Pete Teo
Encyclopedia
Pete Teo is a leading English language singer-songwriter
in Malaysia. He is also an acclaimed film composer and music producer as well as a sought-after actor in what has become known as 'New Wave Malaysian Cinema'.
Malaysia (AIM - Malaysian Music Industry Awards) 2004. His follow-up albumTelevision - an alternative folk music
album filled with reflections on a media saturated world and Americana
- won all 3 categories it was nominated for at AIM 2007 - Best Album Cover, Best Music Video and Best English Album - where Teo emerged as the biggest winner of the night, the first non-mainstream indie artist to do so in the history of the awards. "Television" subsequently became the first Malaysian record to be licensed and released in South Korea. Teo was also the first ever Malaysian artist to play at the South By Southwest
music festival in Austin Texas in 2007.
In April 2008, Teo independently produced a zero-budget, non-partisan, non-profit, multi-artists recording of his anti-racism composition 'Here In My Home'. Entitled 'Malaysian Artistes For Unity' (MAFU), the project attracted pro bono participation from over 50 Malaysian artists, media personalities and arts activists - including Ning Baizura
, Awie
, Afdlin Shauki
, Jason Lo
, Maya Karin
, Tony Fernandes
, Jaclyn Victor
etc. and many others personalities and volunteers. The music video for the song, directed by Yasmin Ahmad
and Ho Yuhang premiered at the Malaysian Music Industry Awards 2008
to a nationwide television audience. In the weeks subsequent to its release, the video became one of most viralled videos in the world - reaching as high as no.3. Both the song and the video are available for free download on the project's official website.
In May 2008, Teo reinforced his reputation as an artist at the forefront of the Malaysian new wave by producing 4 definitive and retrospective music videos for legendary Malaysian band Alleycats
. Directed by installation artist and regular collaborator Kamal Sabran, these Universal Music commissioned videos were completed within 3 weeks, and were included in the 2008 box set release of the band's classic hits.
In August 2008, Teo played live to millions over Korean nationwide TV on Yoon Do Hyun's 'Love Letter' [KBS] and 'EBS Space' [EBS] - two of the most popular music programs in Korea. This was followed by a showcase appearance at the Tokyo Asia Music Market in October 2008.
The beginning of 2009 saw Teo's music cross over into the Malaysian mainstream as the composer and songwriter behind the memorable songs featured in Yasmin Ahmad's film 'Talentime
'. High public and industry interest for these songs led to a soundtrack album entitled 'Talentime' - produced by Teo and released by Universal Music shortly after the film's release. At the same time, Teo also took a turn as the lead in James Lee
's 2009 indie art house award winning digital film "Call If You Need Me", a supporting role in Adflin Shauiki's 'Popadom' [Best Film Award winner in Malaysia Screen Awards 2009], Yasmin Ahmad's 'Earth Hour Gangster' campaign advertisement, directed music in Ho Yuhang's widely anticipated film "At The End Of Daybreak" as well as took on a supporting role in a French feature film entitled 'Stretch
' directed by Charles De Meaux and starring Nicolas Cazalé
, David Carradine
and Fan Bing Bing.
In August 2009, Teo released 15 socio-political short films [all of which he produced] sponsored by Malaysian company P1. Entitled '15Malaysia' and directed by 15 young Malaysian directors, the project consisted of 15 short films featuring local musicians, actors and top politicians with themes such as corruption, bribery, racism and pedophilia. Distributed exclusively through the Internet to bypass stringent broadcasting censorship laws, the short film project took the nation by storm and became the most talked about popular culture event of the year. 14 million visits were made to the official website in less than 2 months and its YouTube Channel became the 10th most watched channel in the world for more than 3 weeks. The 80 minutes anthology version of the project made its world premier at the Pusan International Film Festival
in October 2009 and has hitherto been invited to exhibit in [amongst others] the Golden Horse Film Festival [Taipei], the Pompidou Centre in Paris, and Rotterdam International Film Festival [European Premier]. The project is not only historic in its popular success but is also widely regarded to be a watershed in media and political culture in Malaysia.
In November 2009, on the strength of the influential 'Malaysian Artistes For Unity' music video and the seminal '15Malaysia' project, CNN
listed Teo as amongst the top 135 People To Watch in Asia.
In January 2010, the Malay language version of Teo's song 'I Go', produced by him and sung by Aizat [with Malay lyrics co-written by Amran Omar] won the Song Of The Year in Malaysia [for 2009].
