Zee Avi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Zee Avi
Zee Avi in 2009 at TechCrunch event
Background information
Native name	زي اۏي‎
Birth name	Izyan Alirahman
Also known as	KokoKaina
Born	(1985-12-15) 15 December 1985 (age 39)
Origin	Sarawak, Malaysia
Genres	Indie rock, pop rock, jazz, Indie pop, Indie folk
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter musician
Instruments	Vocals acoustic guitar ukulele
Labels	Monotone Label/Brushfire

Zee Avi (born Izyan Alirahman), also known as KokoKaina, is a talented singer, songwriter, and musician from Malaysia. She is known for playing the guitar and ukulele.

About Zee Avi

Early Life and Learning Music

Zee Avi was born in Miri, a city in Sarawak, Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. When she was 12, her family moved to Kuala Lumpur. At 17, she taught herself to play the guitar. Before moving to London to study fashion, she played rhythm guitar in a few bands in Kuala Lumpur. After returning home, she started writing her own songs.

How She Became Famous

In September 2007, Zee Avi shared a video of her first song, "Poppy," on YouTube. She posted it for a friend who missed her live show. Her friend told her to keep the video online, and soon, many people started giving her positive comments. This made her want to share more videos.

A few months later, just before her 22nd birthday, she uploaded a song called "No Christmas For Me." The next day, YouTube featured her video. Her inbox was flooded with messages and offers from music companies!

Patrick Keeler from the band The Raconteurs saw her video and shared it with Ian Montone, a manager for famous bands. Montone then showed her music to Emmett Malloy, who signed her to Brushfire Records. This record company is partly owned by singer Jack Johnson. "No Christmas For Me" became her first official song with Brushfire Records. It was even included on their 2008 Christmas album, This Warm December: A Brushfire Holiday (Vol. 1).

First Album: Zee Avi (2009)

Zee Avi's first album, named Zee Avi, came out on May 19, 2009. It was made with Brushfire Records and Monotone Records. On the day it was released, YouTube featured her on their front page. The next day, she performed to a full crowd at the Roxy Theater in West Hollywood. Her album was named one of the top nine albums of 2009 by the Associated Press. She first appeared on US television on June 18, 2009, singing her song "Bitter Heart" on Last Call With Carson Daly.

Second Album: Ghostbird (2011)

Her second album, Ghostbird, was released on August 23, 2011. The first song from it was "The Book of Morris Johnson." Ghostbird became number one on the US Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart. Songs like "Swell Window" and "Concrete Wall" became popular after they were used in the TV show Gossip Girl. Zee Avi was the first Malaysian singer to have albums on the US Billboard Hot 200 Albums chart and to top a Billboard chart.

Concerts and Festivals

Zee Avi has performed with many famous artists. She toured the United States with Pete Yorn in 2009. She also opened for Jack Johnson at a concert in California in 2010. They even sang a mix of their songs together! In 2011, she opened for Ani DiFranco, a Grammy-winning singer.

She has played at many big music festivals, including SXSW in Texas, Bonnaroo in Tennessee, and Outside Lands in San Francisco. She also performed at the Rainforest World Music Festival in her home state of Sarawak in 2012.

Zee Avi performing at South by Southwest on March 18, 2009 in Austin, Texas

In November 2011, she toured Asia, performing in cities like Tokyo, Seoul, and Kuala Lumpur. She also had a US East Coast Tour in February 2012 and a California Tour in September 2012.

In December 2012, Zee Avi received an award called Pegawai Bintang Kenyalang (Officer of the Order of the Star of Hornbill Sarawak). This award was given for her contributions to the state of Sarawak.

Nightlight (2014)

Zee Avi released Nightlight on April 22, 2014. This album has 9 songs that are covers of children's songs. She recorded it in just four days in Woodstock, New York. The album includes songs like "Ben" by Michael Jackson, "The Rainbow Connection" by Kermit the Frog, and "Colors of the Wind" by Judy Kuhn. It also has a mix of classic nursery rhymes. Nightlight was chosen as one of iTunes' Best of 2014 Albums in the Children's Music category.

In 2016, Zee Avi won her first big international award for Best Original Film Song. This was for "Arena Cahaya," a song she co-wrote and sang for the Malaysian movie Ola Bola.

New Music: Ellipses (2019-Present)

In August 2019, Zee Avi announced she was working on her third studio album called Ellipses. The first song from this album, "Who are U?", was released on Malaysia Day in 2019. Ellipses will have nine songs she wrote over seven years. In December 2019, she wrote a song called "My Skin" for Novartis Malaysia to help people learn about psoriasis.

Zee Avi as an Artist

Zee Avi is also a visual artist who loves art. Her song "The Book Of Morris Johnson" was inspired by paintings from a folk artist named Morris Johnson. Zee Avi's own artwork is featured on the CD of her second album, Ghostbird. She has also created art pieces for charity and given away ukuleles with her artwork on them to fans.

Musical Inspirations

Zee Avi says she is influenced by swing bands and American jazz from the 1920s. People often compare her voice to Ella Fitzgerald's. She also loves rock music and gets ideas from artists like The Carpenters, The Cranberries, Cat Power, and Led Zeppelin.

Awards and Achievements

Zee Avi has received many awards and honors for her music:

• In 2009, her first album, Zee Avi (album), was named one of the Top 10 Albums of the year by the Associated Press.
• In 2011, MSN Malaysia listed her as one of the Top 10 Young Malaysians.
• The Sarawak State Government gave her the Youth Icon (International) Award in 2011.
• In 2012, she received The BrandLaureate Grandmaster Brand Icon Leadership Award for her success in music.
• Her song "Is This The End" won a Bronze Medal for Excellence at the 2012 Park City Film Music Festival.
• In December 2012, she was given the Pegawai Bintang Kenyalang award by the Head of State of Sarawak.
• Her children's album, Nightlight, was named one of iTunes' Best of 2014 Albums in the Children's Music category.
• Her song "Arena Cahaya" won Best Original Theme Song at the 28th Malaysia Film Festival and Best Original Film Song at the 53rd Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards in 2016.
• In 2018, she won the "International Young Artiste Award" at the Top Asia Corporate Ball in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Music Albums

Studio Albums

Other Albums

• Nightlight (2014) - This is an album of cover songs for children.

EPs (Extended Plays)

• One More Time With Colors (2010)
• Concrete Wall (remixes) (2012)

Singles (Individual Songs)

Songs as the Main Artist

Songs with Other Artists

Music Videos

Official Music Videos

Promotional Videos

Charity Videos

Concerts and Tours

Tours

• 2011: Homecoming Tour

See also

In Spanish: Zee Avi para niños