Rethinking Visions of “Unity” and “Belonging”: Insights into Audience Responses Towards Popular Music of Malaysia’s Indigenous Ethnic Communities – A Case of Iban Pop Song

Abstract

This article presents the findings of a larger ongoing study that explores visions of “unity” and “belonging” among present-day Malaysians that are shaped by their engagements with popular music genres of the country’s indigenous ethnic communities. Through a critical theory-informed qualitative analysis of Malaysians’ views on the popular Iban song, “Biar Bekikis Bulu Betis”, the study described in this article examines the visions of unity and belonging that they conceived through various engagements with the song. The findings show that these visions were co-created in and through a dynamic interaction between the song and the audience. The former evoked a sense of solidarity and cohesion, and the latter conceived their visions of unity and belonging based on those feelings. However, the findings reveal that these visions did not coalesce with the “grand” or “official” narratives of unification and inclusion, given the audience’s strong sense of togetherness and attachment to their state of origin and community rather than to the country and the nation. Such findings are important as they provide insights into the potential role that popular music of Malaysia’s indigenous ethnic communities can play in the complex and never-ending process of achieving a national sense of unity, belonging and identity in Malaysia.

Iban Pop Song: Identity, Unity, and Belonging: A Public Perception Survey in Sarawak

“…The previous research also asserted that this song had gained tremendous popularity among various audiences from the multiethnic audiences in Sarawak, West Malaysia, Sabah, Brunei, and Indonesia. The audiences, majorly from Sarawak, link the song with notions of local identity, unity, and belonging (buahemperingat n.d. as cited in Jerome et al, 2021).…”

“…Studies mentioned that people's various engagements with music, whether listening, playing, or performing, impact the neuro-chemicals in the brain that are formidable in emerging social connection and thickness (Suttie, 2016). The Malaysians gain access to their comprehension and perception of unity and belonging through musicking, primarily through their various engagements with the Iban pop song, such as listening, singing, dancing, performing, and reflecting on their individual experiences with it (Jerome et al, 2021).…”

“…People's various engagements with music, whether listening, playing, or performing, impact the neuro-chemicals in the brain that are formidable in emerging social connection and thickness (Suttie, 2016). Jerome et al (2021) exposed that visions were co-created in and through a dynamic interaction between the song and the audience: the former evoked feelings of togetherness and involvement, and the latter formulated their visions of unity and belonging based on those feelings. The study suggests further studies on Malaysia's indigenous popular music concerning their roles in and contributions to the lengthy and never-ending process of unity, belonging, and identity formation in Malaysia (Jerome et al, 2021).…”

“…Jerome et al (2021) exposed that visions were co-created in and through a dynamic interaction between the song and the audience: the former evoked feelings of togetherness and involvement, and the latter formulated their visions of unity and belonging based on those feelings. The study suggests further studies on Malaysia's indigenous popular music concerning their roles in and contributions to the lengthy and never-ending process of unity, belonging, and identity formation in Malaysia (Jerome et al, 2021). Lueders (2016) also suggested conducting future research into other types of popular music and its representation of national identity to enhance the understanding of how popular music constructs and reproduces national identity.…”

“…However, the previous studies of indigenous popular music and unity are primarily found in the non-Malaysian context. Previous Malaysian studies on indigenous popular music on unity focus on the cultural and emotional impact of popular music on audiences' sense of unity (Adil & Hamzah, 2019) and how the vision of unity is created through popular music (Jerome et al, 2021).…”