On Saturday night, Sony Kartel artist SonaOne broke through the language barrier and became the first artist with an English song to win Anugerah Industri Muzik’s (AIM) Best Song Award.
“No More” also won the AIM Award for Best Local English Song.
The 26-year old emcee started out as a graphic design intern at Joe Flizzow’s Kartel Records just six years ago, but has since emerged as a powerhouse on the microphone and behind the production console. He also produced and collaborated with Joe on “Apa Khabar”, which won Best Hip Hop Song.
When asked by The Star Online‘s Kenneth Chaw why it took so long for a non-Bahasa Malaysia song to win the prestigious honour, SonaOne graciously (and diplomatically) replied: “It’s because Malaysian music in Malay is just that good. People never really saw a reason for getting an English song [to win]. Malay music is beautiful as it is.”
Props to SonaOne for taking Malaysian hip-hop, and Malaysian music, to the next level. Here’s to more silver mics on his bookshelf. Kartello Hello!
More on CoconutsKL:
