Double the fun
Malaysian singers Jeryl Lee and Masya Masyitah join forces as pop duo My Sista to conquer the music scene.
THERE isn’t a pop duo in Malaysia that has to shoulder responsibilities quite like My Sista’s Jeryl Lee and Masya Masyitah.
The two homegrown teen pop stars were making good progress on their solo showbiz careers when they were recruited to duet on a song specially written to commemorate the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia.
Composed by Chinese singersongwriter Kai Kai (of Sing China!
fame), the song has a Mandarin version titled Zuo Jian (Left Shoulder) and a Malay version titled Sahabat Sejati (True Friend).
The song premiered at the 2019 New Year Carnival at Dataran Merdeka, and the two 19-year-olds have been performing their friendship ambassador duties throughout the year.
It only made sense that the two join forces to establish themselves as a pop duo. Hence the birth of My Sista.
Recently, both girls served as ambassadors for The Voice Of Sahabat Sejati (Zuo Jian De Sheng Yin), a singing competition that offered two finalists the top prize of a 10-day trip to China, sponsored by the Chinese embassy in Malaysia as well as the opportunity to participate in performances on television shows there. Contestants could choose to sing either the Mandarin version Zuo Jian (Left Shoulder) or the Malay version Sahabat Sejati (True Friend).
The bilingual song was also used as a theme for multi-lingual Chinese micro-film Gift Of Time
(Shi Jian De Li Wu), which tells of the long-standing friendship between people from China and Malaysia.
Masya also had a role in Gift Of Time, which sees her playing a Malaysian girl studying architecture at China’s prestigious Tsinghua University, currently ranked No.1 in Asia by the London-based Times Higher Education.
Meanwhile, Jeryl has wrapped up filming for a local Chinese movie titled The Code Of Happiness,
which she plays a rebellious teenager who is suffering from identity issues.
Now that the two have also tried their hand at acting in Chinese films, Jeryl says she is looking forward to trying different roles while Masya says she still prefers singing.
The two teens admit that it is nice working with a friend so they can lend each other a shoulder to lean on and help to make up for what the other lacks.
“Now, we communicate with each other so well that we can easily offer each other support when we are singing,” Masya shared.
“It is also quite amusing for me sometimes, as we often communicate in a mix of languages – English, Malay, Mandarin – which can end up sounding quite funny,” Jeryl added.
It also helps that they have much in common. Both attract attention with their exotic South-East Asian looks as they stand out from other pop acts who sing in Mandarin; it is also one of the main reasons why they have been encouraged to combine their talents and form a pop duo.
The two share similar experiences as they made their name by participating in singing competitions that have since taken them far away from home.
Jeryl became a household name after making the finals of Chinese reality show Sing! China in 2016. But she already started making waves overseas when she joined a Taiwanese singing competition Chinese Million Stars at age 12, and won the Watercube Singing Contest For Overseas Chinese Teenagers in Beijing, China at age 14.
Meanwhile, Masya was the recipient of the Most Potential Young Artiste trophy at the Asia Music Awards held in Shenzhen, southern China last month. The Malay artiste is best known for being the champion of Ceria Popstar 2014 and runner-up for Bintang Kecil RTM 2011.
Both hail from north Malaysia; Masya (real name Siti Nur Masyitah Mohd Yusoff ) is from Kedah, while Jeryl (Lee Pei Ling) is from Penang.
A very interesting thing is that although both of them sing mostly in Mandarin, they still have to rely on pinyin to learn the lyrics to their songs. But the good thing is their love for music makes everything easier for them.
While they have been performing together for almost a year, both are also busy with their individual solo activities.
So, they haven’t had much time to plan and prepare for their upcoming countdown show. Yet, the pair appeared to be quite relaxed as they had already performed together in Genting’s Arena Of Stars in October at their Jeryl And Masya Live In Concert 2019.
“It was my first time at a concert and my first opportunity to perform on such a huge stage for such a big audience,” Masya revealed, adding that it made her very happy to share the stage with Jeryl.
This time around, the pair say they want to do more since Jeryl & Masya My Sista New Year Countdown Concert will have a different theme. They hope to spring a surprise on their fans by adding new items to their repertoire, such as hip-hop and K-pop dance and playing musical instruments.
“We might try dancing a little bit. That will come as a surprise, I’m sure,” offered Jeryl.
“It will be quite unusual to see us dance, since we are the type who just belt out numbers,” said Masya, who added that she will try her best to learn her moves.
In the meantime, the girls said they have received an offer from a fashion label and are looking into starting their own clothing line.
“It’s a local label, and we hope to make it big,” continued Jeryl, who is currently studying fashion design.
Music-wise, Jeryl is looking forward to releasing a solo album while Masya is working on a Malay single and hopes to release a new Mandarin single soon.
Jeryl & Masya My Sista New Year Countdown Concert will be held at the Arena Of Stars, Resorts World Genting, on Dec 31 at 10pm. Tickets are priced from RM156 and available from rwgenting.com.