A national day song of their own
LIMKOKWING University of Creative Technology’s national day campaign kicked off on a high note with the launching of an original Merdeka song written and produced by the institution.
Aptly titled Demi Negara, the song – which is only available in Bahasa Malaysia – was collaboratively written and produced by students from its choir and alumni, under the advice of university founder and president Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing and his team.
Produced from scratch, the recording of the song, which took a month to perfect, underwent numerous changes, approvals and advice from Lim.
“The score and lyrics are totally new and original. I believe it will touch the hearts of people as it is produced from the heart of our young, passionate students, as well as alumni,” said vice-president (Industry Empowerment) Datuk Raja Aznil Raja Hisham after launching the Merdeka campaign at the campus last Monday.
“The team in charge of the song had the idea to do it right after the recent general election.
“Though we have a new government after 60 years, the people remain the same. This is now their future and story, hence the title Demi Negara,” he said.
The Merdeka campaign and production of the song involved a multi-generational and multi-ethnic team to ensure it resonated with everyone, he added.
“This campaign reflects the university’s pride and patriotism for Malaysia, which we have exported to our campuses around the world. It also reflects affection and dedication for the nation, cohesion and globalisation.
“While we wanted to pay homage to our past, we felt it was equally important to focus on the future, what Merdeka means, and future aspirations of the citizens,” said Raja Aznil.
He expects the two versions of the Merdeka videos uploaded onto the university’s YouTube channel to hit more than two million views before Merdeka day.
He also encouraged the public to create and upload their own versions of the Merdeka song onto YouTube.
The lead singers of the song comprise Ernie Shaheerah, Asyraf Farhan Adi Zairi and Siti Hasreena Rosli – all of whom are Limkokwing graduates who are now staff of the university.
Ernie said the choir was honoured to be involved in producing and executing the song.
“We were told to give the song a fresh twist and make it a touching song so that it can reach the hearts of the people with a catchy tune to sing and move along to.
“The song is sentimental and positive. We hope it can reach out to society,” she added.
Asyraf Farhan said he hopes the song can motivate all Malaysians to be inspired, courageous and be united as one.
Theeban Mahendran, a member of the choir, said being able to collaborate on songwriting was a valuable experience.
“The song touched my heart. It is inspiring for all generations as it is about patriotism,” he said.
For more information about the song, check out Limkokwing University’s social media channels at Limkokwing My (Twitter), Limkokwing University (YouTube), or Limkokwing University of Creative Technology (Facebook).