Dropped from European fest, M’sian violinist donates music revenue to Palestine

PETALING JAYA – A Malaysian violinist claimed she had to endure discrimination for publicly supporting Palestine.

Endang Hyder took to Twitter to share her experience dealing with the management of a music festival in Europe.

According to the musician, she was invited to perform at festivals in Europe in December and January 2024.

She shared the news with her followers on October 6 in seeking sponsorship and funding.

Endang informed that two of her original songs, Escape and Lost Candy, gained the attention of these festivals in the Netherlands.

She was also looking for jobs to earn money so she could save up for the trip.

However, her joy was short-lived when she was informed by the festival management that they were rescinding their invite due to a comment on her YouTube page where she expressed her support for Palestine.

Although the comment was made two years ago, she had it pinned, and the management noticed it.

“Apart from cancelling my performance and the company withdrawing their sponsorship for my next music...they laughed at my effort, saying I am not yet a big name or a famous artist to speak about enormous issues,” she posted on Twitter.

In response to what happened, Endang said she would now donate part of her revenue from her online music to Palestine.

“I won’t delete my pinned comment on the YouTube channel to get myself accepted for their music festivals. 

“Knowing my daily earnings are for my family’s needs, I will just share my YouTube revenue from Escape and Lost Candy to PCRF for the cause of #SavePalestine,” she said, referring to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund.

Endang claimed that the company cited “safety to perform” as the reason they were withdrawing their invitation. 

She also claimed they said they would re-invite her if she removed her pinned comment and remained neutral.

The comment in question, as mentioned, was made two years ago where she said she stood “with our Palestinian brothers and sisters”.

“I realised almost 30% of my subscribers are from India. Your support towards the Zionists will hurt the Palestinians…thus, what hurts them will hurt me. 

“All of my subscribers ought to know that my support will always be with the Palestinians. Thank you for your time. #savepalestine,” she had said.

Hailing from Kampar, Perak, Endang is an accomplished violinist, with an associate qualification from the London College of Music. She picked up the violin at 10 and has been playing since.

During the pandemic’s movement control order back in 2020, Endang went viral when she had to sell her violin worth RM20,000 to support her family. – The Vibes, October 17, 2023