MuchaMuchaM released his new single “Oyasumi na Sayang feat. Zee Avi” today, Wednesday, September 11th.
MuchaMuchaM is a band project led by Shogo Sato, who also works as ORANCHA. They pursue and play exotic music from around the world, with a focus on traditional Asian music.
This is the fifth song created at the co-writing session “Co-Write DAY” held last year in Itoshima, Fukuoka, and is the lead single from an EP featuring singer-songwriter Zee Avi from Borneo, Malaysia.
Zee Avi is the first female artist signed by Jack Johnson’s Brushfire Records, and is known for hits such as “Swell Window” and “Concrete Wall,” which were used in the TV drama “Gossip Girl.” She is also the first Malaysian singer to be ranked on the US Billboard Hot 200 album chart. She has been honored to top the Billboard charts, and has appeared on NPR’s “Tiny Desk Concert” and won international awards, making her a national artist representing Malaysia.
The two groups spent time together in Fukuoka during a co-writing session, and through their subsequent interactions, produced a three-song EP. The lead single, “Oyasumi na Sayang,” combines a warm, funky, danceable sound that evokes the rainforest with Zee Avi’s vocals that are like a bird flying in the sky. The title “Oyasumi na Sayang” combines the Japanese word “good night” and the Malay word “Sayang” (a person you love, a person you care about), expressing the loving and trusting relationship between the two.
The artwork was done by illustrator Toyameg. The release will be on AZIAFLY, a label born from Co-Write Day.
[MuchaMuchaM Comment]
The production of this song originally started with the theme of being danceable.
Funk and Borneo Exotica
What kind of mix would be interesting?
After much trial and error, the demo was completed.
Then Zee Avi’s song arrived;
The lyrics have a mysterious worldview that mixes Malay and Japanese.
It was very interesting and I was so captivated by the atmosphere that I was able to imagine it right away.
I wanted to express a sound similar to that of the sape, a traditional Malaysian instrument, so the piece is completed almost entirely using the sound of the guitar.
You can feel the earth,
I’m very happy to have been able to create such a mysterious song.
[Comment from Zee Avi]
A play on the Japanese phrase “oyasuminasai” (good night) and the Malay word “sayan” (darling), it freshly expresses the trust between the two men, who dance the night away with friends, knowing they’ll see each other again in the morning.
“Darling, you can go home first if you like. Sweet dreams, see you tomorrow.”
[Release Information]
MuchaMuchaM “Oyasumi na Sayang feat. Zee Avi”
Release Date：2024.09.11 (Wed.)
Label: AZIAFLY
Tracklist:
1. Oyasumi na Sayang feat. Zee Avi
Lyrics: Zee Avi
Music: Shogo Sato & Zee Avi
Vocals: Zee Avi
Produced by Shogo Sato
Guitar, Bass, Percussion, Synthesizer：Shogo Sato
Vocal Rec & Mix: Karim ‘AKZ’ Ahmad
Instrumental Rec & Mix: Shogo Sato
Mix & Mastering: Shogo Sato
Artwork by Toyameg
■MuchaMuchaM:X (Twitter) / Instagram
■Zee Avi:X (Twitter) / Instagram
