Insomniacks is a Malaysian pop band from Kuala Lumpur.[1] They rose to prominence with the release of their second single, "Pulang", in 2018,[1] which charted on the Malaysian RIM streaming charts for 146 consecutive weeks, and a total of 185 weeks as of July 2022.[2][3][4]
Insomniacks | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Labels |
|
| Members |
|
| Past members | Gavin Wong (Gavin) |
The group have cited 5 Seconds of Summer, Fall Out Boy, Day6, Mayday Parade and Paramore as influences.[5][6]
Career
editHistory and formation
editThe band began as Dan's Band with Danial and Iqbal who were classmates at SMK St. John. Gavin joined as the drummer after being recommended to the duo by Iskandar (a schoolmate of Gavin's at Sekolah Sri KDU, and childhood friend of Iqbal's). Iskandar would later go on to join the band as their bassist.[7]
Insomniacks formed in 2015. In November of that year, the quartet would begin posting videos of themselves performing covers of popular songs on their YouTube channel.[8]
2017–present: Debut and mainstream success with "Pulang"
editIn 2017, they released their debut single, "Selalu", which was featured as part of the soundtrack of the Astro Ria drama, My Coffee Prince.[5]
In 2018, the group released their second single, "Pulang". The group released the four-episode Pulang WEBisode webseries on their YouTube channel as part of their single promotions. "Pulang" achieved the record for most consecutive weeks on the RIM streaming charts.[2][3] "Pulang" has been on the RIM Malay singles chart for 185 weeks, as of July 2022.[4]
In 2019, Iqbal co-founded the Klang Valley-based music collective, Distorted (alias Distorted Material), alongside Jessel Phuah (Sino), Ariff Jazmi, Helloluqman of Block J (Jonah), and Nik Qayrel Aiman (Eneyeqay) of the duo Niqie. Iqbal goes by the alias Balo as part of Distorted.[9]
Insomniacks were the fifth most streamed Malaysian artist on Spotify, in 2019.[10]
In 2020, Insomniacks released their third single, "Kepala Batu" ahead of the release of their debut EP of the same name. "Kepala Batu" was composed in collaboration with prolific Malaysian singer-songwriter, Faizal Tahir.[11] The lead single from the EP, "Reminisensi", was the first song Insomniacks wrote as a band.[11]
After four years signed with Sony Music Malaysia, their contract expired in 2020. They consequently signed with Universal Music Malaysia in March 2021.[12] On 14 February 2022, Insomniacks released, "Sempurna". The single peaked at number 1 on the RIM Malay singles streaming chart[13] and number 5 on Billboard's Malaysia Songs chart.[14]
Since March 2022, Gavin has not been participating in "Sempurna" promotions with the band. On 12 June 2022, it was announced in a statement on his and the band's social media that he would be taking an extended hiatus from the band and will not be part of any upcoming projects.[15]
The band released their first single as a trio, "Igauan Malam", on 4 November 2022.
Members
editAdapted from Hitz:[11]
Active
edit- Iqie (Syed Mir Iqbal; born 3 June 1997 in Kuala Lumpur) – lead vocals, guitar
- Iskandar (Wan Arif Iskandar; born 9 September 1997 in Westminster, London[16]) – bass, vocals
- Danial (Danial Lee Hashim; born 25 February 1997 in Kuala Lumpur) – rhythm guitar, vocals
Former
edit- Gavin (Gavin Wong; born 27 December 1997 in Kuala Lumpur) – drums, cajon, guitar
Discography
editExtended plays
edit| Title | EP details | Track list |
|---|---|---|
| Kepala Batu EP |
|
|
| Teman EP |
|
|
Singles
editAs lead artist
edit| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MYS | ||||
| RIM [17] [a] |
Song [18][b] | |||
| "Selalu" | 2017 | – | * | Kepala Batu EP and My Coffee Prince OST |
| "Pulang" | 2018 | 1 | Non-album single | |
| "Pulang" (Piano Version) |
2019 | – | Qada & Qadar OST | |
| "Kepala Batu" | 2020 | – | Kepala Batu EP | |
| "Reminisensi" (Original or Piano Version) |
3 | |||
| Non-album singles | ||||
| "Pulang" (Reimagined) |
2021 | – | ||
| "Reminisensi" (Reimagined) |
– | |||
| "Sempurna" (Original or Piano Version) |
2022 | 1 | 5 | Teman EP |
| "Igauan Malam" | 6 | – | ||
| "Lagu Raya" | 2023 | Non-album single | ||
| "Cerita Kita" (with Nabila Razali) |
Teman EP | |||
| "Teman" | 2024 | |||
| "Belum Mulai" (with Nabila Taqqiyah) |
||||
| "Some Days Are Just Better" | Non-album single | |||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. "*" denotes the chart did not exist at the time of release. | ||||
- ^ The Top 10 Domestic Singles chart was reconfigured into a Malay songs charts, starting the week ending 24 March 2022.
