Belle Sisoski Takes Borneo’s Musical Heritage To The World Stage

NAGOYA, Oct 26 (Bernama) -- A traditional musical instrument of Borneo’s Lun Bawang community, at risk of fading into obscurity, is reaching a global audience through local singer and musician Belle Sisoski, who is showcasing its distinctive sound in Toyota’s ‘Move Your World Beat’ music project. 

Belle, 20, said the unique sound of the instrument, known as the tapi’, was fused with electronic music in the production of a song entitled ‘New Day Rising’, reviving an ethnic musical heritage that is facing the risk of being forgotten. 

She said the project was also a golden opportunity for her to represent Malaysia in an international music project while introducing the tapi’ to a new generation. 

“I feel so honoured and privileged to be able to be here and showcase our culture, and share our ethnic instrument that has been long forgotten,” she told Bernama in a recent interview. 

Belle said the Lun Bawang musical instrument has significant heritage value and deserves greater exposure through creative approaches that reflect the evolution of contemporary music. 

She said efforts to reintroduce the instrument to a wider audience were also driven by the desire to ensure that the heritage remained relevant and could be passed down to future generations. 

“It’s good to be able to showcase the old instrument on the world stage and to fuse it with modern technology and electronic music. 

“My mission is to revive this instrument and give it greater exposure in the mainstream media. Hopefully, future generations can integrate its traditional sound with electronic and contemporary music,” she said.

For Belle, fusing traditional and modern music not only opened up opportunities for musical experimentation but also allowed her to present cultural heritage in a form that resonated more closely with contemporary listeners. 

In ‘New Day Rising’, Belle said she also incorporated elements from various Malaysian traditional instruments, including the rebab and serunai associated with Kelantan’s Mak Yong performance, gamelan, and instruments influenced by Chinese and Indian cultures. 

“There’s gendang anak, serunai, and many different sounds in one track. It’s been really fun to work with them,” she said. 

The song was produced under Motor Asia’s inaugural initiative, ‘Move Your World Beat Volume 1’, which brings together seven artists from six Asian countries: Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Pakistan, Singapore and Thailand. 

The project combines traditional musical heritage with modern musical innovation, including the use of vehicle sounds that are transformed into elements of the song composition. 

Other participating musicians include 2pillz from Vietnam, Miguel Benjamin and Paolo Benjamin of the Philippine band Ben&Ben, Natasha Noorani from Pakistan, Shye from Singapore and Valentina Ploy from Thailand. 

Belle said the songwriting process began with discussions in October last year, before the artists collaborated online to develop their respective musical ideas and bring them together into a single work. 

“October was the planning stage. The actual work started in March this year and it did not take long. It was such a good experience as it was the group’s collective effort,” she said. 

Although most of the production process took place online, Belle said the collaboration allowed artists from different cultural backgrounds to exchange ideas and build relationships before meeting in person for the filming of the music video in Thailand. 

Reflecting on the experience of bringing Malaysia’s musical identity into the project, Belle described it as a fresh opportunity that could pave the way for more creative collaborations across Asia. 

She said the opportunity to bring different cultures together in a single work also reinforced her belief that music could serve as a medium for connecting people from diverse backgrounds. 

“The song brought different cultures together, so it’s something new for the future of Asia. I am so proud to be able to bring Malaysia’s sound to the world stage,” she said. 

-- BERNAMA