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Malaysian singer Firdhaus Farmizi goes viral on Douyin with Chinese song ‘Gulf of Alaska’ (VIDEO)
Monday, 04 Jan 2021 12:38 PM MYT
BY TAN MEI ZI
Firdhaus has garnered millions of views on Chinese social media. — Picture via Instagram/fffirdhaus
PETALING JAYA, Jan 4 — Malaysian singer Firdhaus Farmizi is making waves in China with his Mandarin-language single Gulf of Alaska.
The 22-year-old’s song has raked in 170 million views on Douyin, the Chinese equivalent of TikTok, and 1.6 million views on YouTube.
He is the first Malay singer to achieve such a feat, according to Berita Harian.
The young musician, who hails from Kulai, Johor, told the daily that he became fluent in Chinese after attending a Chinese-language kindergarten and a Chinese vernacular school.
Having many Chinese friends also helped Firdhaus to master the language but he emphasised that he can still converse in his mother tongue.
“I will always be Malay and I can speak well in my mother tongue. I can also sing in Malay.
“It’s just that coincidentally, my environment and followers on social media are mostly Chinese, so I focus on singing in Mandarin so they can understand what I’m trying to convey,” said Firdhaus.
Firdhaus originally released Gulf of Alaska in April 2020 but the song has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity on Douyin where users began singing along to the track in their videos.
His newfound fame amongst Chinese music lovers has also garnered attention in his home country where he is beginning to attract more fans.
“Honestly, I never thought Gulf of Alaska could go viral in China.
“I never expected Chinese fans to sing along to this song on Douyin. From there, many people started following me on Instagram.
“Alhamdulillah, Malaysian fans have also started becoming aware of my presence.”
Firdhaus became more active on social media when the movement control order (MCO) was imposed in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Besides sharing his original music, he also posts covers of other Mandarin, English, and even Korean songs on his Instagram.
Monday, 04 Jan 2021 12:38 PM MYT
BY TAN MEI ZI
Firdhaus has garnered millions of views on Chinese social media. — Picture via Instagram/fffirdhaus
PETALING JAYA, Jan 4 — Malaysian singer Firdhaus Farmizi is making waves in China with his Mandarin-language single Gulf of Alaska.
The 22-year-old’s song has raked in 170 million views on Douyin, the Chinese equivalent of TikTok, and 1.6 million views on YouTube.
He is the first Malay singer to achieve such a feat, according to Berita Harian.
The young musician, who hails from Kulai, Johor, told the daily that he became fluent in Chinese after attending a Chinese-language kindergarten and a Chinese vernacular school.
Having many Chinese friends also helped Firdhaus to master the language but he emphasised that he can still converse in his mother tongue.
“I will always be Malay and I can speak well in my mother tongue. I can also sing in Malay.
“It’s just that coincidentally, my environment and followers on social media are mostly Chinese, so I focus on singing in Mandarin so they can understand what I’m trying to convey,” said Firdhaus.
Firdhaus originally released Gulf of Alaska in April 2020 but the song has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity on Douyin where users began singing along to the track in their videos.
His newfound fame amongst Chinese music lovers has also garnered attention in his home country where he is beginning to attract more fans.
“Honestly, I never thought Gulf of Alaska could go viral in China.
“I never expected Chinese fans to sing along to this song on Douyin. From there, many people started following me on Instagram.
“Alhamdulillah, Malaysian fans have also started becoming aware of my presence.”
Firdhaus became more active on social media when the movement control order (MCO) was imposed in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Besides sharing his original music, he also posts covers of other Mandarin, English, and even Korean songs on his Instagram.
