Dennis Lau

Dennis Lau
Born	9 September 1985 Ipoh, Malaysia
Occupation(s)	Violinist, Pianist, Composer, Producer and Entrepreneur
Years active	2006 - Present
Known for	Collaborations with local artists and stunning, energetic live performances.
Website	https://dennislau.thechosen.io/

Dennis Lau (born 9 September 1985) is a Malaysian electric violinist, pianist, songwriter and producer based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Known for his explosive stage performances with the violin, he released his maiden album "DiversiFy" in 2009, featuring an eclectic mix of musical genres and collaborating with several notable local artists. Lau is regarded as a patron of the arts, grooming young musicians and pursuing a broad range of collaborations. In 2011, Lau made his film debut in Namewee's "Nasi Lemak 2.0" starring as Lan Qiao.

Lau has received multiple accolades...

Childhood and Early Life

Dennis Lau was born on 9 September 1985 in Teluk Intan, Ipoh, Perak as the only son (?) to (?), a corporate figure, and Chuah Chai Eng, a pianist. He was three when he first started playing the piano, guided by his mother, and at age eight he moved onto his signature instrument, the violin. An instrument, he says, that most resembles the human voice, with it's versatility in diverse genres.

His mother was thrilled at Lau's enthusiasm and talent when approaching the piano and violin, but as his interest waned, hers intensified. "She forced me everyday to play the piano and violin," Lau recalls. "By the age of ten I hated it," Lau admits, "I totally rebelled, but I had no choice." He would return from school to practice scales, while meal times were spent poring over musical theory and committing them to memory.

Lau went on to obtain several diplomas in classical piano, including the ATCL (Associate of Trinity College London), AMusA (Associate Diploma in Music, Australia), ABRSM (Associate Board of the Royal Schools of Music) and LGSM (Licentiate of the Guildhall of Music, hons.). Under the tutelage of prominent violin instructors Nora Kim and Andrew Chye, he became one of the youngest pianists to reach Grade 8 at 11 years old. The young protégé was Award Winner for Outstanding Performance in the LTCL and FTCL examinations at the Trinity College of London.

After his secondary studies, he decided to further his music education, saying that he was "very bad" at academics, and music was the only thing he could "pass".

Education

Lau attended UCSI University in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and graduated in 2006 with a Bachelors in Music under the Newcastle Australian Music Degree Program, having studied violin in the School of Music. The release of his limited edition album DiversiFy in 2010 included a short film screened at the university. Lau says his time at university was "extremely innovative" and provided him "an encouraging environment to try out new ideas".

During this period, Lau performed as a soloist with the Universiti Malaya Symphony Orchestra (UMSO) in the presence of Duli Yang Maha Mulia Sultan Azlan Shah. He was also actively involved as a regular secessionist with the RTM Orchestra and National Symphony Orchestra, while holding the first violin position for the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (MPYO).

Outside of playing with orchestras, Lau began performing at weddings, hotel lounges and corporate events to make ends meet. Lau recalls, "My first gig was at a hotel in KL. I played to an empty crowd every night but that didn't put me off as I was determined to make the extra money."

Career

2007–2009: Pre-Debut

In 2007, while in Bangkok for a vacation, the inspiration for Lau's first original song "I Just Wanna" came to him suddenly. "When I returned to KL, I immediately called my friends to find a studio where I could express the tune in my head," Lau reminisces. "It sounded very special to me since it was my original creation and I had not had my own music recorded at that time." From then, Lau began composing more and more songs, which he would later compile into his first album "DiversiFy".

In the years following his graduation, he began making appearances at high-profile events as a performer, notably for Dato' Sri Khalid bin Mohamed Jiwa and Dato' Siti Nurhaliza's first wedding anniversary. Demonstrating his later inclination to pursue unlikely collaborations, Lau teamed up with local jazz band James Boyle and the Ragged Tigers, for both the Penang Island Jazz Festival and the Genting International Jazz festival.

In the same year, he founded entertainment company Mosaic Music Entertainment and production company Mosaic Movie Productions. In 2008, Lau performed again in the presence of Duli Yang Maha Mulia Sultan Azlan Shah, dedicating a melody for the Sultan's mother on her birthday.

Debut

In November 2009, Lau released his maiden album "DiversiFy", featuring classical music fused with elements of jazz, hip-hop and R&B. The album was recorded over a period of two years, with Lau preferring to compose and record track by track. "I wanted it to be based on my experiences and the people I've met." As a result, the album was recorded all over the region, in Beijing, Guangzhou, studios in Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur. Sony Music Entertainment Malaysia signed Lau and acted as distributors of DiversiFy, making Lau the first instrumental artist signed with Sony in Malaysia. DiversiFy won the award for Best Producer at the Voice Independent Music Awards (VIMA) 2009.

Lau began performing internationally, giving a mesmerizing performance to Star World's Asia Uncut Programme hosted by Jon Niermann in Shanghai. He initiated his first international collaboration in 2009, with David Tao during his "Love Can" concert.