16 September 2011 saw Teo release 'Undilah' (directed by Benji Lim), a pro-bono, non-partisan music video promoting the right to vote. The song featured vocal performances by Namewee, Afdlin Shauki
and the longest serving MP in Malaysia and ex-finance minister Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah
. The video, other than featuring cameo appearances by numerous famous Malaysian personalities and common street people alike, also included politicians from both the government and the opposition (for the first time in Malaysian history). 3 days after the video was released on the internet, it was banned for TV broadcast by the authorities for allegedly containing anti-establishment 'subliminal' messages. The ban was confirmed by the Minister Of Information Rais Yatim 2 weeks later but was subsequently declared 'unbanned' by the Prime Minister Najib Razak. The ambiguous official position from the authorities fanned widespread views that the ban was politically motivated. The controversy helped the video to become one of the most watched YouTube videos in Malaysia for 2011.
Teo is based in Kuala Lumpur and tours Japan and Korea regularly.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
in Malaysia. He is also an acclaimed film composer and music producer as well as a sought-after actor in what has become known as 'New Wave Malaysian Cinema'.
Biography
Teo has released two solo albums - Rustic Living for Urbanites (2003 / produced by Ronan Chris Murphy) and Television (2006 / produced by Nick Lee & Pete Teo) on his own label Redbag Music. Rustic Living For Urbanites won the Best Music Video and Best Album Cover category at the Anugerah Industri MuzikAnugerah Industri Muzik
Anugerah Industri Muzik , is Malaysia's music award-giving ceremony. It is the Malaysia's equivalent of Grammy.-Best Album:-Best Song:...
Malaysia (AIM - Malaysian Music Industry Awards) 2004. His follow-up albumTelevision - an alternative folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
album filled with reflections on a media saturated world and Americana
Americana (music)
Americana is an amalgam of roots musics formed by the confluence of the shared and varied traditions that make up the American musical ethos; specifically those sounds that are merged from folk, country, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll and other external influential styles...
- won all 3 categories it was nominated for at AIM 2007 - Best Album Cover, Best Music Video and Best English Album - where Teo emerged as the biggest winner of the night, the first non-mainstream indie artist to do so in the history of the awards. "Television" subsequently became the first Malaysian record to be licensed and released in South Korea. Teo was also the first ever Malaysian artist to play at the South By Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
music festival in Austin Texas in 2007.
In April 2008, Teo independently produced a zero-budget, non-partisan, non-profit, multi-artists recording of his anti-racism composition 'Here In My Home'. Entitled 'Malaysian Artistes For Unity' (MAFU), the project attracted pro bono participation from over 50 Malaysian artists, media personalities and arts activists - including Ning Baizura
Ning Baizura
Ning Baizura binti Sheikh Hamzah , popularly known as Ning, is a Malaysian pop and R&B singer, who records and sings in languages, including Bahasa Malaysia, English, Japanese, Italian, French, Mandarin and Cantonese...
, Awie
Awie
Awie is a Malaysian rock singer and actor.-Early life:Awie was born Ahmad Azhar Bin Othman on November 24, 1968 in Kampung Datuk Keramat, Selangor to Othman bin Maarof and Azizah bte Abdul Hamid. He has three sisters and two brothers...
, Afdlin Shauki
Afdlin Shauki
Afdlin Shauki, also known as Chief Kodok to his fans, is a Malaysian writer, director, stage and screen actor, comedian, singer, songwriter and presenter.-Music career:...
, Jason Lo
Jason Lo
Jason Lo Sei Hoi is a Malaysian music artist, music producer, DJ and entrepreneur. He is sometimes known by the nicknames "LO" and "J Lo".-Early life:...
, Maya Karin
Maya Karin
Maya Karin Roelcke is a Malaysian actress, television personality, and singer. Commonly known as Maya Karin, she is largely known for her roles in supernatural horror and thriller films.-Background:...
, Tony Fernandes
Tony Fernandes
Tan Sri Anthony Francis Fernandes CBE is a Malaysian entrepreneur and the founder of Tune Air Sdn. Bhd., who introduced the first budget no-frills airline, AirAsia, to Malaysians with the tagline "Now everyone can fly"...
