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PERSONALITY
W o r d s :
B r i a n n e J a s m i n A e r i a
SonaOne
Who is SonaOne?
SonaOne is an MC, producer, lyricist
and a graffiti artist. SonaOne also creates
his own fonts in his designs. He started
dabbling in the creative scene when he
was familiarising himself with spray paint
leaving his trademark on walls around
the city. His name as a graffiti artist shot
to fame as early as when he was 12 years
of age. When he hit 15, SonaOne started
becoming a song composer and helped
compose songs for his friends. SonaOne’s
raw talent caught the attention of Joe
Flizzow, whom he regards as his mentor.
And soon after, SonaOne officially joined
the Kartel family in 2010. Since then,
SonaOne never looked back and kept
working hard in polishing his talent in
the music industry. He produced four
mixtapes and managed to get more than
a million downloads. His participation in
songs like
Who Do It Better,
Havoc
and
Apa Khabar
not only opened the eyes
of the listeners, he even obtained great
respect from his colleagues.
SonaOne created history in the Malay-
sian music industry when his first single,
No More,
not only clinched the win in the
Best Local English Song category in the
Anugerah Industri Muzik 21 (AIM21), he
even won the award for the Best Song.
For 21 years since this award,
No More
is the first English hip hop song to gain
such recognition. Not long after winning
at AIM21, Joe Flizzow and SonaOne came
out tops at the Anugerah Juara Lagu 29
(AJL29), bagging the top prize for the
song
Apa Khabar
.
“Definitelymywin in AIM21was a sur-
real feeling. As at a year ago I remember
vividly I was in the coffee shop with my
mum and grandmother and my manager
calls to say
No More
was number one on
the charts. I was ecstatic and from that
moment, to go from there to AIMwas just
crazy. To see howmuch had happened in
one year. I remember those days when I
was working on a laptop and a brokenmic
to now. I want people to realise dreams
can come true but most importantly, one
needs to have patience,” said SonaOne.
SonaOne’s recommendations
For SonaOne, it is almost impossible for
him to single out one Asian destination as
a favourite. But as of right now, he is a big
fan of Cambodia. He has only been there
once. He fell in love with their culture,
their sense of nationalism and identity
and to him, nothing beats the food and
their rich history.
Based on SonaOne’s recommendation,
tourists should always check out Chang-
kat at Bukit Bintang for a night out in town
as there is a variety of clubs and bars to
frequent. Not only that, tourists can also
meet people from all over the world. If
you are a foodie just like SonaOne, head
down to Jalan Alor as there is always a
great spot to grab something before or
after partying.
Indoor adventure that gets SonaOne’s
adrenaline pumping is the Escape Room
– which looks like any other ordinary
room, it’s actually taking place all around
the world. It’s a fun, interactive game
that challenges you to think your way
out of a locked room. One can find the
Escape Room at Berjaya Times Square,
e@Curve, Puchong, Klang, Penang, Johor
and Seremban.
When in Malaysia, SonaOne suggests
that tourists try everything! “What isn’t
there to try? Obviously there would be
some mandatory recommendations such
as
nasi lemak, assam laksa, Penang
char kuey teow, roti canai,
but the actual
list would be insanely longer,” shared
SonaOne.
Always wonder what SonaOne thinks
when he performs for a crowd? He basi-
cally thinks about the crowd, whether or
not the crowd is having fun as he always
tries to give his 100% best to make sure
everyone in the audience is entertained.
“I would love to perform in New York
or Los Angeles. New York because that’s
the birthplace of hip hop and a visit there
would be like a pilgrimage. Los Angeles
because of the vibe, the weather, the
constant entertainment.”
SonaOne’s future plans
Expect SonaOne’s first album in the first
half of 2015, and he is really excited about
the release. He will also be the host on the
second season of
Hip Hoppin Asia,
a travel
showwhere he discovers hip hop around
the region. “2015 is gonna be awesome,”
said SonaOne.