‘Flower’ power
Hijabsta hip-hopper Bunga Isme talks to Dennis Chua of her choice of genre and her dream of working with Yuna
WHILE hijab-wearing Yuna has become a national icon among pop-rock singers and songwriters, another young lady who packs a punch with her music may soon emerge as her counterpart in the hip-hop music genre.
Meet 21-year-old Bunga Isme or Noor Ayu Fatini Mohd Bakhari, who has been dubbed the country’s first “hijabsta hiphopper”.
Bunga, who hails from Kuala Kangsar but grew up in Kuala Lumpur, is best known for her musical collaboration with Canadian-Iraqi pop singer Ali Gatie late last year.
She performed a duet with Ali titled Welcome Back, and sang its Malay segment, which she dedicated to frontliners around the world working hard to stem the Covid-19 tide.
Her segment was produced by composer Amzar Sabri and musician Rozhan Razman.
Ali, 23, originally sang Welcome Back with Canadian singer-songwriter Alessia Cara in September last year.
OPENING FOR ANNE-MARIE
Bunga, who opened the concert of British pop singer-songwriter Anne-Marie Nicholson at KL Live in Life Centre here in July 2019, was one of four promising young Malaysian artistes who performed for half an hour before Anne-Marie arrived on stage.
Besides singing, Bunga has also acted. She starred in the Astro First telemovie Aku, Bunga alongside singer-actor Naim Daniel and veteran actor Aman Graseka in August last year.
Loosely based on her journey into the music world, it was directed by Kabir Bhatia of Sangkar and Cinta fame.
“I’m more into singing than acting, but it’s always good to have a second talent, since being versatile helps boost my career,” said Bunga at the launch of her first Hari Raya Aidilfitri song Irama Aidilfitri ,a collaboration with singers Awi Rafael, Ning Baizura and Ismail Izzani recently.
The launch was held at EQ Kuala Lumpur Hotel in Jalan Sultan Ismail. The song was written and composed by Awi and produced by Newsantara and Habib Jewels.
DREAMT OF BECOMING A LAWYER
Bunga is the youngest of 11 siblings, and her stage name refers to her pet name given by her parents during her pre-teen years.
“They’ve always called me Bunga and still do, so that name has stuck with me. As for Isme, that is an amalgam of the word ‘is me’, and it refers to my usual stage introduction aku bunga, which became the title of the telemovie,” she said.
Bunga, who performed at the Singapore Malay Arts Festival 2019, initially wanted to become a lawyer.
“At first, I merely saw music as a hobby, and my parents preferred that I go for traditional professions such as law,” she said.
“However, when they realised how musically inclined I was, they said okay, provided I graduate with a degree.”
BAJU KURUNG HER TRADEMARK
Bunga grew up listening to pop music, but became attracted to hip-hop as it was largely a “boys’ genre”.
“It’s true that female singers have excelled in almost all genres in the United States, but sad to say, female hip-hop singers are rather lacking in Malaysia.
“That is why I became attracted to hiphop. It’s something out of the ordinary, and I’m a rather curious person.”
Bunga, who performed hip-hop in various contests during her secondary school days, got her big break when she performed in hip-hop guru Joe Flizzow’s online talent search 16 Baris in 2017.
“I performed dressed in baju kurung, and that made me stand out in the crowd,” said Bunga, adding that her performance garnered more than 1.4 million views on YouTube.
“Actually, I came to the show wearing regular clothes. However, on the advice of my close friends, I changed into a baju kurung because they felt that it would really make a difference,” she said.
GIVING ADVICE THROUGH HIP-HOP
Bunga raps about good and bad experiences in her life, her strong stands against bigotry, sexism, bullying and extremism, and the need for girls to be strong in the face of challenges.
“The beauty of hip-hop is you can rap about any topic. On my part, I like to amplify positive and empowering messages for girls and women,” she said.
Even though many male hip-hop artistes in the US use “gangster” slang in their songs, she said that the genre could be tailored to suit Malaysian sensibilities.
“Being a female rapper does not mean I have to act like the bad boys,” she said.
“Look at Lauryn Hill, Queen Latifah and Nicki Minaj. They include lots of ‘girl power’ messages in their music.”
IGNORING CRITICISM
Singing hip-hop in baju kurung has some challenges, admitted Bunga.
“Baju kurung isn’t something that’s flexible and elastic, so I can’t jump around too much in it,” she said.
Bunga also admitted that she had detractors who accused her of “being unrefined” and “not respecting the hijab and baju kurung”.
“I’m not affected by naysayers. For me, I believe we can sing and dance in any outfit so long as it is decent and modest.
“Look at how many female singers perform in the baju kurung, and help promote it to the world. What’s important is the message of your music, not what you wear.”
STUDYING PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
Bunga is currently studying public administration in Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Shah Alam.
“I hope to find a job in the government, but at the same time I want to focus on my entertainment career and grow with it.”
Bunga who hopes to branch out into pop music, said: “Hip-hop may be my favourite genre, but I still love pop and I hope to record several pop songs, as well as hiphop and pop combinations.”
SOUL SISTER, MUSCLE MAN
Among the popular singers she would love to perform duets with include Ning, Ismail, Naim and her idol, Yuna.
“When the US news company Bloomberg
featured me on its social media portal two years ago, Yuna was the first Malaysian singer to congratulate me.
“She also revealed that she followed me on Instagram, and that really got me over the moon!” said Bunga excitedly.
She describes Ning as her favourite “soul sister” who greatly impressed her in the Hari Raya song.
“I’m pretty close to Ismail since we are about the same age. He’s very playful like me, and now that he’s into body-building, I think he’s a hunk in the making!” she said.
Bunga, who recorded the duet Intan Payung with Noraniza Idris in February, Bukalah Matamu with Aisyah Aziz for Ejen Ali: The Movie in 2019, and Dup Dup with Aizat Amdan, also looks forward to more projects with them.
OGY A GREAT TEACHER
Bunga’s appearance in Aku, Bunga is not a one-off project, as the singer hopes to star in more dramas and telemovies.
“I will only go for stories where the female characters are strong, not weak.”
Bunga, who is guided by her acting coach Fauziah Ahmad Daud, said she was a great teacher who helped her master the basics of acting, as she prepared for Aku, Bunga.
“I was a little afraid of her in the beginning, after watching her criticise contestants of Akademi Fantasia during the show’s heydays.
“But when I worked with her, she was kind and supportive all the way!”
She is also thankful to Kabir for guiding her well.
“He’s a gentleman and a genius. I always look forward to working with him.”
Besides live action films and dramas, Bunga is also game for voiceover work in animated series and films.
“Perhaps, joining the voiceover cast of our popular local animated series as BoBoiBoy and Ejen Ali would be great. I’m a big fan of local animation.”