Alyph (left) says there were plans for him to produce music for Ziana Zain in 2017, but it did not work out due to 'label disputes'. Photos: Handout, Ziana Zain/Instagram
On his debut solo album The Storm, Singaporean rapper and producer Alyph checked a major wishlist item – duetting with Malaysian pop diva Ziana Zain.
Ziana, one of Malaysia’s most established female singers, appears on the two songs that bookend the bilingual work – opening track Teman (Friend) and closing song Gerak (Move).
“It feels like a fever dream,” Alyph says of his collaboration with the 56-year-old singer.
“She brings class and ageless, timeless entertainment to people. She’s one of the artistes whom I have always wanted to work with.”
The 35-year-old says there were plans for him to produce music for Ziana in 2017, but it did not work out due to label disputes, which have since been sorted. Alyph is currently under the rosters of Universal Music and Def Jam Recordings South East Asia, while Ziana has been signed to various music labels, including Sony Music and EMI.
Released in January, The Storm comprises hip-hop and R&B songs in English and Malay, and is Alyph’s first solo full-length release. He previously dropped solo EPs like III/III (2021) and a joint album with Malaysian rapper SonaOne titled Detail (2019).
The 12 tracks on The Storm include Dari Jauh (From Far), a single released in 2024 that has more than 2.3 million streams on Spotify and YouTube. Besides Ziana, the album also features another Malaysian artiste, rising rapper Gard, on the song Sorok Muka (Hide Face).
Alyph first came into prominence in 2005 as one-half of Sleeq, a hip-hop duo with his cousin Syarif. The pair scored hits in Singapore and Malaysia before splitting up in 2015 to focus on their solo careers.
Alyph then found more success writing and producing hits for Malaysian artistes such as Joe Flizzow, hip-hop group K-Clique and pop singer Kaka Azraff.
In recent years, he stopped making music for others so that he could focus on building his body of work.
“I will not compromise when it comes to my own music, I couldn’t dilute myself, I need 100 per cent of my battery for myself,” says the rapper, whose real name is Muhammad Alif Abdullah.
The move paid off.
Swipe (2022) was a catchy single that went viral on TikTok. On Spotify, it is his most popular solo song to date, with more than 13.5 million streams.
His 2024 was especially busy. He performed a string of gigs in Singapore, including sets at music festivals such as Waterbomb, as well as in Malaysia, where he embarked on a tour in universities across the country.
In October, he launched fashion line PMC x Alyphland, a collaboration with fashion brand PMC, in Malaysia.
“I don’t even see the borders any more, I go wherever I’m needed,” he says of constantly shuttling between both countries.
He is married to Singaporean educator and actress Azzah Fariha and they have three children aged nine, five and two.
The songs on The Storm are inspired by a mix of personal experiences as well as stories from movies. Gerak, for example, was influenced by coming-of-age animated films such as The Land Before Time (1988) and The Lion King (1994).
“I mix these stories with stories from my upbringing, my family. I ask myself, ‘How can I create something that best describes how I feel?’ You have some truth in there about me, but it’s not 100% what the stories in the songs are about.”
The Storm includes tunes in which he attempts “proper” singing for the first time, such as R&B ballad Dari Jauh.
“I’m really trying to carry a tune. I had to stop being judgmental of how I sound, technically, as a singer, and focus on my interpretation of the song.”
Since the listening party for The Storm that took place in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, in January, Alyph says he has been receiving calls from more Malaysian artistes who want him to produce songs for them, but declined to reveal their identities.
He is itching to make more new music. “What’s going to happen in the rest of 2025 is that I’m definitely going back into the studio. There’s nothing else that I want to do.” – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