, Jaclyn Victor
Jaclyn Victor
Jaclyn Joshua Thanaraj Victor is a singer and actress, popularly known as Jac, who won the inaugural Malaysian Idol and Ikon Malaysia. For being the winner of Malaysian Idol, she won a recording contract under Sony BMG Entertainment. She is under the management of The 8 Unit. She represented...
etc. and many others personalities and volunteers. The music video for the song, directed by Yasmin Ahmad
Yasmin Ahmad
Yasmin Ahmad was a film director, writer and scriptwriter from Malaysia and was also the executive creative director at Leo Burnett Kuala Lumpur. Her television commercials and films are well-known in Malaysia for their humour, heart and love that crosses cross-cultural barriers, in particular her...
and Ho Yuhang premiered at the Malaysian Music Industry Awards 2008
Anugerah Industri Muzik
Anugerah Industri Muzik , is Malaysia's music award-giving ceremony. It is the Malaysia's equivalent of Grammy.-Best Album:-Best Song:...
to a nationwide television audience. In the weeks subsequent to its release, the video became one of most viralled videos in the world - reaching as high as no.3. Both the song and the video are available for free download on the project's official website.
In May 2008, Teo reinforced his reputation as an artist at the forefront of the Malaysian new wave by producing 4 definitive and retrospective music videos for legendary Malaysian band Alleycats
Alleycats
The Alleycats is a Malaysian band which was formed in 1969, and gained popularity in the late 1970s. They consist of musicians from Penang, and gained popularity in their home state earlier on in their career.-Band members:Members include:...
. Directed by installation artist and regular collaborator Kamal Sabran, these Universal Music commissioned videos were completed within 3 weeks, and were included in the 2008 box set release of the band's classic hits.
In August 2008, Teo played live to millions over Korean nationwide TV on Yoon Do Hyun's 'Love Letter' [KBS] and 'EBS Space' [EBS] - two of the most popular music programs in Korea. This was followed by a showcase appearance at the Tokyo Asia Music Market in October 2008.
The beginning of 2009 saw Teo's music cross over into the Malaysian mainstream as the composer and songwriter behind the memorable songs featured in Yasmin Ahmad's film 'Talentime
Talentime
Talentime is a 2009 Malaysian drama film written and directed by Yasmin Ahmad. Yasmin, in her blog, has described it "as a story full of joy and pain, hope and despair, a host of beautifully-written songs, and rich, rich characters"...
'. High public and industry interest for these songs led to a soundtrack album entitled 'Talentime' - produced by Teo and released by Universal Music shortly after the film's release. At the same time, Teo also took a turn as the lead in James Lee
James Lee (Malaysian film director)
James Lee, is a film director from Malaysia. He was born Lee Thim Heng in 1973 in the city of Ipoh in Perak. He is one of the pioneers of the Malaysian Digital Film movement. His film The Beautiful Washing Machine won the Best Asean Feature Award and FIPRESCI Prize at the Bangkok International...
's 2009 indie art house award winning digital film "Call If You Need Me", a supporting role in Adflin Shauiki's 'Popadom' [Best Film Award winner in Malaysia Screen Awards 2009], Yasmin Ahmad's 'Earth Hour Gangster' campaign advertisement, directed music in Ho Yuhang's widely anticipated film "At The End Of Daybreak" as well as took on a supporting role in a French feature film entitled 'Stretch
Stretch
Stretch can refer to:*Stretching is a form of exercise or a pre-exercise discipline, sometimes called Warming up*Stretch ceiling, a type of ceiling made from polymer.*Stretch ratio in the mechanics of materials*Stretched tuning of certain string instruments...
' directed by Charles De Meaux and starring Nicolas Cazalé
Nicolas Cazalé
Nicolas Cazalé is a French model and actor who is most noted for his role in the 2004 French film, Le Grand Voyage for which he won a Jury Award for Best Actor at the 2005 Newport International Film Festival...
, David Carradine
David Carradine
David Carradine was an American actor and martial artist, best known for his role as a warrior monk, Kwai Chang Caine, in the 1970s television series, Kung Fu, which later had a 1990s sequel series, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues...
and Fan Bing Bing.
