Draft:Faye Faire

Faye Faire is a folk rock group formed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2022, with members Alena Nadia and I-Shan Esther. The two were soon joined by bassist Azim Zain and drummer Isra Gomez. Shortly after its first show, the group launched its first single "Telephone" in March 2023.

Released in December 2023, its second single "Siren" would climb to the top of Malaysian radio charts on Rakita 107.9FM for a consecutive four weeks, and was shortlisted on the Top 30 Rock category for the 2023 Anugerah Lagu Indie awards - a national music award recognising the talents of local Malaysian acts across the genres of hip hop, pop and rock.

The band names The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, Radiohead, Elliott Smith, and Boygenius as major influences. With a musical framework from an older age, the group's songs - written and sung in English - soon culminated in the creation of the band's debut album "In My Mind". Their debut album was released in February 2024, in tribute to the band's late founding member I-Shan Esther, following her death in June 2023. In it, main songwriters Alena and I-Shan showcase ten songs on the album, with strong pop, rock and folk influences. Its launch show in fono, Kuala Lumpur sold out within a few days of the album's announcement.

History
In June 2022, Alena worked as a journalist at Malaysiakini and was introduced to I-Shan Esther through I-Shan's father Martin Vengadesan, a colleague at Malaysiakini.

I-Shan is also the grandchild of former Malaysian ambassador to Italy Dato' Ramanathan Vengadesan.

The duo soon realised they shared similar musical influences. In September 2022, Alena invited I-Shan to start a group to work on their own music. Azim Zain (from the Australian music project “Azim Zain & His Lovely Bones”)  and Isra Gomez (who is also known for his student activism as the MUDA Segambut student bureau head) joined their band at the end of 2022. Despite having differing etymological roots, both words "Faye" and "Faire" can be interpreted to mean fairies (or "fairies"). In an interview with Free Malaysia Today, it is suggested that the group name is a tribute to their music's "female-fronted nature".

Organised by music collective Kumandang Zine, Faye Faire's debut performance was at BOXKL in Kuala Lumpur in March 2023. Faye Faire played four original songs "Ultraviolet", "Siren", "Telephone" and "Wailing Wall" - which would later form the basis of their debut album. In the same month, they had independently released a demo tape for their original song, "Telephone".

In May 2023, Faye Faire played with progressive rock and psychedelic rock band Martin Vengadesan & The Stalemate Factor at Merdekarya and Porkville in Petaling Jaya. Faye Faire performed their last show with I-Shan Esther at Merdekarya on 10 June 2023.

On June 16, 2023, at the age of 18, I-Shan Esther Christie Lee Vengadesan passed away. Mourning the loss of their bandmate, the group quickly made the difficult decision on whether to continue. They began finishing up recordings they had worked on with I-Shan - on an album which they had already been working on.

In an interview following the album's launch, Gomez commented, “We realized the best way we could appreciate her was by moving forward."

The band worked together with producer Ashwin Gobinath of Nadir Studios Malaysia to produce the album over a period of six months. Working on the album was described as "bittersweet". On this, Alena said: “On some days, it felt like I-Shan had just missed a practice, or gone on a holiday. It just didn't quite sink in that she was gone."

The group has also talked about how their debut album is their attempt to give I-Shan a musical legacy: "She was so young. We wanted her to have a musical legacy which she deserved."

Their debut album ‘In My Mind’ comprises 10 tracks, with Alena and I-Shan writing five tracks each. The various songs touch on the struggles faced by indigenous groups in Malaysia, the ups and downs of friendships and love lives, as well as grief. Its album cover was designed by current bassist Maira Zamri (who also founded local magazine Saya Magazine).

Faye Faire currently comprises Alena, Gomez, Azim (now on lead guitar), Maira, and guitarist Tanuja Kaur.

In My Mind (2024)

 * 1) Ultraviolet
 * 2) Siren
 * 3) No Name #1
 * 4) You Know Me
 * 5) A Home In The Sea
 * 6) Wild #2
 * 7) Wailing Wall
 * 8) Telephone
 * 9) Our Girl (Smile Because You Loved Her)
 * 10) I'm Still Alive

Song credits
"Ultraviolet", "No Name #1", "Telephone" and "I'm Still Alive"

Words and music by I-Shan Esther

"Siren", "You Know Me", "A Home In The Sea", "Wailing Wall" and "Our Girl (Smile Because You Loved Her)"

Words and music by Alena Nadia

"Wild #2"

Words by Alena Nadia and I-Shan Esther

Music by I-Shan Esther