Beats N Bru, Malaysia’s first Indian cultural coffee club, was founded in July 2025 by singer-songwriter Kieya Arshia with one mission in mind: to empower the country’s Indian creatives.
“Creatives in general already struggle to feel seen and supported locally. To narrow it further down, I noticed that Malaysian Indian creatives lacked a space to express their art because they are rarely invited to perform on big stages,” Kieya told FMT Lifestyle.
Kieya, who has trained vocally since age 16, has always been passionate about music. Bridging her love for music with her love for coffee club culture, Beats N Bru was born.
“What I thought would just be a hobby with a room of 20 people, ended up drawing 80 sign-ups in just a week for the very first session,” she revealed.
“It’s all about culture and community – people coming together to support Malaysian Indian creatives and experience new acts, be it DJs, singers, traditional musicians or percussionists.”
Besides music, their events also feature small entrepreneurs showcasing their work.
“We wanted to build an ecosystem of creatives from different fields, all coming together in one space,” Kieya shared.
So far, they’ve hosted 11 events in just eight months.
“A key moment was when we were invited to perform at Stadium Merdeka, just three months after starting Beats N Bru,” recalled Kieya.
The artistes performed a special live set at Stadium Merdeka on Oct 26 last year as part of the RIUH x ASEAN festival. Their set, titled “The Malaysian Indian Identity”, featured a fusion of urumi melam, dhol, DJ sets, live band elements and rap performances.
As the community grew, Beats N Bru began expanding into cross-cultural experiences that brought different communities together through music, art and shared celebrations.
One such event was “Gong Xi Beats” on March 7, infused with a “muhibbah” spirit. The line-up featured lion dance, diabolo and guzheng performances alongside local Indian rappers taking the stage to perform in Chinese.
FMT Lifestyle also attended their recent “Beats & Beraya” event on April 11 at Bijou Cafe in Ara Damansara. The event featured performances by Moghul Miz, Amanda Mary of Dhol.HER alongside gamelan musicians, The Impatient Sisters, Balan Kash and others.
Attendees arrived in chic and modern Malay costumes, in line with the theme. Throughout the day, DJs kept the energy going with a mix of 80s hits, R&B, Bollywood classics, Raya nostalgia and Tamil bangers.
Beyond the performances, the space also transformed into a curated marketplace featuring batik workshops, henna booths, locally-made jewellery and decor, homemade treats, and even live poetry experiences.
Kieya said it would be great if all Malaysians, regardless of race, supported these events.
“I want people to come to our events and see all these amazing Malaysian Indian talents. They can sing in Malay, they can rap in Chinese, and they can even play the tabla to a Malay track!”
Not only does Beats N Bru highlight popular artistes, it also serves as a space for up-and-coming talent.
“Whoever I bring on board as an artiste, we never curate their sets. It is a complete expression of who they are as a creative person, which is very important for their career,” she said.
She also shared that through this community, artistes are not only collaborating but also rediscovering their love for music, with some even requesting music production classes and workshops.
“Musicians need support from the ground up – from managing finances to branding – so we want to help Malaysian Indian creatives with talent development. And as we build these talents, we will showcase them through our events.”
To support homegrown artistes and entrepreneurs, keep an eye out for Beats N Bru’s next event.