Malaysian singer wins World Music Artist of the Year at US independent music award

PETALING JAYA, Sept 27 — Melaka-born blues-rock singer-songwriter Lyia Meta took home the World Music Artist of the Year 2018 award at the Josie Music Awards in Tennessee, US, earlier this month.

The Josie Music Awards is the largest award show that celebrates independent artistes from all genres across the globe.

Lyia was the only Malaysian artiste among some 13,000 hopeful entries.

“Being the only Malaysian there, I felt ecstatic. I cannot deny I was very apprehensive in the beginning and was a bundle of nerves.

“For me to win an award was surreal because I know the calibre of musicianship there and it felt so affirming on a personal level,” she told Malay Mail.

She added that the Josie awards gave independent musicians a platform to be heard and recognised.

Lyia, whose songs are about women and the ruptures they go through in life, was also nominated for Artist of the Year for Pop/Contemporary and Vocalist of the Year.

The award ceremony was held in Dollywood, a theme park co-owned by country singer Dolly Parton.

She said the people she met in Tennessee were curious about Malaysia and its music.

“They wanted to know about our live music scene, a little bit about our multicultural society and the food we ate.

“The people of Tennessee were very welcoming so I felt right at home from the start,” said Lyia.

The blues-rock singer said people in Tennessee were curious about Malaysia’s music scene. — Picture by Ahmad Zamzahuri

Lyia’s next project is a collaboration with The International Singer Songwriters Association.

“The songwriters have collectively come together to write and record a song that is being mixed and mastered in Nashville and it would feature voices from various parts of the world including myself,” she said.

She is also working on a new single, written by the UK’s multi award-winning songwriter Paul Michael Curtis and will be featured in a compilation album under US record label Bongo Boy Records, both to be released next month.

In a 2015 interview with Malay Mail, Lyia said of the challenges that she faced as an independent artiste was getting her music played on Malaysian radio stations, despite enjoying airplay abroad.