This Malaysian Band Went From Playing Football Together To Performing In Several Countries
They have performed at music festivals in South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, and China.
By Tamara Jayne — 15 Apr 2019, 05:44 PM
What started off as three friends playing football together at their neighbourhood padang in Puchong soon led to the forming of a fledging indie band
Malaysian band Jumero, which consists of brothers, Jared (vocalist and guitarist) and Michael Lim (bassist and back-up vocalist), and their close neighbourhood friend Ryan Gomes (drummer and back-up vocalist), have been making music and jamming together for more than seven years.
Drummer Ryan Lee Bhaskaran recently stepped in to replace Ryan Gomes, who is currently on break.
The band's name 'Jumero' was coined while the three young guys were waiting at a bus stop one day
"Before any of us owned a car, all three of us always happened to be stuck at this same bus stop for hours. With so much time to kill, we'd always come up with random games and stuff to do to help keep us occupied. Hence, the name Jumero," the band told SAYS.
"Jumero is basically the first letter of each of our names with which each of us got to choose a vowel to be placed after our respective letter."
The trio, who performed at Urbanscapes multiple times, have come a long way since their early days winning music competitions
Back in 2012, Jumero won The Star R.Age Open Mic competition, which gave them their debut performance at Urbanscapes that year.
Since then, the band has performed at several music festivals in South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, and China.
They've also performed in other locals ones, including Redang Island Music Festival and Good Vibes Festival 2016, which allowed them to share the stage with bands like Two Door Cinema Club and The 1975.
Jared, who writes the band's songs, shared that his inspiration comes mainly from the seasons he faces in life and the things he notices other people go through
One song that truly resonates with him is titled 'Passion', which was named after his late pet dog that he loved dearly.
Michael shared that the band's upcoming single 'Mind Games' is another song that the band is particularly proud of.
"The song is about the betterment of yourself. And how you don't let your mind get in the way. It can play tricks on you but this time you've learnt and are better than that," Jared explained.
In their latest album, which is set to release this week, Jumero collaborated with several Malaysian artistes and musicians
"Our first album, which was named 'Stepping Stones' is quite different from our new album. The first [album] was pretty much a stepping stone for us," Michael revealed.
"But the upcoming one will feature singers, a saxophonist, a double bassist, and several other Malaysian musicians," he said, adding that every song in their new album will sound different from each other.
"Musically as well, we're a lot more experimental in trying to achieve the best sound for the listener as opposed to trying to just do what we do live [like we did for 'Stepping Stones]," added Jared.
Catch Jumero for their 'Mind Games' album launch on 18 April at The Bee, Publika!
They will be performing alongside local artiste Darren Ashley, who will also be launching his latest album, 'How Did I Get Here?'.
Darren Ashley and Jumero also collaborated on a bonus track titled, 'Validation', which is currently out on Spotify.
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!