In August 2009, Teo released 15 socio-political short films [all of which he produced] sponsored by Malaysian company P1. Entitled '15Malaysia' and directed by 15 young Malaysian directors, the project consisted of 15 short films featuring local musicians, actors and top politicians with themes such as corruption, bribery, racism and pedophilia. Distributed exclusively through the Internet to bypass stringent broadcasting censorship laws, the short film project took the nation by storm and became the most talked about popular culture event of the year. 14 million visits were made to the official website in less than 2 months and its YouTube Channel became the 10th most watched channel in the world for more than 3 weeks. The 80 minutes anthology version of the project made its world premier at the Pusan International Film Festival
Pusan International Film Festival
Busan International Film Festival , held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan , South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia...
in October 2009 and has hitherto been invited to exhibit in [amongst others] the Golden Horse Film Festival [Taipei], the Pompidou Centre in Paris, and Rotterdam International Film Festival [European Premier]. The project is not only historic in its popular success but is also widely regarded to be a watershed in media and political culture in Malaysia.
In November 2009, on the strength of the influential 'Malaysian Artistes For Unity' music video and the seminal '15Malaysia' project, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
listed Teo as amongst the top 135 People To Watch in Asia.
In January 2010, the Malay language version of Teo's song 'I Go', produced by him and sung by Aizat [with Malay lyrics co-written by Amran Omar] won the Song Of The Year in Malaysia [for 2009].
16 September 2011 saw Teo release 'Undilah' (directed by Benji Lim), a pro-bono, non-partisan music video promoting the right to vote. The song featured vocal performances by Namewee, Afdlin Shauki
Afdlin Shauki
Afdlin Shauki, also known as Chief Kodok to his fans, is a Malaysian writer, director, stage and screen actor, comedian, singer, songwriter and presenter.-Music career:...
and the longest serving MP in Malaysia and ex-finance minister Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah
Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah
Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh bin Tengku Mohd Hamzah is a major Malaysian political figure from the state of Kelantan, and a former Finance Minister. He is an uncle of the current Raja Perempuan of Kelantan. Tengku is a Malay hereditary title usually translated as prince...
. The video, other than featuring cameo appearances by numerous famous Malaysian personalities and common street people alike, also included politicians from both the government and the opposition (for the first time in Malaysian history). 3 days after the video was released on the internet, it was banned for TV broadcast by the authorities for allegedly containing anti-establishment 'subliminal' messages. The ban was confirmed by the Minister Of Information Rais Yatim 2 weeks later but was subsequently declared 'unbanned' by the Prime Minister Najib Razak. The ambiguous official position from the authorities fanned widespread views that the ban was politically motivated. The controversy helped the video to become one of the most watched YouTube videos in Malaysia for 2011.
Teo is based in Kuala Lumpur and tours Japan and Korea regularly.
Discography
- Rustic Living for Urbanites (Album - 2003 Redbag Music) - Artist: Pete Teo (Producer: Ronan Chris Murphy)
- Television (Album - 2006 Redbag Music) - Artist: Pete Teo (Producer: Nick Lee & Pete Teo)
- "I Go" (Single - 2008 Redbag Music) - Artist: Pete Teo (Producer: Pete Teo)
- "Here In My Home" (Single - 2008 Redbag Music) - Artist: Malaysian Artistes For Unity (Producer / Composer: Pete Teo)
- "Pergi" (Single - 2009 Universal Music) - Artist: Aizat (Producer / Composer: Pete Teo)
- "Itulah Dirimu" (Single - 2009 Universal Music) - Artist: Aizat (Producer / Composer: Pete Teo)
- "Angel" (Single - 2009 Universal Music) - Artist: Atilia (Producer / Composer: Pete Teo)
- "Talentime Soundtrack" (Album - 2009 Universal Music) - Artist: Various (Producer / Composer: Pete Teo)
Filmography
- "SanctuarySanctuaryA sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
" (2005. Dir: Ho Yuhang) - Cameo - "A Tree In Tanjung Malim" (2005. Dir: Tan Chui Mui. Principal prize / Oberhausen Short Film Festival) - Leading Role
- "A Company Of Mushroom" (2006. Dir: Tan Chui Mui) - Leading Role
- "Before We Fall In Love Again" (2006. Dir: James Lee. Best ASEAN film / Bangkok International Film Festival) - Leading Role
- "Raindogs" (2006 Dir: Ho Yuhang. New Horizon nominee / Venice International Film Festival) - Supporting Role
- "GubraGubraGubra is a 2006 Malaysian film directed by Yasmin Ahmad. It was shot in 14 days in Ipoh, Malaysia. It is the sequel to Sepet, and was followed by Mukhsin.-Name:...