- ^ The Billboard's Hits of the World charts launched and were first issued on the date February 19, 2022.[19]
As featured artist
edit| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Go There If You Miss Me" (Night Skies & Visions feat. Iqie of Insomniacks) |
2020 | Non-album single |
Music videos
edit| Title | Year | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| "Selalu" | 2017 | Unknown |
| "Pulang" | 2018 | Thaqif Saadon |
| "Pulang" (Piano Version) | 2019 | Unknown |
| "Kepala Batu" | 2020 | Thaqif Saadon |
| "Reminisensi" Lyric video |
Unknown | |
| "Sempurna" | 2022 | Thaqif Saadon |
| "Igauan Malam" | ||
| "Lagu Raya" | 2023 | |
| "Cerita Kita" | ||
| "Teman" | 2024 | |
| "Belum Mulai" | ||
| "Temani Hati" |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Organisation | Category | Nominee/nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Anugerah Planet Muzik | Best Band | Insomniacks | Nominated | [20] |
| 2019 | 32nd Anugerah Bintang Popular Berita Harian | Most Popular Group | Nominated | [21] | |
| 2020 | Anugerah MeleTOP Era 2020 | MeleTOP New Artist | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ a b "Watch Insomniacks' tale of love gone wrong in 'Sempurna' music video". NME. 2022-03-02. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
- ^ a b Fatin Farhana Ariffin (2022-03-05). "Insomniacks tolak gimik takut tersungkur". Berita Harian. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
- ^ a b YUSUP, NOR ERYANI (2021-10-19). "Insomniacks lunaskan agenda tertangguh". Kosmo Digital (in Malay). Retrieved 2022-04-18.
- ^ a b "Recording Industry Association of Malaysia - TOP 10 Most Streamed Malay Singles In Malaysia Week 14 (01/04/2022-07/04/2022). #rimchart #recordingindustryassociationofmalaysia #moststreamedmalaysinglesinmalaysia #rim #erafm | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
- ^ a b Ayol, Ayul (11 December 2017). "Insomniacks Papar kisah hidup remaja". Buletin Malaysia. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
- ^ #insominutes 001 - Intro to Insomniacks, retrieved 2022-04-19
- ^ Kenapa Band Insomniacks tak nampak macam melayu? | MeleTOP | Nabil & Neelofa, retrieved 2022-04-19
- ^ Animal - Neon Trees (Insomniacks Cover), retrieved 2022-04-18
- ^ Ahmadi, Zim (2020-11-17). "Distorted's 'MEDUSA' will stop you in your tracks [NEW SINGLE]". Awful Track Record. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
- ^ Aref Omar (2019-12-04). "#Showbiz: K-Clique beats Siti as Spotify's most streamed Malaysian artiste of the year". New Straits Times. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
- ^ a b c "INSOMNIACKS". hitz.com.my. 4 March 2020. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
- ^ Sudirman Mohd Tahir (2021-09-21). "Peluang Berharga Insomniacks". Harian Metro. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
- ^ "Recording Industry Association of Malaysia - Top 10 Domestic Week 8 (18/02/2022- 24/02/2022) #rimchart #recordingindustryassociationofmalaysia #localmusicmalaysia #rim | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
- ^ Cusson, Michael (2022-02-15). "Malaysia Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
- ^ "@InsomnicaksMY: band statement". Twitter. 2022-06-12. Retrieved 2022-06-12.
- ^ #Insominutes 004 - How Well Do You Know Your Band Members, retrieved 2022-04-19
- ^ Peak chart positions on RIM's Top 10 most streamed Malay songs in Malaysia:
- "Pulang": "Top 10 Most Streamed Domestic Singles In Malaysia" (PDF). Recording Industry Association of Malaysia. Recording Industry Association of Malaysia. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
- "Reminisensi": "Top 10 Most Streamed Malay Singles In Malaysia Week 21 (20/05/2022-26/05/2022)". Recording Industry Association of Malaysia. Recording Industry Association of Malaysia. 2022-06-04. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
- "Sempurna": "Top 10 Most Streamed Domestic Singles In Malaysia Week 8 (18/02/2022- 24/02/2022)". Recording Industry Association of Malaysia. Recording Industry Association of Malaysia. 2022-03-04. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
- "Igauan Malam": "Top 10 Most Streamed Malay Singles In Malaysia Week 45 (04/11/2022-10/11/2022)". Recording Industry Association of Malaysia. Recording Industry Association of Malaysia. 2022-06-04. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
- ^ Peak chart positions on Billboard's Malaysia Songs:
- "Sempurna": "Billboard Malaysia Songs – Week of March 19, 2022". Billboard. March 13–19, 2022. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
- ^ "Billboard Expands International Footprint With 'Hits of the World' Charts". Billboard. February 14, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
- ^ Khotimah, Nur (2018-09-27). "Isyana Sarasvati Masuk 5 Kategori, Ini Daftar Nominasi Anugerah Planet Muzik 2018 Singapura". WowKeren.com. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
- ^ "ABPBH32: BTS Wins 1st K-Pop Artist Award + Complete List Of Winners". Hype Malaysia. 2019-09-23. Retrieved 2022-04-18.