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Joy’s long road from childhood piano to Emmy award
Joy’s long road from childhood piano to Emmy award
1 hour agoDinesh Kumar Maganathan @ FMT Lifestyle
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Pahang-born composer Joy Ngiaw reflects on storytelling, creative intuition, and the emotions that shape her work in Hollywood.
Joy Ngiaw says her younger self would be proud of her achievements today. (Joy Ngiaw pic)
LOS ANGELES: Her heart trembled with trepidation. Her breathing grew slow and heavy, not knowing what would happen next. And then, the moment came. The announcement. “The award goes to …”. When her name was announced, Joy Ngiaw needed a second to process it.
“I was in absolute shock!” the 31-year-old shared with FMT Lifestyle. “Our category was stacked with incredible composers whom I deeply admire, and I already felt so proud just to be nominated alongside them.”
Then it sank in. “When they called my name, I was flooded with emotions … gratitude, disbelief, and joy all at once. It was such a surreal moment,” Ngiaw, a film scoring degree graduate from Berklee College of Music, said.
And just like that, this Pahang lass from the sleepy town of Kemayan became the first Malaysian to win a Children’s & Family Emmy for Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for the Apple TV+ animated series “WondLa”.
Ngiaw is the first Malaysian to win an Emmy award for her work. (Joy Ngiaw pic)
“Growing up, it was hard to imagine someone from where I came from being part of Hollywood, let alone being the first Malaysian to win an Emmy,” the oldest of two siblings said.