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SYA, Def Jam's taboo-breaking female Malaysian rapper
The first female signing for label Def Jam in Southeast Asia, Malaysian hip-hop artist SYA calls for empowerment while taking a sledgehammer to stereotypes of Muslim women.
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This picture taken on October 9, 2021 shows Malaysian hip-hop artist Nur Batrisya Mohammad Nazri, known as SYA, rehearsing after an interview with Agence France-Presse (AFP) at a studio in Kuala Lumpur. (AFP/Mohd Rasfan)
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earing sunglasses and a tiger print dress as she raps into a mic, Malaysian hip-hop artist SYA calls for empowerment while taking a sledgehammer to stereotypes of Muslim women.
The first female signing for label Def Jam -- the label behind superstars from Jay-Z and Rihanna to BTS and Justin Bieber -- in Southeast Asia, her debut single "PrettyGirlBop" tackles misogyny and acceptance in her Muslim-majority homeland.
"I just want women to feel more comfortable in their own skin," SYA, whose long dark hair is uncovered, tells AFP.
"I don't have to pretend to be somebody else just to fit what society deems is good."
The track, which also features up-and-coming Singapore artist Yung Raja, includes scenes of SYA dressed in white, and stroking a cat wearing a pearl necklace in a lavish bedroom.
Underlining her desire that women should not be pigeon-holed, it then switches to her holding a snake and wearing a leopard print jacket, as she defiantly raps: "I wanna be like me."
She is among a crop of young artists from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines who have been signed by global music giant Def Jam's Southeast Asian arm.
