21/02/2026

LYFE SATURDAY | FEB 21, 2026

25 Diverse voices in Malaysian Mandopop C HINESE New Year (CNY) may already be in the fifth day by now, but the season leaves a long tail. The o Three local artistes who prove language equals to bridge Ű BY AMEEN HAZIZI Even outside music, Layla’s day-to-day life reflects that same instinct for mixing worlds. She is currently studying early childhood education and working with young children – and she has a clear vision of what she wants to build next.

decor comes down, the reunion photos keep circulating and the playlist keeps spinning, especially the festive tracks that live on in malls, open houses and social feeds long after the last firecracker. In Malaysia, that annual soundtrack is also starting to reflect something else that feels increasingly normal here. A growing number of non-Chinese artistes are making their mark in Mandarin pop, not as a gimmick but as a natural extension of how many Malaysians grow up multilingual, mixed-circle and comfortable crossing genres as well as languages. Three artistes show how wide that lane has become: Layla Sania, Firdhaus Farmizi and Shila Amzah. Festive song as signal Layla Sania is Malay, sings in Mandarin and sees festive music as more than seasonal cheer. What matters to her is what the song communicates about Malaysia. “At first, I was scared about how people would accept it, but Alhamdulillah the response has been really positive,” she said. For Layla, that acceptance is not just about a single release. It is about whether audiences are ready to treat language as something shared rather than guarded. She also speaks about culture as something you can honour while still making space for your own identity. In her world, Mandopop does not have to be disconnected from Malaysia’s wider musical texture.

“I want a diverse kindergarten. Chinese, English, Indian language(s), macam-macam I want to teach, because I feel it’s a waste if Malaysians don’t grow up learning these languages early,” she said. It is a revealing ambition. Not just to sing across communities, but to shape the next generation of Malaysians who will find that kind of crossing ordinary. Firdhaus and social media pipeline If Layla represents the present moment, Firdhaus Farmizi shows how quickly a Malaysian Mandopop career can travel once it catches algorithmic wind. Firdhaus, a Johor-born singer songwriter signed to Loolala Music, began building attention online through Mandarin covers and originals. His breakout came when his ballad Gulf of Alaska went viral in 2020, helped by the locked-down months when audiences were glued to social platforms and hungry for new voices. What made him stand out was not only language fluency, but songwriting that felt direct and emotionally legible even to listeners outside Malaysia. That ability to connect across borders has since become a pattern for him, with releases that push him deeper into the regional Mandarin pop ecosystem. He has also been clear about identity in a way that resonates in Malaysia. He is Malay, he can sing in

Layla is known for actively engaging fans in Mandarin and Bahasa Malaysia, often switching seamlessly between the two on stage and online. – PIC FROM INSTAGRAM @LAYLASANIA

local radio anymore. It is content and content travels. When a Malaysian artiste already has Mandarin speaking audiences in multiple countries, festive music becomes another way to stay present in that wider circuit, even after the calendar has moved on. Shila Amzah as long-term proof Shila Amzah is the established blueprint, the name that still anchors

Malay, but his core audience has often been Chinese-speaking, so he chooses Mandarin as his main channel to communicate what he wants to say. That is not a rejection of one language, but a practical decision shaped by community and reach. In a CNY context, Firdhaus’s significance is that he represents a new route for festive culture to spread. The season is not confined to

this conversation because she has done it at scale. Long before the current wave of Malaysian artistes leaned into cross-language pop as a normal career choice, Shila was already proving a Malay singer could compete, win and sustain attention in Chinese-speaking markets. Her career has moved through different phases, from early fame at home to major breakthroughs abroad, and she has consistently treated Mandarin performance as serious work rather than a side project. For younger artistes, that matters. Shila’s story is not just about talent or language. It is about showing a Malaysian identity does not have to be reduced when stepping into a different market. She has held onto her roots while expanding her audience, and that balance is exactly what many newer singers are now trying to achieve in a more crowded, more fast-moving industry. What it says about Malaysia now It is tempting to frame non-Chinese Mandopop singers as exceptions. In Malaysia, they are increasingly a reflection of the norm. Chinese schools, mixed friend groups, multilingual households, open houses, shared holidays, these are common realities that shape taste long before anyone steps into a studio. That is why CNY is such a useful lens even after it has passed. The festival puts culture on loudspeaker, but the relationships that make it feel shared are year-round. When artistes like Layla, Firdhaus and Shila move through Mandopop spaces, they are not borrowing a culture for a season. They are reflecting the Malaysia many people already live in. CNY ends every year. The cross-cultural Malaysia that produces these singers does not.

Shila is recognised for her regional impact, such as being listed in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia in 2018 under Entertainment and Sports. – PIC FROM INSTAGRAM @SHAHILAAMZAH

Johor-born Firdhaus gains international traction after his Mandarin ballad Gulf of Alaska went viral on Douyin in 2020. – PIC FROM INSTAGRAM @FFFIRDAUS