Zee Avi
| Zee Avi | |
|---|---|
 Zee Avi (left) performing in 2009 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Izyan Alirahman |
| Also known as | KokoKaina |
| Born | 1985 Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia |
| Origin | Sarawak, Malaysia |
| Genres | Indie rock, pop rock, folk[1] |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter, musician |
| Instruments | Vocals, acoustic guitar, ukulele |
| Labels | Monotone Label/Brushfire |
| Website | http://www.zeeavi.com/ |
Zee Avi (born Izyan Alirahman,[2] also known as KokoKaina;[3] b. 1985)[4] is a Malaysian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and ukulele player. She was born in Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia. She moved to Kuala Lumpur when she was 12.[5] She studied fashion design at American InterContinental University in London.[6]
In September 2007 Avi posted a video of her first song on YouTube for one of her friends who had missed her first performance in Kuala Lumpur. The friend convinced Avi to leave the video online even after he had seen it, and soon she received positive feedback. This inspired her to put more videos on YouTube.[6] After being featured on the main page of YouTube, she was discovered by Patrick Keeler of The Raconteurs, who passed the link to Ian Montone, the manager of The White Stripes, The Shins, The Raconteurs, and others. Montone passed her music on to Emmett Malloy, who signed her to Brushfire Records, a record company which is partly owned by Jack Johnson.[5] Her song "No Christmas For Me" is featured on Brushfire Records's 2008 Christmas album This Warm December: A Brushfire Holiday.[7] Her single "Bitter Heart" was first to become available on the US iTunes store, and her full self-titled debut album was released on May 19, 2009, co-produced by Brushfire Records and Ian Montone's Monotone Records. On the day of her album's release, YouTube featured her on the front page in Spotlight: Music Tuesday. From June–August 2009, she toured the United States with Pete Yorn. The final concert on her first U.S. tour was at the Music Box at the Henry Fonda Theater in Hollywood, California on August 27, 2009.[8] [9]
Avi's song "Monte" was featured in the second season finale of Private Practice. [10] Her song "Concrete Wall", was featured in episode 11, season five of Gossip Girl. [11]
Avi has recently released her debut EP, One More Time With Colors, on July 20. The four song EP includes the new never released before song “I Wish I Never” as well as three remixes of tracks from her debut album, Zee Avi.[12]
Contents |
[edit] Discography
- Zee Avi (2009) Her debut album hit #130 US Billboard Hot 200 Chart and #2 US Billboard Top Heatseekers Chart, and sold 6,000 copies in the United States in its first 2 weeks of release(as of June 9, 2009) according to Nielsen SoundScan.[13] To date, the album has sold over 300 000 units[14] and has already reached Gold status in Taiwan,[15] Singapore[14] and Malaysia.[16]
- Her first single "Bitter Heart" spent 3 weeks on Japan's Top 100 Singles chart. It entered the chart at #82 and peaked at #63, where it stayed for 2 weeks.[17] It was also featured on the second season of the 2010 NBC series Parenthood.[18]
- A new single "The Book Of Morris Johnson" (Monotone/Brushfire/Universal Republic Records) was released on iTunes on 28 June 2011.
- Her second album, "ghostbird" (Monotone/Brushfire/Universal Republic Records) was released on 23 August 2011. The album peaked at #129 on Billboard's Hot 200 Albums chart, #1 on Heatseekers Albums chart, #20 on Alternative Albums chart and #32 on Rock Albums chart.
[edit] Music videos
- "Bitter Heart" Director: Emmett Malloy | Producer: Mike Sarkissian | Director of Photography: Giles Dunning | Editor: Brenden Mendez
- "Slow Hands" (live, Interpol cover) Director: Tim Wheeler | Producer: Josh Nicotra | Editor: Brenden Mendez
- The song "Just You and Me" was featured in a short promotional film for Oliver Peoples' Spring 2010 campaign entitled "Les enfants s'ennuient le dimanche (The Children Are Bored on Sundays)." The film was directed by acclaimed photographer Autumn de Wilde, and starred actor Elijah Wood and singer Shirley Manson.
- On July 27, 2011 the song "The Book of Morris Johnson" premiered on YouTube.
[edit] Awards
- Youth Icon (International) Award, presented by the Sarawak State Government in conjunction with Hari Perhimpunan Belia Negara 2011 Peringkat Negeri Sarawak (National Youth Assembly Day 2011 Sarawak State Level). She expresses her gratitude in a video posted by herself in YouTube[19]
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.allmusic.com/artist/zee-avi-p1102492
- ^ Simple Zee
- ^ last.fm Koko Kaina
- ^ Zee Avi.com
- ^ a b YouTube - Zee Avi- An Introduction
- ^ a b Interview: the refreshing Zee Avi
- ^ Brushfire Records to World-Premiere Their First-Ever Holiday CD Compilation Exclusively... | Reuters
- ^ KCRW Events schedule
- ^ Yahoo Events schedule
- ^ TV Show Music
- ^ The CW
- ^ Debut EP
- ^ Billboard interview with Zee Avi
- ^ a b Shazryn Mohd. Faizal (March 25, 2010). "Zee Avi sudah bertaraf antarabangsa" (in (Malay)). Utusan Online. http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2010&dt=0325&pub=utusan_malaysia&sec=Hiburan&pg=hi_01.htm&arc=hive. Retrieved 2010-05-24.
- ^ "Pop darling". theStarOnline. http://star-ecentral.com/news/story.asp?file=/2010/3/17/soundnstage/5855020&sec=soundnstage. Retrieved 2010-03-17.
- ^ Ng Suzhen & Dayang Nurazhar (April 5, 2010). "Zee most entertaining night". The Malay Mail - The Paper That Cares. http://www.mmail.com.my/content/32424-zee-most-entertaining-night. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
- ^ Bitter Heart's Charting History in Japan
- ^ Kevin Tan (October 28, 2010). "Zee Avi’s Bitterheart in US TV Series "Parenthood"". aesthetics. http://www.aestheticsonline.my/zee-avis-bitterheart-in-us-tv-series-parenthood/. Retrieved 2010-11-05.
- ^ [1] Thank You, Sarawak. Thank You, Everyone-Zee Avi's 'Thank You' speech
