MALAYSIAN MEDIA ICONS - A BIOGRAPHY
P. Ramlee
Our favourite Malysian media icon would be P. Ramlee short for Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr. P. Ramlee. P. Ramlee was a Malaysian film actor, producer, composer, songwriter,director and a singer. He was born on 22 March 1929 and passed away on 29 May 1973. He died when he was 44 due to a sudden heart attack. The music genre that P. Ramlee did were traditional and pop and he played instruments like ukulele, guitar, violin and piano. Because P. Ramlee has contributed a lot to the movie and music industry, he is often considered the icon of Malay entertainment in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Indonesia.
P. Ramlee was born on the first day of the Eid festival, which was on 22 March 1929. He attended the primary schools, Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Melayu Kampung Jawa (Kampung Jawa Malay School) and Sekolah Francis Light. Then to further pursue his studies in a secondary school, he went to the well known secondary school named Penang Free School until the second World War broke out. He pursued his studies at the Japanese Navy Academy when the Japanese occupied Malaya. When the second World War ended, he continued his studies back in Penang Free School.
P. Ramlee was married 3 times. His first wife was named Junaidah. They got married in 1950 and divorced 4 years later. Then, he married another woman in 1955 named Noorizan Mohd and divorced again in 1961. Finally, on November 1961 he made his last marriage with a very famous singer Salmah Ismail, known as Saloma.
P. Ramlee will definitely be remembered for his greatest contributions to the movie and music industry. May it be tragedy like Ibu Mertuaku, a take on the legendary warrior with a tinge on pathos like Hang Tuah, or even a serious meditation on society; a brutally honest flick on life of simple farmer facing these issues called Semerah Padi. 13 years after P. Ramlee's death, the P. Ramlee Memorial was built in his home in Setapak, Kuala Lumpur in honour of his contributions to the Malaysian entertainment industry. Then, the Jalan Parry street, in the center of Kuala Lumpur, was renamed Jalan P. Ramlee in his honour in 1982. After that, he was awarded the Malaysian honorific title Tan Sri in 1990, and finally in 2009, he received the honorific title of "Datuk Amar" by the Sarawak State Government. May his legacy lives forever.
P. Ramlee Memorial
Describe your image.
Describe your image.
Describe your image.
Describe your image.
Jalan P. Ramlee
Even in this generation, we are still able to recognize the name of this legend mainly due to our parents' or any other elders' influences. Old timers still talk lovingly of the famous singer, and his movies and his songs still receive airplay on Malaysia’s radio and television stations. P. Ramlee always tend to give us the impression of a hero. This is mainly because we were told by many that P. Ramlee has inspired people to become a hero. Besides being a hero on screens, P. Ramlee was also known to be a hero in real life. He was addressed a hero in the sense that he always helps vulnerable group to get out of trouble by indirectly persuading people into becoming a good person. He connects well with the community with the characters he played. Also, he has taught the people in the past to be honest, to be brave, to be kind and to be selfless through the characters that he has played. The humourous character which he has played has also helped people in the past enlighten their mood. And this is what makes him a hero not only in his movies but also in real life. Hence, upon hearing what we have been told, we tend to automatically pay respect and look up to Mr. P. Ramlee.
I'm a paragraph. Click here to add your own text and edit me. It's easy.
Describe your image.
Describe your image.
Describe your image.
Beyoncé Knowles
Our favourite foreign media icon would be Beyoncé, short for Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter. Beyoncé is an American R&B, pop and soul singer, song-writer and actress. She was born on the 4th of September, 1981 in Houston, Texas. Beyoncé is a multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning recording artist who's acclaimed for her thrilling vocals, videos and live shows. Beyoncé caught the public's attention as the lead vocalist of the R&B group Destiny's Child. She then further pursued a solo career with her debuting album Dangerously in Love, becoming one of music's top-selling artist.
Beyoncé was born and raised in Houston, Texas. She attended St. Mary's Elementary School in Fredericksburg, Texas, where she first started enrolling in dance classes. At the age of seven, Beyoncé won the school talent show which has caused her to gain more insterest in music and performing. She then shifted to Parker Elementary School at the age of 9 and then further pursued her studies in High School For The Performing and Visual Arts and later Alief Elsik High School. At the age of 8, Beyoncé was placed in one of the largest talent show on national TV with Girl's Tyme, a group which consists of three other members. And unfortunately, Girl's Tyme failed to win. In 1995, Beyoncé's father resigned from his job to manage the group. This has affected the family's financial stability, and her parents were forced to moved into seperated apartments and eventually having to divorce. In 1995, the group was signed by Dwayne Wiggin's Grass Root Entertainment and in 1996 they started recording their debut album changing their name into Destiny's Child.
Destiny's Child was launched into mainstream recognition following the 1999 release of their best-selling second album, The Writing's on the Wall, which contained the number-one singles "Bills, Bills, Bills" and "Say My Name". They slowly rose to become one of the most popular female R&B groups of the late 90's. On June 24, 2003, Beyoncé released her first solo album, Dangerously in Love, which was a big hit. And in 2006, Destiny's Child was announced to bisband. They reunited for a farewell performance at the 2006 NBA All-Star Game on February 19 in Houston, Texas, where Beyoncé commented that "It's the last album, it's not the last show." Beyoncé then further pursued with her solo career and on her own she continued to enjoy her great success. On April 4, 2008, Beyoncé married Jay Z, who is one of the most financially successful hip hop artist, without publicity. Theirth to her first child, Blue Ivy Carter in New York. And in 2010, Beyoncé suffered a miscarriage which she has described as "the saddest thing". But later on, on April 2011, Beyoncé got preganant again and in 2012, she gave birth to her first child, Blue Ivy Carter in New York.
