EUPHORIC MIA TO SING FOR REGIONAL GAMES
Singer-songwriter Mia Palencia is thrilled to be performing her self-composed theme song for the SEA Games and Asean Para Games. BIBI NURSHUHADA RAMLI has the details
COMING out with a theme song for the upcoming 29th SEA Games and 9th Asean Para Games is definitely a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity this jazz singer-songwriter could not pass up.
Mia Palencia was approached to compose, write the lyrics and perform the song. Entitled It Takes A Nation To Raise A Champion, this is one of the three theme songs for the Games.
Still reeling with excitement, the Sabahan finds it even more thrilling that her work is aimed at inspiring fellow Malaysians to believe in themselves and inspire change.
“Music has this amazing capacity to move people, and I want mine to lift everyone’s spirits. Like Mother Teresa’s famous quote ‘We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop’,” the 33-year-old told the New Straits Times yesterday.
The slow, English ballad, number, which features traditional music elements, is also available in Malay, titled Bersama Kita Lahirkan Juara, with lyrics by fellow Sabahan Asmin Mudin, a composer-lyricist, who was responsible for writing the lyrics to Jaclyn Victor’s 2004 hit tune Gemilang.
On landing the gig, Palencia said it was Enfiniti president and group chief executive officer Puan Sri Tiara Jacquelina who first approached her for a demo in June last year.
“Tiara and her team had a vision of a music composition that celebrates the unsung heroes behind every athlete — the family members, coaches, teachers, friends and supportive people from the community who have contributed towards an athlete’s dream towards greatness. I took their input and gave it my best shot,” said the artiste who began her musical career in 1998 at the age of 14.
She said the whole process of coming out with the theme song took almost a year to complete.
Involving a group of musicians, arrangers and sound engineers, both local and internationally, the song, which is accompanied with a music video, was finally released on YouTube on July 14.
Currently pursuing a PhD in songwriting at University of Tasmania, Australia, she said: “It was imperative for the theme song to sound like a million bucks. Thanks to the amazing team of musicians for seeing this project through.”
The lyrics talks about a person’s desire to rise through the challenges and emerge a better version of himself.
“While recording the song (in Tasmania), I poured all the positive energy I could muster into each music note and I think that worked amazingly well,” she said.
Meanwhile, the other two theme songs for the games are Tunjuk Belang (performed and composed by monoloQue, Azlan Typewriter and maliQue); and a yet-to-be-unveiled tune by top composer Datuk Ramli MS, to be performed by award-winning Dayang Nurfaizah.
This year’s SEA Games will be held from Aug 19 to 30 while the Asean Para Games is scheduled from Sept 17 to 23.