14 Malaysian music queens you should hear, from Alena Murang to Yuna to the Amy Winehouse-like Dasha Logan
- Often described as the Malaysian Spice Girls, Elite formed in 1996 and recorded four albums, while Ella was known as the Queen of Rock
- They inspired a new generation of artists, such as Yuna, Malaysia’s biggest international superstar, who has worked with Pharrell Williams and Usher
The importance of Islam and Islamic culture in Malaysia has helped stereotype the country as a tough place for music, which is considered haram – forbidden – by Muslims.
Female artists especially have found this to be true, and many international pop stars, from Gwen Stefani to the Pussycats Dolls and Beyoncé, have experienced Malaysian conservatism for themselves – from being fined to having to cancel their shows in the country.
That is not to say that there are no popular female singers in Malaysia – there have been a string of them since the 1950s.
Here is an introduction to the country’s most influential female musicians, and the talented contemporaries they have inspired.
Ella
Penang-born Nor Zila binti Aminuddin is remembered and respected today as Malaysia’s “Ratu Rock”, or Queen of Rock. As part of Ella & The Boys, she was the first female lead singer in a Malay mat rock (melodic hard rock) band that were otherwise all-male and who dominated the music scene in the 1980s. As a solo artist, Ella became the first Malaysian to record an album in the United States, “Ella USA” in 1994.