So far, Beyoncé has already released 5 studio albums, 4 live albums, 3 compilation albums, 5 EPs, 1 soundtrack album, 1 mixtape, 2 karaoke albums, and 65 singles. Beyoncé up until today is well-known for her amazing live shows. She is able to communicate with the souls of the audience through her music. Her musics are relatable and they as well teach us good life lessons, helping us to endure the challenges that we face. Some of her music contains feminism lyrics which is inspires women to stop relying on men, and to stand up for themselves and be independent. Therefore, through this Beyoncé has became a role model and an inspiration to the female audiences.
Pictures of Beyoncé's 5 solo studio albums
Dangerously in Love
(2003)
Beyoncé
(2013)
4
(2011)
I Am Sasha Fierce
(2008)
B'DAY
(2006)
Source 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dangerously_in_Love
Source 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birthday_(disambiguation)
Source 3: http://www.complex.com/style/2013/11/best-pop-album-covers/beyonce-i-am-sasha-fierce
Source 4: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4_(Beyoncé_album)
Source 5: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyoncé_(album)
Beyoncé to us, has portrait the image of a strong, independent woman, she is a living example of how women should live their lives. The message she indicates in her music contains deep meanings which the audiences can relate well and the lyrics in her songs as well teaches the audience a good life lesson. Despite that, her live shows have never failed to inspire and touched the hearts of the audiences. In every Beyoncé live shows, the powerful yet angelic voice, the strong and neat dance movements and the attitude that she posseses on stage, Beyoncé has always left us to wonder, how on earth did she do that?
Here are some of Beyoncé lives performances on different genres:
Halo Live Performance
Crazy In Love Live Performance
Love on Top Live Performance
Why do local celebrities choose to be based in overseas and not Malaysia? Would not they get recognized if they sign a contract with a local company? What is lacking in the entertainment industry in this multiracial country? Why is the media being dictated by the government ? There are actually a lot of flaws on how the media works in Malaysia and because of that we are still categorized under the “up and comers” in Malaysia E&M industry according to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), and not at the top yet. We have come out with a few solutions to ensure this country is making full use of the media.
“News media, especially mainstream media, continues to be shackled by the government whereas online news media often just focuses on critiquing policies and supporting the opposition government”.
First of all, the government should sharpen up and enforcing the freedom of press and what we mean is the freedom of media on publishing materials to the public. There are several countries where the government does not apply any legal protection on the freedom of the press. They are afraid that the media might start spreading something that can cause anxiety within the society because there is no one who is filtering the information coming in. Even so the government needs to subject to the laws or freedom of the press because The United Nations' 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights stated "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference, and impact information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers".
We should also improve the quality and quantity of education on mass media in order to prepare the students to bring Malaysian media into greater heights. For instance, the government should insert the importance of mass media into the syllabus since primary school. By doing this, students will be educated on how to use mass media and know the importance and the function of mass media. If we start educating them since young they will be well prepared and know not to misuse it thus making everyone grasps it easily.
“The film and TV industry are lacking in fresh creative content, choosing to recycle and rehash the old formula of romantic comedies, horror and gangster plots.”
The entertainment industry in Malaysia should stop focusing on trying to make films exactly like how the Hollywood movies are being produced. The end result of this is definitely horrendous thus why most Malaysians are not interested in watching local films. In Hollywood, they are well equipped with all the high-tech whereas here in Malaysia we have limited source and on a budget to produce a film. Film producers and directors in Malaysia should start analyzing their capability to make a better movie rather than figuring out how to produce a Hollywood-like movie on a cheaper scale. They should also update the software, application, programming and other materials to the highest level so that it can boost the quality of visual aids. For example, David Teo who is well known for producing movies with the same plot inspired from Hollywood movies. At first he did managed to get most Malaysians to watch his film but after producing the same material they got tired and all of his movies are only mediocre. We need to have originality in order to produce a film that would actually get Malaysians anticipated to watch. Yasmin Ahmad was one of the people who had originality in making films. She produced films that capture Malaysia
very well. She showed the true potential of Malaysia’s entertainment & media Industry.
“Singers such as Shila Hamzah and Yuna chose to be based overseas rather than in Malaysia”
During an interview,Yuna was asked presumably in Malaysia it is not common for a pop artist to sing in English. Her answer ”That was one of the biggest problems, Why I wouldn't sign any recording deals: because the deal would probably be 70 percent of the album should be in the Malay language, or no English songs at all.” (Source: http://www.pghcitypaper.com/pittsburgh/yuna-goes-from-malaysian-law-school-to-american-pop-studios/Content?oid=1727461). Malaysians need to start being more open-minded to accept new things. Record companies in Malaysia should not have policies like this. They need to introduce something new to stir up the interest of others. Sometimes change is a good thing. If we keep pushing away new ideas we might make a big lost in this industry. Record companies should start focusing on what the artist has to offer rather than altering them. If they keep doing so, soon enough no one would like to be signed under a local record company.
Malaysian media has changed increasingly over the years. Many public and private media businesses and film productions are opening to gain attentions from the society. Some have started in business form. Some even started online via YouTube. The mass media has grown and is now a very important industry of a country. It is important because mass media informs the people of what is happening around the world. It persuades the society to believe in a certain kind of beliefs or cultures. To a certain extent, it can also shape our mindsets tremendously. Moreover, mass media brings entertainment to live! In short, the mass media has a lot of functions. That being said the people who are working in this industry should take these steps in order to boost the local media industry and stop living under a rock.
END
Writer: Hazel & Aina
Researcher: Amanda, Hazel & Tze Xin
Editor: Tze Xin, Aina & Hazel