KUCHING, Oct 10: Sarawakian songstress Alena Murang will return to Taiwan this month for a music tour with her band.
They will play two festivals, namely the World Music Festival Taiwan (Taipei) and Pasiwali Festival (Taitung), which are two international music festivals showcasing musicians from around the world.
According to Alena, in a statement today, returning to Taiwan is always like “coming home” because of the stark similarities the indigenous peoples of Taiwan and Borneo share in terms of language, beadwork, songs, designs, world views, and love for music.
Alena, who signed with Taiwanese label Wind Music in 2020, will be playing alongside Indonesia’s all-girl rock band Voice of Baceprot, Taiwan stars A-Lin and Utjung Tjakivalid, South Korean band Hey String, and several others.
They also have a full performance at the National Taiwan University Centre for the Arts (NTU) and other smaller shows and talks at universities.
The Sarawak sape songstress has been performing at festivals in Taiwan and involved in documentaries since 2017, connecting with indigenous musicians of the island through their shared Austronesian heritage.
Alena Murang, as a five-piece band, will be joined on stage by Joshua Maran (guitar and drums), Yi Mann (electric guzheng), Simmy (keyboard and tin whistle), and Herman Ramando (bass guitar).
Alena has been playing the sape for over 20 years and travels the world sharing the songs and music of her Orang Ulu heritage.
She has performed at festivals in Australia, Iceland, the USA, the Czech Republic, Indonesia, Thailand, the UK, Italy, and Germany, to name a few. — DayakDaily
