Prema Yin Ranee A/P Kali Kavandan (born 3 October 1986), known by her stage name Prema Yin, is a Malaysian singer musician and former contestant of '' Who Will Win Malaysia Topstar'', where she first became widely known to the public.

Biography

Prema Yin was born 3 October 1986 in

Seremban Seremban (Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Soghomban'', ''Somban''; Jawi: ) is a city in the Seremban District and the capital of the state of Negeri Sembilan in Peninsular Malaysia. The city's administration is run by the Seremban City Council. Se ...

Negri Sembilan Negeri Sembilan (, Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Nogoghi Sombilan'', ''Nismilan'') is a state in Malaysia which lies on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It borders Selangor on the north, Pahang in the east, and Malacca and Johor to the ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

as the youngest of five children. Two of her older brothers ( Keevan Raj and Logan Raj) are retired Malaysia national field hockey team players who participated in the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

Sunder Raj The Sentinelese, also known as the Sentineli and the North Sentinel Islanders, are an indigenous people who inhabit North Sentinel Island in the Bay of Bengal in the northeastern Indian Ocean. Designated a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Gro ...

is working in Canada for a gaming a design company while the youngest of the boys, Mano Raj, who was also on the verge of joining the National Hockey Squad finished his IT degree. Prema Yin started singing at the age of three and was entertaining crowds on private functions. At the age of 14, she started writing her own material. Being proficient on piano and guitar, she wrote countless pieces and kept them for herself.

Who Will Win Malaysia Topstar

In 2004, she joined the nationwide singing competition Who Will Win Malaysia's Topstar and emerged as the winner. Besides winning the cash price, she also received a recording contract with Syncrosound studios.

Musical career

As she felt she was not ready yet to take on the music industry after winning the reality TV show, she decided to hit the Pubscene and joined world music outfit Aseana Percussion Unit to gain more experience as a performer. Participating in numerous band competitions with her band "Broken View", she slowly ventured into the indie scene and worked her ways around there performing at many of

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

's underground music venues. After splitting up with her band, she joined International Groove Collective (IGC) where she blended her vocals with the eclectic music style of the 3 piece band. By August 2007, IGC called it quits and the band members pursued their own careers. Having carved her teeth in the indie circuit, Prema Yin finally started recording and performing her original compositions. She hit the studios with AIM- and

ARIA In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompa ...

-winning record producer Greg Henderson to record her debut EP ''Eyo Eyo''. Prema Yin premiered her first single ''Bleed'' in 2008 to the Malaysian public and managed to reach number No. 1 on the

Hitz.fm HITZ (as Hitz FM on radio) is a Malaysian national radio station managed by Astro Radio, a subsidiary of Astro Holdings Berhad. The radio station name was changed from Hitz.FM to Hitz FM in 2014. The radio has regional stations in Kota Kinab ...

MET10 and No. 3 on

Fly FM Fly FM is an English-language Malaysian private radio station owned by Media Prima Berhad. It was launched on 3 October 2005 and targets listeners aged between fifteen and thirty years old. Fly FM is the second most popular English radio sta ...

Campur charts for several weeks and subsequently gained heavy rotation on Fly FM and Hitz.fm. She released ''Eyo Eyo'' in August 2009 with 5 tracks, one in

Bahasa Malaysia Malaysian Malay ( ms, Bahasa Melayu Malaysia), also known as Standard Malay (Malay: ''Bahasa Melayu Standard''), ( English translation: Malaysian language), or simply Malay, is a standardized form of the Malay language used in Malaysia (as o ...

and four in English. The title track ''Eyo Eyo'' is in Bahasa Malaysia. The English version of ''Eyo Eyo'' has been released separately in 2011 in the United States on iTunes and other online stores. The music video for ''Eyo Eyo'' was produced and directed by the team of Phuture Phlow and launched on the same date with the EP in Mist Club Bangsar. The response from the media was very positive and Prema Yin got branded as the new "Rock Princess" of Malaysia. Local star sessionists Jamie Wilson and

Eric Li Eric Li Ka-Cheung (; born 23 May 1953) is an adjunct professor at the School of Accountancy of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the School of Business of Hong Kong Baptist University. He was formerly a member of the Hong Kong Legisla ...

have contributed playing on several tracks. ''Eyo Eyo'' was a critical hit that gained four nominations in AIM 17 in 2010. Despite not winning any awards, she was humbled by the fact that she was nominated and recognised by the Malaysian music industry. Prema Yin toured and played in Japan, Singapore, Germany, United States, China, and

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

, and in festivals such as the Penang Jazz Festival and Rock the World 10. Late 2010, Prema Yin signed a management deal with reputable US artist management company TC Music, LLC. In 2011, she released her next single ''Marilah'' which was accompanied by a music video directed by Gambit Saifullah. The video got over 100,000 hits in the first week of release and as, of 2012, over 450,000 views. The video was regarded as controversial and "not suitable" for Malaysian culture as it was considered too "explicit" for the audience. The English version of ''Marilah'' is called ''Addicted'' and uses the same video, shot in English. This version of the video has been viewed over 120,000 times to date. In May 2011, Prema Yin travelled to Los Angeles and started working with producers and composers such as

Scott Krippayne Scott Krippayne (born July 23, 1970) is an American singer and songwriter. Krippayne is better known for his contributions towards other artists, as over 150 of his songs have been recorded by others including Point of Grace, John Tesh, Avalon (Am ...

