The only way is up
There’s much to look forward to from cutting-edge Sabahan singer-songwriter Rozella Marie Mahjhrin, writes Oon Yeoh
BEING born with a birthmark on her face gave singer-songwriter Rozella Marie Mahjhrin a lot of self-esteem issues growing up. She was able to overcome her lack of self-confidence through music, which she excels in.
Having moved to Kuala Lumpur from Sabah in 2015, Rozella’s career has grown by leaps and bounds. Her original songs have been featured on the Malaysian English Top 10 Charts and she won the Tiger Jams competition in 2016.
Rozella runs a passion project called True Complexion, which is a collection of stories about people dealing with and overcoming issues relating to confidence and the promotion of a positive body image.
For her efforts, Rozella received the Outstanding Young Person of Sabah Award in 2016, and this year she has been nominated in the Arts and Culture category of the Women of the Future Awards (Southeast Asia). The ceremony will be held on March 20 in Singapore.
YOUR NAME SUGGESTS THAT YOU HAVE A RATHER EXOTIC BACKGROUND
I come from a multiracial family. I’m a mixture of nine different races to be exact. I was born in Sunderland, UK, but I grew up in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Is that considered exotic?
WHEN DID YOU MOVE TO KUALA LUMPUR AND WHY?
I moved to Kuala Lumpur in mid-2015 because I needed a change of environment. In Kota Kinabalu, there were not many platforms that promoted original music and there was nobody I could work with who was producing the type of music that I wanted to make. Moving to KL was a very obvious decision for me. I value the creativity and growth the most, and I wasn’t getting those two things in KK.
HOW DID YOU END UP WINNING TIGER JAMS?
I never had the intention of joining Tiger Jams, or any other music-related competitions, because most of the time I feel it’s not about the music — it’s more of a popularity contest. The only reason I submitted my application was because my friends kept bugging me to do so. I was really happy that the final round was a songwriting competition because that’s what I love the most. We were asked to write a song inspired by the city that we’re from. At that point, I was already living in KL for about a year so I wrote a song called Home to You — about living in the big city and missing home.
WHAT IS THE OUTSTANDING YOUNG PERSON OF SABAH AWARD ABOUT?
That award basically acknowledges Sabahans who have contributed to the state in different ways. When I won in 2016, my category was Arts and Culture, and it wasn’t only about my achievements in music, but also my contribution as a social activist through True Complexion.
WHAT IS TRUE COMPLEXION?
I started True Complexion in 2015, after I moved to KL, with the help of a photographer friend, Melissa Toh. This social awareness project basically highlights individuals living with different medical conditions, disabilities and body image issues. I wanted to create a platform that gave people who don’t necessarily fit into society’s definition of “normal” or “beautiful” a chance to share their stories.
The reason I started this was because of my own experience growing up with a large birthmark on my face. I was often discriminated and misunderstood because
I was different. I always had a vision of bringing the platform offline and last year I managed to do that with the help of some friends. We organised a fundraising event called Alive! Festival back in September. When
I started this in 2015,
I hardly heard people speak about inclusivity and diversity the way that they do today. It’s so encouraging to see things slowly change in the country.
ARE YOU STILL YOUR OWN MANAGER?
Yes I am. It’s challenging to
juggle all the different roles, but it’s very normal for independent artistes. You just have to learn along the way, manage your time properly and do the work that needs to be done. To me, it has always been about what I want to achieve and how I can do it. If I had the option, I’d definitely prefer being in the studio the whole day but you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.
YOU SING IN ENGLISH. HAVE YOU CONSIDERED SINGING IN BM?
English artistes have a very small cut of the pie, which is only the urban market. It’s very easy to hit a plateau and feel discouraged. After a while, you do end up going around in the same circle. That’s why it’s so important that we have streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music that allow us to penetrate a wider market beyond Malaysia. I’ve never considered singing in BM just like I’ve never considered singing cover songs. My intention has always been to create original music and I wouldn’t do a good job writing in BM — it’s a completely different kind of poetry.
WHAT’S THE PROCESS OF SONGWRITING LIKE FOR YOU?
When it comes to the creative process, there’s a myth that when inspiration strikes, it hits you like a thunderbolt and ideas just flow through you like water. That does happen sometimes, but very rarely. More often than not, it’s about showing up and putting in the hours — even when you don’t feel like it. You don’t have to be inspired to start writing. Just like you don’t have to be in love or heartbroken to write a song about love or heartbreak. You just have to tap into the emotions that you currently feel and build a story with a beginning, middle and ending. It’s exactly like writing an article or any piece of literature.
SO DID YOUR JOURNALISM BACKGROUND ACTUALLY HELP IN YOUR SONGWRITING?
I have been a journalist for most of my adult life, which in an odd way prepared me for both music and True Complexion. If you think about it, I’m basically a storyteller. And that’s what you learn in journalism ― how to tell a story. The main difference is that in songwriting I use rhymes and there’s also the sense of freedom to express myself without any constraints.
WHAT PROJECTS DO YOU HAVE FOR THIS YEAR?
I’m releasing a lot more music this year. The first single Please Don’t Break My
Heart came out on Feb 15 and the next song will be out in May. I’m currently working on the True Complexion podcast, which will also be out this year. I also want to start planning the second Alive! Festival, which will happen in the third or fourth quarter of the year. I’m extremely excited about next month because I’ll be a part of the Eisenhower Global Fellowship Programme in the US. So there’s a lot happening this year. There’s so much of work to do and I feel overwhelmed at times. But I guess when you love what you do and you believe in what you do, you’ll put up with all the extra blood, sweat and tears.