Peninsula Malaysian’s second Sabah number
Published on: Friday, May 05, 2023
Justin (left) and Marlin (right).
Kota Kinabalu: Justin Lewis, the first Peninsular Malaysian singer to produce a song about Sabah’s iconic Mount Kinabalu titled “Oh Kinabalu”, has released a new song called “Hauzz”, as the widely anticipated Kaamatan celebration approaches this month.
Produced by Don Linus and featuring Marlin Parabakaran or Marlin (Fish), this time Justin hopes to spread good cheer and positivity that would bring people together in merrymaking especially in the spirit of Kaamatan.
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“For this song ‘Hauzz’, I wanted to blend an authentic feel-good Sabahan music beat and infuse it with a pop element to give it a groove so that everyone can sing and dance to the music.
“My theme has always been about unity and harmony through music and dance.
“Thus my hope is that everyone from all walks of life can just get up, grab a drink, dance and sing along, have a great time with family and friends while grooving to the beats of Hauzz, which has a Borneon-feel good music to it,” he told Daily Express, Monday.
Justin may originally be from Selangor, but after living in Sabah for several years, he now considers himself an honorary Sabahan.
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His love for Sabah inspires most of his musical craft.
“I feel more Sabahan or Borneon although I am from the heart of Kuala Lumpur.
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Physically I am from the Peninsula but my heart, mind and soul belongs to Akinabalu.
“Since my first single ‘Oh Kinabalu’, I do feel that my soul is connected so much to the people, culture, togetherness and the warmth of Sabahans.
“So being in Borneo up until now and getting excited to meet friends from all walks of life is what gave me this idea to try come up with a song about this, in order to bring people together and have a great time.
“From here, I started writing my thoughts down and slowly worked my way on creating the melody (for Hauzz) so that this song could be catchy and lively for all to enjoy,” he said.
Although Justin has an educational background in Medical Lab Technology, he comes from a musically-inclined family where his late father was a guitarist while his uncle, Lewis Pragasam, has been esteemed as one of the greatest drummers in Malaysia.
“My dream is to be working with musicians and producers throughout Borneo for my next few singles.
“I have friends from most of the ethnic communities in Sabah and Sarawak, and doing music in Borneo is an honour especially working with multitalented artists and producers in Sabah,” said Justin.
The new single and music video was officially launched on Apr 29 at Beer Garage, Sunway, Kuala Lumpur.
It is available on the ‘JustinLewis’ YouTube channel with the title “HAUZZ FEAT MARLIN (FISH)”.
About a year ago, Justin released his single “Oh Kinabalu” which was commended by the Sabah Tourism Board as it was instrumental in promoting Sabah’s unique culture and destinations.
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