Alena as shown in a publicity photo for the single.
KUCHING: Award-winning Sarawakian musician/artist Alena Murang has released a new single ‘Meno’ which means ‘yearning’ in Kenyah language.
Alena said she was inspired by wistful tunes sung by her forefathers as they made long trading journeys to the coast involving weeks of travel from home. With travel restriction during the pandemic and being away from her village, she yearns to go back.
“I ‘balik kampung’ (return to the village) at least twice a year to see the family, reconnect with the land, do research. The very place and people ground me and keep me on the right road. I really miss that and can’t wait to go back, but for now we have to keep everybody, especially those in interior areas safe from the virus,” she said in a statement.
She went on to share that she really misses home after living away for more than a decade and over a year since returning to the village.
“I think many people around the world feel ‘meno’ at the moment,” added Alena who is mostly based in Kuala Lumpur currently.
The music video edited by Sabah-based Kelabit filmmaker Candy Yik featuring snippets of roads, rivers and villages along Ulu Baram River in the interior of Sarawak can be viewed on Alena’s Youtube channel since Friday.
Though recording and producing during the pandemic was challenging, it was not impossible albeit a much slower process, she added.
‘Meno’ is the second single released in anticipation of her new album supported by Ministry of Communications and Multimedia Malaysia as part of Roads To Our Heritage project and Dayak Cultural Foundation .
“We are proud of Alena and her team for their dedication in upholding the culture of Kenyah and Kelabit people through music and language.
“We hope other young people would be inspired to similarly create, learn and share the wealth of knowledge and beauty that lie in the many languages and cultures we have here,” said the foundation’s Board of Trustees secretary Libat Langub.
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