Estrella originally formed as a trio back in 2006, then shrunk to a duo, armed with their guitars and heartfelt tunes. Singer/guitarist Liyana and lead guitarist Yob began circulating the local music scene with their own brand of acoustic music. Numerous open-mic sessions and gigs at notable shows around town namely Moonshine, Troubadours, Doppelganger, and No Black Tie followed suit, before ultimately capturing the attention of indie label Laguna Music.
After teaming up with Laguna Music in January 2007, Estrella further evolved their genre from indie jazz to a slightly more complex sound, with dreamy and spacey after-effects. Having worked their way to perfecting their existing and new material, Estrella’s self-titled album was released on the 28th of December 2007. Simultaneously, Estrella’s singles, ‘Ternyata’ & ‘Stay’, were released to reach-out to both the Malay & English markets.
In March 2008, Estrella’s first video release for their Malay single ‘Ternyata’ was featured on German based Mercedes-Benz’s Mixed Tape Online Music Magazine [www.mercedes-benz.tv/mixedtape] after being chosen to be one of the 6 bands worldwide that are featured monthly. Being the first Asian band featured on this online music magazine, it had brought international recognition to the band. This was swiftly followed by a popular Spanish radio station requesting to air Estrella’s songs as well as a feature in Germany’s popular travel guide book ‘Marco Polo – Malaysia’.
Meanwhile, ‘Stay’ picked up momentum on popular Malaysian radio stations, Fly FM and Hitz.FM. Topping the charts on both stations, peaking at 1 on Hitz.fm’s Malaysian English Top 10 for 5 weeks and 1 on Fly Fm’s Campur Chart for 3 weeks, earning them heavy rotation on both stations. Performance wise, the band gained much needed experience by playing alongside some of the best acts in the country for shows like the KAMI tour, Rock the World 8, and the Roxy Summer Splash to name a few.
Sadly in August 2008, founding member Yob had to leave the band due to personal work commitments, but the band carried on with their plans. After much hard work, in December 2008, Estrella were rewarded with a whooping 8 nominations for the inaugural Voize Independent Music Awards [VIMA], which were held in January 2009, winning 3 Gold awards & 1 Silver award, which includes the Best Pop Group, Best Pop Song & Best Female Vocalist [Overall] awards, automatically earning them 4 nominations in the first Asian VIMA which will be held in March 2009.
Starting 2009 on a high, ‘Ternyata’ was once again featured on the Mercedes-Benz Mixed Tape Online Music Magazine, which attracts over 70,000 viewers a month, in the BEST OF MIXED TAPE 2008 edition. Estrella are due to release their third single ‘Take It Slow’ in February 2009. With an Indonesian & UK tour currently in the works, the year looks to be very promising.
Everyday musings and inward thoughts are the main elements in their music, using simplicity as the main staple. Estrella is simply going with the flow, and taking in stride whatever it is that comes their way, so keep your ears peeled for this act, they’re soon bound to reach and capture the hearts of music-enthusiasts worldwide.
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MUSIC VIDEOS
TAKE IT SLOW
STAY
Mercedes-Benz Mixed Tape - 'BEST OF' EDITION INTRO
Ternyata' featured on Mercedes-Benz Mixed-Tape Music Magazine 'BEST OF' Edition
Featured Music Video:
STAY (by Nigel Sia)
Estrella - Stay (2008) from nigelais on Vimeo.