2010–2015: A Budding Star

Following the success of his first album, Lau released DiversiFy Limited Edition in November 2010, which included two trailers, behind-the-scenes footage, an exclusive soundtrack and three bonus tracks. This featured collaborations for "Syukur" with Altimet, and "Reflection" with saxophonist Jimmy Sax. Lau produced his first short film with award-nominated director Adrian Lai, titled "Prelude in F Minor", after one of the songs in the album, starring television personality Daphne Iking and drama regular Steve Yap Lau. His alma mater, USCI University, screened the film in conjunction with the limited edition release.

Now developing a signature style, Lau began another unlikely collaboration with Malaysian beatboxer Shawn Lee in 2010. "We met at an event late last year and just decided to start jamming here one night. It drove the neighbors crazy but we figured we could really do a collaboration from then," Lau recalls. Playing the violin against Lee's thumping rhythms, a series of collaboration projects called "Unity of Arts" took off. "I love hip-hop and R&B but I am classically trained," Lau says, "so I decided to blend them together." This habit of pursuing improbable collaborations and exploring the spaces between musical genres would remain persistent traits in Lau's career.

In 2011, Lau pivoted and made his film debut in Namewee's "Nasi Lemak 2.0", starring as the villain "Lan Qiao". The film follows a chef who tries to learn a secret recipe to improve his business. The low-budget film premiered in Melbourne, Australia on Malaysia's National Day, 31 August 2011, then later in Malaysian cinemas on 8 September 2011. The film was hugely successful, reaping RM7 million, however it faced some controversy at it's screening, with one occasion taking place in Ipoh involving a involving a group calling themselves the Pertubuhan Gagasan Rakyat Didahulukan Negeri Perak (The Perak People First Alliance Society).

Lau gave several notable performances in this period. He was asked to open for Adam Lambert at Bukit Jalil Stadium, Kuala Lumpur during his Asia tour in 2010. In 2011, he collaborated with Malaysian hardstyle duo DJ Bass Agents at Crown Casino Melbourne for the Merdeka celebrations in Australia. He was a guest artist at the prestigious Islamic Fashion Festival held in London, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, as well as giving a Special Performance by Invitation for Her Majesty, Seri Paduka Baginda Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Nur Zahirah in Istana Terengganu, Kuala Lumpur.

In 2012, Lau recommenced his spree of performing in the presence of royalty, playing at the Installation Ceremony of the King at Istana Negara, the official residence of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the monarch of Malaysia. He performed during the royal visit by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton. Lau also performed as a guest artist for several international artists, including MC Jin's "My Dream" concert in Kuala Lumpur and Japanese rock musician Miyavi.

In August, Lau released a new pop single and music video titled "Gotcha Style", combining elements of art with music. Collaborating with Moots of Pop Shuvit, Thanuja Ananthan the Miss World Malaysia 2009 and acclaimed fashion designer Bernard Chandran, the single, distributed by Sony Music Entertainment debuted on 12th August 2012 on Malaysian radio station HITZ.FM English Chart. In the same month, Lau starred in Namewee's second movie, Hantu Gangster, which hit cinemas nationwide. The film featured an array of local celebrities, including Farid Kamil, Amber Chia, Reshmonu and MizzNina.

Throughout this time, Lau continues to invest time and effort into his entertainment company Mosaic Music Entertainment, making a name for himself in entrepreneurial circles and bagging the Rising Star Awards Outstanding Performance Artiste of the Year at the McMillan Woods Global Awards 2013, his first among many from the entrepreneurship awards body. In the same year, he went on to star in Jason Kok's film "Fantasia", taking the supporting role of Lin Lai Feng, a violinist.

In 2014, Lau collaborated with the National Department for Culture and Arts (JKKN) of Malaysia to publish "A Malaysian Journey", an album with classic Malay songs featuring famous artists including Amy Search, Dato' Siti Nurhaliza, Ning Baizura and Dato' David Arumugam. The following year, he released an international version of the album, simply titled "The Journey". "The Journey is like a personal album which charts my musical adventure from the age of 3 when I first started learning to play the piano," Lau says. The album took five years to produce, compiled into 10 songs composed in collaboration with local artists, including Jojo Struys, Abigail Chew, Michael Leaner, Soo Wincci, Edmond Chong, Yuri Wong, Moots and the award-winning, LA-based producer and songwriter Tat Tong. One of the tracks closest to Lau's heart is "My Mama Says", written by Lau himself featuring the vocals of Crystal Lee. The song itself released on Mother's Day, with Lau dedicating it to his mother's nurturing.

Lau won a series of awards in this period, securing the Brand Laureate Grand Master Brand Icon Leadership Awards in 2014, the ASEAN Leading Violinist Performer 2014 from the ASEAN Retail Chains and Franchise Federation (ARFF), followed by the Global Music Entrepreneur Icon of The Year in the Global Branding Awards in 2015. Lau won several more awards from the McMillan Woods Global Awards body, including the Global Music Entrepreneur Icon of the Year Award in the Masterclass category and the Icon in Contemporary Instrumental Music Award in 2015. In August, Lau spoke for the first time at TEDxTARUC (Tunku Abdul Rahman University College) in Kuala Lumpur.