Staying hungry

HE had big dreams when he took his first steps into the music scene over a decade ago. He went straight for the international market and signed up with a UK-based record label.

Now, London-based Malaysian musician and songwriter Ariff AB is back in Malaysia and is working on his third album, We Are Wolves.

“This year was supposed to be a year of tours for me. It began with shows in England earlier this year and was to go on until 2021. We had performed all over England, and we were going to go to Norway.

“So I was looking forward to the Norway show. But then the pandemic hit during the fourth show,” said Ariff.

At the time, the UK was not in a lockdown, and Ariff decided to come back to Malaysia when the numbers here were dropping.

Facing challenges is nothing new for him. Ariff’s first steps into music were difficult. The self-taught musician faced many rejections after he won a singer-songwriter competition held in Kuala Lumpur in 2009, which led him to be featured at the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai.

His passion for music took him to Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand.

However, in 2013, Ariff took his biggest step and went to the UK.

“You have to be mentally prepared for what’s to come,” said Ariff.

“I always tell myself to be prepared for the future. You may start small, and one day your lucky break will come, but you must be prepared for that.

“Don’t let the opportunity sweep you away.”

He gave Henry Golding as an example. “He started as a TV show host, and when he got his big break, he knew how to compose himself. He has the chops and was prepared to fulfil the opportunity he was given while still staying true to himself,” said Ariff.

When he released his first album while he was in England, Ariff got himself banned from the Malaysia Hall in London because he was selling his CDs.

“Making it in England is difficult. I was thinking that since I was in England and I had been doing shows every day and I had surplus CDs, what could I do? So I tried to sell my albums to Malaysians or anyone who visited. But [the authorities] put a stop to that,” said Ariff.

Going international may not be for everyone, however. What made Ariff realise that he was making the right decision was the pandemic.

“Most musicians surround themselves with fans, and they know what they want to do. If you meet an act from the US or the UK, those who reach for the top, right now, they are in a ‘reset’. They are not worried about their next few shows because they are getting dividends from their past decade of hard work. They get good support from their fans and management or others,” said Ariff.

Knowing both the local and international scene, Ariff noted that the issue with the local music scene is internal politics and cliques. In a lot of cases, it is no longer about the music, but about who you know and who likes you.

“What I mean is, if you like one band, and there is another equally good band, the former would not even speak about the latter. They act as though a fan of one band cannot be a fan of another at the same time. There is a clique mentality. It’s no longer about the music.”

He added that for up-and-coming music artistes, one of the best advice is to not listen to what other people say and to not let anyone else tell you what your music is.

“But, more importantly, you need to have a goal, where you want to be in five years. Stay in your lane. Let’s say you want to be like Yuna and go to the United States, focus on that. Don’t hold yourself back. If you don’t have sponsors, save up some money, and get yourself there. You will never know your full potential until you get there,” said Ariff.

Based on his experience and observations, Ariff said that there are two ways that an artiste could reach their full potential, either through their hard work and talent, or by being sponsored. And it is always better to be at the top because you got yourself there, instead of having someone else put you there.