MALAYSIAN singer-songwriter Nathanie will be representing the country as a finalist at the upcoming Vans Musicians Wanted Competition 2021.
The Kuching-raised singer-songwriter will be competing against five other acts from the Asia Pacific region in a virtual performance on September 22, and will stand a chance to share the stage with genre-fluid British rocker, YUNGBLUD in the near future.
Vans had launched this year's round of the annual competition in July, to prolong the effort of providing a stage for up-and-coming musicians who are just starting out their careers.
In a statement last week, the streetwear company said that with all music genres welcome to the competition, Vans had captured over 30,000 entries this year from around the world.
Vans said it was excited to announce the Asia-Pacific’s Top five finalists who will be competing head-to-head.
Apart from Nathanie, the other finalists consisted of Q The Trumpet from Korea, Squid the Kid from Australia, Kinder Bloomen from Indonesia, and Yishun Panik from Singapore.
“I make music because I know no other form of expression where I can be this honest to both myself and others," Nathanie said in the statement.
"And I think to be an authentic version of yourself takes courage and gives others the space to do the same.”
On Friday, Nathanie – whose full name is Nathanie Ngu – released her latest single 'Paper', a neo-soul ditty that touches on the "illusion of wealth and capitalism".
The song – which lasts less than two minutes – also arrived alongside an even shorter music video 'Ep 1' which hints at more episodes on the way.
'Paper' adds to a slew of singles she released earlier this year, including 'Sunscreen, 'Bliss', and 'Who Do I Call', according to NME Asia.
Other than the solo singles, Nathanie also took part in a collaborative track 'Drifting By You' with US neo-soul group Nocturnal Theory recently, and was featured on an EP project titled 'SZN' alongside US musician Zco and Indian guitarist Sanaan.
Aside from the APAC Finalists, Vans Malaysia has collaborated with two local music partners, Junklist and Raising The Bar MY, to select the top musicians in Malaysia.
The list consists of DANYE, a 22-year-old rapper from Ipoh, rapper and producer F. Rider, Shah Alam indie synth pop band Late Night Frequency, Penang J-Rock influenced outfit Math Class, and Kedah synthpop trio Joyberry.
Those interested can tune in to vans.com/mw on September 22 and watch the online music performance from around the world. – The Vibes, September 12, 2021
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