Malaysia, like many southeast asian countries, is a melting pot of people of different ethnicities and religions. Of course, there are more and more people working and studying overseas nowadays, so you might think that every other country is in the same situation, but you’ll know you’re in a seriously multinational city when almost every new person you meet asks you “are you local?” (my personal experience as a Singaporean).
To that sort of question, 17-year-old Malaysian YouTuber Joyce Chu proudly answers with her song Malaysia Chabor (chabor means “woman” in the Hokkien dialect), which has garnered over 1.6 million views in slightly more than a week!
Joyce Chu, also known as 四葉草 (four-leaf clover), lives in Johor Bahru (more affectionately called JB) in southern Malaysia. The bubbly 17-year-old has a YouTube channel where she uploads various types of videos, mostly of her singing and playing the guitar. Malaysian songwriter Namewee tailor-made the song Malaysia Chabor for Joyce, filling in the lyrics with real-life experiences as told by the girl herself.
While Joyce didn’t mention that people ask her “are you local?”, she did mention that many people think that she’s from Korea, possibly due to her makeup and dressing. Some even think that she went to Korea for plastic surgery. Whether those rumors are for real or made up by people who are jealous of Joyce’s good looks, we don’t know. But we do know that this light-hearted catchy tune combined with Joyce’s sweet voice and adorable smile is likely to brighten up your day!
▼ Malaysia Chabor
▼ Songwriting process of Malaysia Chabor (with Namewee)
Malaysia Chabor was picked up by the news and media in several countries across Asia, thanks to the immense response the video received. Although some netizens have criticized Joyce’s singing, I think the video definitely deserves its 1.6 million (and increasing) views for its cultural flavor. Besides, it’s a video of a cute girl vocalizing her pride for her nationality, kudos to that!
“Singapore Da Por” confesses his love in a clever cover of Joyce Chu’s “Malaysia Chabor”
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