An impressive feat as the competition was dubbed the “Official Talent Olympics” and drew aspiring performers and entertainers from all over the world.
Now Imran will once again shine a spotlight on Malaysia through his music – this time, he is showcasing a song in “The World Album”, a global project featuring music artistes who are born or raised in every country of the world.
The album is produced by Brandon Beckwith, CEO of KeepClear Records, as part of the International Artists Project (IAP) – an initiative that aims to highlight talents from all nations.
“My song is titled ‘Fiesta Di Malaysia’. It’s a fusion of traditional and modern sounds to showcase the musical diversity in Malaysia,” Imran, now 19, told FMT Lifestyle.
Describing his song as “Borneo pop fusion”, Imran shared that the track features folk tunes from the Bidayuh, Orang Ulu and Lun Bawang tribes as he wanted to spotlight these lesser-known communities in Sarawak.
He also plans to donate part of the royalties earned to the Dayak Bidayuh National Association.
His song, Imran revealed, incorporates elements of Zapin music, Sumazau beat, and sounds inspired by the Sarawak rainforest.
The track showcases local traditional instruments such as the gamelan, gong, the Sarawak Malay drum and “kulintangan” from Sabah, alongside modern musical instruments like the flute, drums, guitar, piano, keyboard – and of course, Imran on the violin.
Local singer Safar Ghaffar also lends his vocals to the song.
So, how did Imran, who hails from Sibu and is currently studying at the Akademi Seni Budaya dan Warisan Kebangsaan (Aswara) in Kuala Lumpur, become part of the album?
Following his success at WCOPA, Beckwith invited Imran to join “The World Album”. And what made him say yes, Imran shared, was the opportunity to showcase Malaysian music to a global audience.
Through the album, Imran said that he has connected with artistes from all around the world, which he believes could benefit his music career in the future.
“The World Album” is scheduled for release on Aug 1 at 5am Amsterdam time. Before this, the IAP released two albums – the first featured music artistes born in three countries, while the second brought together music artistes born or raised in 157 countries.
In a statement by the IAP, “The World Album” is described as the “first in history to feature music artistes born or raised in every country of the world” – approximately 197 countries, according to the IAP’s definition.
The music in the album spans 121 genres and subgenres, from jazz, reggae and rock to pop and bossa nova. It features 207 artistes and showcases 93 languages including Arabic, Finnish, Hindi, English, Italian, Japanese, Indonesian, Russian and many more.
Impressively, it features 200 tracks with a listening journey spanning 12.5 hours. So, if you’re looking to “travel around the world” – musically, of course – in under a day, this album is worth a listen!
According to Imran, the IAP is aiming for three different Guinness World Record attempts with this one-of-a-kind album.
“Once the album is released, do check out my music. Explore the songs from other countries as well – you’ll get to know how people from different backgrounds express themselves through music.
“Although we speak different languages and have different cultures, we still speak the same universal language – music,” he concluded.
Follow the International Artists Project on Instagram for more updates. Follow Imran Azim Iskandar on Facebook and Instagram.