Odyssey of aural traditions
Sape songstress Alena Murang continues to champion her Sarawakian heritage through her latest album, writes Aref Omar
SINCE the release of her debut album Flight back in 2016, singersongwriter and sape player Alena Murang has been actively incorporating the culture of Sarawak into her creative endeavours. The 32-year-old Kuching-born artiste is on a mission to keep her heritage alive and relevant to both young and old and is slowly carving a niche for herself in this aspect.
Last year, she won Best Styling Award at the Buenos Aires Music Video Festival in Argentina for her haunting song, Midang Midang.
The captivating music video was also screened at music and film festivals in the United States, the United Kingdom and New Zealand.
A testament to her unique sound and creative approach, Alena’s music has also been licensed to international TV networks, including National Geographic, Channel News Asia and Taiwanese Television.
REMEMBERING HER ROOTS
The comely professional sape player, who is of Kelabit, English and Italian descent, recently released her second album titled Sky Songs.
Looking resplendent decked out in traditional beads, earrings and headgear, Alena performed her two new singles, Gitu’an and Meno’, with her band during a launch event for the album by Sound Asia in Kota Damansara, Selangor.
The eight-track release features songs inspired by the traditional stories of her ancestors sung in Kelabit, Kenyah and English.
“The album is called Sky Songs because it is a representation of our ancestors and how sacred our lives on Earth are.
“There are stories of our great ancestors who used to live in the skies and travelled to earth through a waterfall.
“And now, when we look up to the skies and see graceful white clouds, bright sparkly stars or even darkness, all these remind us to stay grounded and live as a community where all living things are interdependent,” she says.
Alena adds: “Our ancestors had a special relationship with the universe, from the sun to the sky, from the trees to all living things. For them, the sky was a ‘big sunhat dome’ and all earthly creations lay beneath.
“Because of that too, I have chosen to sing in the Kenyah and Kelabit languages because I want to keep them alive.
“Language represents a myriad of things you see in life — your people and the community, as well as your perception towards life and realities.
“This album is my way of preserving our beautiful heritage for our children and future generations to accept and appreciate,” she says.
Alena, who received a special recognition award (Pengiktirafan Khas) from the Sarawak state government last month, adds that the physical album comes with a booklet of lyrics with English translations of the songs, stories and photos of the highland skies from her home.
“I started working on the songs from 2019 and wanted to present more tunes in Kelabit and Kenyah, so I learnt a lot from my elders and relatives to get them right.
Featuring a soothing and mesmerising ethnic sound straddling the lines of folk pop, folk rock and world music, the album was produced by her cousin Joshua Maran.
Aside from Alena’s vocals and her playing the sape, the musicians who perform on the album are Jonathan Wong Ketshin, Herman Ramanado, Jimmy Chong, Derrick Siow and Niko Coyez.
Sky Songs also showcases instruments native to Borneo, such as the tubong, pagang and rattan mat, as well as cultural instruments like the taiko drums.
The overall sound is completed with more contemporary elements from the electric and bass guitars, together with a drum kit and concert flute.
CHRONICLING CULTURE
“I would like to thank everyone involved in the production of the album, especially the Communications and Multimedia Ministry for supporting local artistes through its Digital Content Fund, as well as the Dayak Cultural Foundation Sarawak,” she says.
Sky Songs was produced as part of the Roads To Our Heritage (RTOH) project that features Alena Murang alongside fellow artistes Estranged and Stonebay.
Its objective is to document and present the stories of the natives of Sabah and Sarawak, specifically focusing on East Malaysian traditional music and the musicians involved.
The ongoing project will see each artiste releasing an album followed by the production of a six-episode documentary.
Alena, who has performed at festivals like South by Southwest in the US, the Forde Traditional and World Music Festival (Norway) and OzAsia Festival (Australia), says that “by chronicling these stories told by the native heritage caretakers, we hope create more awareness across all ages, both locally and internationally, and to add to preservation efforts.”
The Sky Songs CD and cassette are available at Tandang Stores via www.tandangstore.com. They will also be available on digital platforms beginning next month.
Follow Alena on Facebook (https://facebook.com/alenamurang), Twitter (https:// twitter.com/alenamurang) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/alenamurang) or visit www.alenamurang.com.
aref@nst.com.my