Raisa, Yonnyboii, SPRITE and Matthaios Featured on Disney Animation Soundtrack
Disney’s soundtrack “Trust Again” celebrates the multitude of cultures which constitutes the diverse region of Southeast Asia.
Disney’s soundtrack “Trust Again” celebrates the multitude of cultures which constitutes the diverse region of Southeast Asia.
Written by Malaysian writer Adele Lim, Disney's latest animation project is also featuring four music artistes from Southeast Asia. Music Press Asia
Four music artistes hailing from Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia have joined forces on a striking musical collaboration, titled Trust Again.
Inspired by the diverse cultures of Southeast Asia, Walt Disney Animation Studios have released Raya and the Last Dragon — its very first animation film representing the spirit of various Southeast Asian nations.
The trilingual track, in line with the release of the film, is centered on the movie’s focal theme of trust and friendship, draws inspiration from the fantasy land of Kumandra and the adventures of Raya, a Disney warrior princess.
This multi-territorial music collaboration is the first of its kind in the region, and holds a significant milestone in Disney’s commitment to work closely with local talent to bring quality entertainment content to audiences in Southeast Asia.
Apart from Raisa’s captivating vocals in the chorus, lyrical references to the Southeast Asian cultures — Yonnyboii masterfully incorporating delicacies such as “satay and nasi lemak” in the very first verse; Matthaios’ line in Tagalog “I’m your ally just like an Arnis”, the ancient Filipino weapon used by Raya; and in SPRITE’s emotionally-charged last verse, mentioning the Tuk Tuk, a popular mode of transportation in Thailand as well as a character in the movie.
Mastered by Grammy Award-winning Mastering Engineer, Chris Athens, the track cleverly infused ethnic Southeast Asian instrumentation including the Seruling, ethnic percussions, Jaw Harp, Angklung, Thai ensemble, Gamelan and Suling Sunda.
The same film has another track similarly enthralling to that effect track titled Lead the Way. Performed by American singer Jhene Aiko, its Indonesian version Kita Bisa is sang by Indonesian Dangdut singer Via Vallen.
This animated project is written by Malaysian writer Adele Lim who also co-wrote Hollywood feature film Crazy Rich Asians.
Disney’s venture into Southeast Asian content covers a population of around 670 million, is equivalent to 8.58% of the total world population, an estimation as of April 2021 by United Nations. With over 40 million people registering as new internet users across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand reported in Q4 2020, there are great prospects for increasing digitalized services for youthful consumers in the Southeast Asia market.
According to CNBC’s reportage last November, the coronavirus pandemic saw a surge in the use of digital services as people continue to stay at home, pushing the total number of internet users in the region to 400 million.
