Malaysia has the music. Zamaera wants the world to hear it at SXSW
Zamaera is taking five Malaysian artists to Texas next month after asking herself a simple question: why doesn’t Malaysia have a stage yet?
When Malaysian rapper Zamaera hit send on an email to South by Southwest’s (SXSW) music team in mid-December, she had already been told she was returning to Austin as a showcasing artist.
“They have a stage … for Japan. Taiwan already has a stage … even the UK and Germany,” the 31-year-old rapper, born Sharifah Zamaera, told This Week in Asia in an exclusive interview.
She said she had floated the idea in her artist application months earlier, writing what she called “an extensive essay” laying out a case for a Malaysian stage that could become an annual fixture, sustained by either the country’s government or “different brands and businesses in Malaysia”.
But there was a hitch. Her main contact at SXSW had left midyear and she found herself starting over with an entirely new team. When she finally emailed in December, the reply came fast – the festival was interested but time was short.
The green light only came in the second or third week of January, leaving a “very, very short window” to clear paperwork, submit applications and lock in a line-up before March, she said. Zamaera moved anyway.
Made in Malaysia
The result is a one-night showcase called “Made in Malaysia”, set for March 15 at Las Perlas in downtown Austin, Texas.