, Dan Hoal, The Highschoolers, Ra Domini. Prema met and worked with American songwriter Hope Raney and German producer Florian Reutter for her 2012 song "Prove It To Me", to broaden her style. Prema Yin has been chosen to be one of the performers for the Arthur's Day 2011 celebrations in Malaysia that took place on September, 23rd at Speed City KL alongside other performers like

Taio Cruz Jacob Taio Cruz (; born Adetayo Ayowale Onile-Ere, 23 April 1980), better known professionally as Taio Cruz (stylized TΛIO CRUZ), is an English singer, songwriter and record producer from London, England, currently based in Los Angeles. In 200 ...

, The Kartel (featuring

Joe Flizzow Too Phat was a Malaysian hip-hop duo, composed of rappers Joe Flizzow (born Johan Ishak in Kuala Lumpur; 16 October 1979) and Malique (born Malique Ibrahim in Johor Bahru; 21 August 1977). Career In the late 1990s Joe Flizzow, Malique and K ...

), Dandee, Take-T,

Soler Soler may refer to: * Soler Township, Roseau County, Minnesota * Soler (band), Hong Kong based rock band * Soler (grape), French wine grape, also known as Peloursin People with the surname Soler * Alay Soler (born 1979), Cuban baseball player ...

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, and Dragon Red. The event was attended by a 20,000 strong audience, and marked the celebration of Arthur Guinness singing the lease for his brewery in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

, Ireland in 1759.

Awards & recognitions

VIMA 2011 nominations

*Best Pop/R&B Song – ''Addicted'' *Best Rock Song – ''Blow my Mind feat. MON9'' *Best Rock Vocalist *Best Female Vocalist Overall (won Gold Award) *Best Music Video – ''Addicted''

Hollywood Music in Media Awards 2011 nominations

*Best Pop Song in a Movie – ''Eyo Eyo'' in ''A Novel Romance''

AIM17 2010 nominations

*Best New Artist *Best Music Video – ''Eyo Eyo'' *Best Engineered Album *Best Arrangement in a Song – ''Eyo Eyo''

AVIMA 2010 nominations

*Best Female Vocalist Overall *Best Pop Song – ''Eyo Eyo'' *Asian Anthem of the Year – ''Eyo Eyo'' (won)

VIMA 2010 nominations

*Best Female Vocalist Overall *Best Pop Song – ''Eyo Eyo'' (won Gold Award) *Best Rock Vocalist *Best Music Video – ''Eyo Eyo''

VIMA 2009 nominations

*Best Female Vocalist *Best Rock Vocalist (won Bronze Award; only girl in this category) *Best Rock Song – ''Bleed'' *Best of luck

Chart Success

August 2009 * ''Bleed'' No. 1 on

hitz.fm HITZ (as Hitz FM on radio) is a Malaysian national radio station managed by Astro Radio, a subsidiary of Astro Holdings Berhad. The radio station name was changed from Hitz.FM to Hitz FM in 2014. The radio has regional stations in Kota Kinab ...

MET 10 and No. 3 on

Campur Charts May 2010 * ''Eyo Eyo'' No. 1 on hitz.fm MET 10 and No. 2 on Fly FM Campur Charts December 2010 * ''Blow my Mind'' (feat. MON9) No. 1 on hitz.fm MET 10 and No. 2 on Fly FM Campur Charts January 2012 * ''Superstar'' No. 1 on Traxx.fm Upstage Charts * ''Eyo Eyo'' No. 1 on Indonesian Radio Station Ardan.fm "Ardan Indie 7” * ''Eyo Eyo'' No. 2 on Indonesian Radio Station FB9020FM PURWAKARTA May 2012 * ''Prove It to Me'' No. 1 on hitz.fm MET10

Discography

Eyo Eyo EP (2009)

*''Eyo Eyo'' (

) *''Ain't got Tears'' (featuring Moots! of Pop Shuvit) *''These are the Days'' *''Bleed'' *''Higher Love''

Singles

*''Marilah'' (2010) *''Addicted'' (2011) *''Fight'' (feat.

Reefa Sharif "Reefa" Slater is a music producer who has produced for notable artists. He was raised in Brownsville, Brooklyn, and currently heads a production company for emerging artists and producers. Production work/involvement Sharif "Reefa" Slate ...

) – theme song in Project O&O (2011) *''Superstar'' – theme song for Share the Love and in Julie's Biscuit (2011) *''Prove It To Me" (2012)

References

Time Out KLWestfalen BlattThe Star Newspaper
* Utusan Malaysia http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2009&dt=1022&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Hiburan&pg=hi_01.htm
New Straits TimesNST InterviewPrema Yin Official WebsiteArthur's Day 2011 Malaysia

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Prema Yin 1986 births Living people People from Negeri Sembilan Malaysian people of Chinese descent 21st-century Malaysian women singers Malaysian people of Indian descent