malaysian Film Festival. Apart from that, a milestone was achieved for our company when we wrote the closing theme song for the 2017 SEA Games, Together We Rise, sung beautifully by Malaysian Idol winner Jacklyn Victor, and Akademi Fantasia winner Vince Chong, in front of

millions of live viewers from around the region.

It was the dawn of a new era for Malaysia during the General Elections back in May. How has things changed for you where you are, a er hearing the news?

Personally, I feel the new change has affected Malaysians in a very positive way, in a sense that people are more attuned to the wellbeing of the country. Regardless of the outcome, it is always a good thing to have the social consciousness of the people grow towards working for a better Malaysia. I for one am paying more attention to the matters back home, which motivates me to give back to the country even more.

As a Malaysian residing overseas, how do you think this “New Malaysia” affects you as a Malaysian, and in your career?

One of the purposes of Amplitone, is to be the bridge between entertainment talents (artistic and technical) from Malaysia and Hollywood. We have plenty of unsung Malaysian heroes here in Hollywood working behind the scenes, and we firmly believe that this “New Malaysia” would entice them more to “give back” to the “new nation”. We would like to provide that platform and link for them to do so. That is also true the other way around, when it comes to connecting Malaysian talents with those in Hollywood. I believe people in Tinseltown would be more open to collaborate with Malaysian talents, now that Malaysia’s recent transformation has generated mostly positive publicity across the globe.

What do you miss most about Malaysia while overseas? Like any sane and authentic Malaysian, the food! I miss the accessibility to cheap late night lepak spots, like the mamak. It’s such a simple pleasure to know that there’s a spot open 24/7, to have that random teh tarik and roti telur after a late night session in the recording studio. There’s nothing like that over here ‒ it’s boring!