This Malaysian Artiste Lost A Loved One And Grieved In The Only Way She Knew How
Feeling helpless, the guitarist needed a way to deal with the pain.
By Tamara Jayne — 25 Apr 2019, 05:33 PM
Losing someone is never easy. It's possibly the worst thing anyone can go through in life, as 27-year-old singer-songwriter Melissa Wong has learnt.
Back in 2012, Melissa started playing the guitar and singing at hotels and events around Kuala Lumpur
She performed with her then-college mates, Frances Thomas (vocalist) and Grace Foo (keyboardist), while Ashley Choong joined them later as a cajon player.
Calling themselves 'Crinkle Cut', the all-female band have been performing together for more than seven years.
The girls shared that they came up with their unique band name after mistakenly thinking that they were eating crinkle-cut instead of criss cross fries at a restaurant one day.
Clockwise from left: Ashley Choong, Melissa Wong, Grace Foo, and Frances Thomas (sitting).
Image via @noqizoSince then, 'Crinkle Cut' has earned a name for itself in the local music industry, performing heartfelt originals that their audiences can relate with
Their most popular single, 'Sweet Nothings', which was released in November, has since received over 59,900 Spotify plays.
However, life has not always been a bed of roses for the girls and many of their songs were written from a place of heartache and difficult seasons in life.
One of their latest singles, 'Goodbye', which was written by Melissa, is about losing a loved one without getting the chance to say goodbye.
During an interview with SAYS, Melissa shared that her sister's boyfriend went into fits and a coma a couple of years ago, eventually leading up to his unexpected death
"My sister unfortunately was studying in Kuching at the time and could not be with him.
"He was a Muslim and following certain rituals, he needed to be buried by a certain time, so she was unable to say goodbye," the singer shared.
Feeling completely helpless knowing that sister was going through pain that almost no form of consolation could ease, Melissa turned to the one place she knew she could express those feelings – her music
"I actually wrote the song two years ago and I couldn't continue because it was too sad. So I left the song alone for one year," the music teacher admitted tearfully.
After some time passed, she told herself that she needed to complete the song and asked Grace to help her polish up the lyrics.
"That's how the song was basically born," she told SAYS.
Still reeling from the grief, Melissa confessed that even till today, performing 'Goodbye' to crowds brings tears to her eyes knowing that her sister, who is very close to her, had to face such a sudden loss in her life.
"This song is a very truthful song," she shared. "Every single time we play it, we 'die' wan," adding that the response to 'Goodbye' has been largely positive from their fans.
"We have received some personal messages saying thank you for something they can relate with or share with someone who has gone through a similar experience," the band added.
This feature is part of the #saysplaylist series, providing your playlist with a breath of fresh Malaysian air.
If you have any Malaysian bands, singers or songs that you think we should feature, let us know in the comments below!