" (2006 Dir: Yasmin Ahmad) - Title Song - 'Who For You?' - "Waiting For Love" (2007 Dir: James Lee) - Leading Role
- "Papadom" (2008. [Winner - Film Of The Year, Malaysia] Dir: Adflin Shauki) - Supporting Role
- "TalentimeTalentimeTalentime is a 2009 Malaysian drama film written and directed by Yasmin Ahmad. Yasmin, in her blog, has described it "as a story full of joy and pain, hope and despair, a host of beautifully-written songs, and rich, rich characters"...
" (2009. [Nominee - Film Of The Year, Malaysia] Dir: Yasmin Ahmad) - Film Score / Composer - "Call If You Need me" (2009. Dir: James Lee. Silver prize / Hong Kong International Film Festival) - Leading Role
- "At The End Of Daybreak" (2009. Dir: Ho Yuhang) - Film Score / Music Director
- "StretchStretchStretch can refer to:*Stretching is a form of exercise or a pre-exercise discipline, sometimes called Warming up*Stretch ceiling, a type of ceiling made from polymer.*Stretch ratio in the mechanics of materials*Stretched tuning of certain string instruments...
" (2009. Dir: Charles De Meaux) - Supporting Role - "15Malaysia" (2009. Dir: Various) - Producer
- "Malaysian Ghostly Tales" (2010 [Expected Release Nov 2010]. Dir: James Lee) - Leading Role
- "Year Without A summerYear Without a SummerThe Year Without a Summer was 1816, in which severe summer climate abnormalities caused average global temperatures to decrease by about 0.4–0.7 °C , resulting in major food shortages across the Northern Hemisphere...
" (2010. [Filmex Tokyo Competition] Dir: Tan Chui Mui) - Sound Design & Audio Post - "StretchStretch (film)Stretch is a 2011 English-language film directed by Charles de Meaux. It stars Nicolas Cazalé, Fan Bingbing and David Carradine. After Carradine's death during production, his widow Annie Bierman sued MK2 Productions, the film's production company, for negligence.- Cast :* Nicolas Cazalé as...
" (2011. Dir: Charles De Meaux) - Supporting Role - "Claypot Curry Killers" (2010 [Expected release 2011] Dir: James Lee) - Film Score / Composer
- "Papadom 2" (2011 [Expected release 2012] Dir: Afdlin Shauki) - Supporting Role
- "Undilah!" (2011 [Expected release Sept 2011] Dir: Benji Lim) - Executive Producer
Awards
- Best Music Video & Best Album Cover for 'Rustic Living For Urbanites' - Anugerah Industri MuzikAnugerah Industri MuzikAnugerah Industri Muzik , is Malaysia's music award-giving ceremony. It is the Malaysia's equivalent of Grammy.-Best Album:-Best Song:...
2004 - Best Music Video, Best Album Cover & Best English Album for 'Television' - Anugerah Industri MuzikAnugerah Industri MuzikAnugerah Industri Muzik , is Malaysia's music award-giving ceremony. It is the Malaysia's equivalent of Grammy.-Best Album:-Best Song:...
2007 - CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
's Top 135 'People To Watch' in Asia 2009. - Song Of The Year for the song 'Pergi' [Composer] - Anugerah Juara LaguAnugerah Juara LaguAnugerah Juara Lagu is a popular annual music competition in Malaysia, organized by TV3. It features the best musical and lyrical compositions of each year it is held...
2009
External links
- Official website
- Official Blog
- MySpace Page
- Pete Teo Japanese Language Site
- Pete Teo Interview on Malaysian Artistes for Unity
- Review of Television
- WeirdMusic.net Magazine - Pete Teo Interview
- AIM 07 Best Video 'Lost In America'
- Winner Of Nokia Music Video Competition - 'Carnival Hall'
- AIM 04 Best Video 'Arms Of Marianne'
- Malaysian Artistes for Unity Official Website
- Malaysian Artistes For Unity Music Video
- Interview about Malaysian Artistes For Unity
- 15Malaysia Official Website
- http://blog.slate.fr/cinema/cinema/103/festival-de-pusan/Review of 15Malaysia by Jean-Michel FrodonJean-Michel FrodonJean-Michel Frodon is a journalist, critic and historian of cinema.-Biography:Born Jean-Michel Billard, he writes with a borrowed pseudonym from "The Lord of the Rings." He has a masters degree and a DEA in history. He worked as an educator from 1971 to 1981. Next, he was a photographer from...
[French]] - Undilah Official Website