Tiger Beer launches the Tiger ROAR Project, a new platform celebrating emerging raw Malaysian talent; Four young creatives chosen to add an unconventional twist to The Beer Factory outlet in Hartamas.
KUALA LUMPUR, 14/6/19: Tiger Beer has long been a champion for unconventional talent, courage and passion – inspiring Malaysians to ‘Uncage’ themselves and create unexpected possibilities. Now, Malaysia’s No. 1 Beer[1], is taking this to the next level with its new platform, the Tiger ROAR Project. Celebrating raw, emerging talent from the streets of Malaysia, the Tiger ROAR Project champions musicians, artists, fashion designers and chefs who challenge conventions, giving them a community, voice, and the courage to roar for all the world to hear.
Four unique talents have been selected by Tiger Beer to helm the Tiger ROAR Project this year – hip-hop artist and rapper Dato’ Maw, musician and chef Kent Lee, fashion designer Yong Sheng, and pyrographer and artist Sonia Luhong. Chosen for their unconventional approach to their work, all four have faced challenges which they’ve had to overcome in order to pursue their passion.
Dato’ Maw has made it his life’s mission to put Malaysian Chinese hip-hop on the map – not an easy feat in a market dominated by the musical powerhouses of China and Taiwan. Taking inspiration from the back alleys of his native Penang to his time as resident club MC in Taiwan, Maw’s multi-lingual hip-hop fuses Cantonese, Hakka, Hokkien, English and Bahasa Malaysia together to create something uniquely Malaysian in character.
Musician Kent Lee is someone whose creativity know no bounds. At various times a theatre performer, percussion choreographer, and gig venue co-ordinator, his most recent foray has seen him set his sights on a new target: street food. Starting off by cooking for his friends, he constantly refined his technique and now his pop-up Siew Yuk stall has become legendary to those in the know. To Kent, cooking is beyond just the flavors or the techniques – it’s the ability to create a space where people can enjoy good food together with a sense of community.
For fashion designer Yong Sheng, setting up his own clothing label was a childhood dream which seemed out of reach. Despite having no formal training in the fashion industry and with a full-time job to contend with, he spent every waking moment learning everything he could to bring his passion to life. His label, DY/DX, combines traditional Eastern workwear aesthetics with modern fabrics and technologies to create striking high-end streetwear with a style all of its own. Yong Sheng is starting to make an impact internationally, collaborating with local streetwear legends Pestle & Mortar Clothing to kit out Khalid in one of his signature Haori at his performance in KL last year.
Visual artist Sonia Luhong’s choice of medium – fire – already sets her apart from the pack. Pyrography, the art of burning designs onto a surface, is a niche discipline, and Sonia is one of the few female artists in Malaysia to master it. Drawing inspiration from the rich history, culture and wildlife of her native Sarawak, Sonia’s work represents her belief that art is more than just a tool for self-expression; it serves as a bridge between tradition and modernity, youth and experience, civilization and the wild.
Working in partnership with The Beer Factory in Hartamas, Tiger Beer commissioned each of the four raw talents to create elements which will leave their own mark on the newly-opened outlet. From the bespoke staff outfits designed by Yong Sheng, Dato’ Maw’s music curation, to Sonia’s pyrography and Kent’s collaboration menu with The Beer Factory’s chef, the Tiger ROAR Project has given the talents a platform to show Malaysia what they are made of.
“Tiger Beer has long encouraged Malaysians to Uncage their passion to realize their dreams, and with the Tiger ROAR Project we are taking this to the next level. Our streets are a hotbed of emerging unconventional talent, from art and design to food and music, and as a brand we believe in giving them the spotlight their passion deserves.” said Pearly Lim, Marketing Manager for Tiger.
Serving as the official launch of the Tiger ROAR Project, the opening of The Beer Factory Hartamas saw media and guests introduced to the four talents and their work, alongside a host of other performances and activities across two days.
Launched globally in November 2018 at a star-studded event in Seoul, South Korea, the Tiger ROAR Project celebrates unconventional, emerging raw talent from Asia and around the world. Another global event featuring some of Malaysia’s raw talents will take place later in the year – more details will be revealed in the months to come.
For more information on Tiger Beer and the Tiger ROAR Project Malaysia, visit https://www.tigerbeer.com/my/en/tiger-roar-info or www.facebook.com/TigerBeerMy
