Sape’ Songstress Alena Murang has released ‘Pemung Jae (Trio Version)’ in conjunction with Earth Day. Pemung Jae is a song in indigenous Kenyah language about being together with true friends under the moonlight, by the river, the river that gives us so much life. Alena Murang’s songs are thoroughly intentional, drawing from the Kelabit stories of her community.
Alena Murang
“We are known as Orang Ulu people, because we come from the ulu sungai, or headwaters, in my case, ulu Sungai Baram. Rivers are so important for us not just for resources and connectivity but also as part of our identity. Even when we meet other Orang Ulu people, we will oftentime identify ourselves by the names of our rivers”, says Alena.
For release on 22 April 2024
Originally released in 2016, as part of her debut EP ‘Flight’, Alena decided to produce a new arrangement of this folk song. On the release of the trio version, Alena shares “This is a song that I’ve been playing for over 20 years. And I feel that it has grown with me. This Trio version has been developed over the past two years, with the female musicians in my band, Simmy on keyboard and Yi Mann on Guzheng.”
Yi Mann – Guzheng
The trio first performed this song when they were on tour in Taiwan, as one of the universities requested for a trio set up. They have since maintained this harmonious trio resonance for different performances in Malaysia and Canada. Additionally, the lyric video, now available on Alena Murang’s YouTube page, showcases home footage capturing the beauty of her kampung river in Long Peluan, filmed by Alena herself.
Watch the lyric video here: https://youtu.be/KFY1fUGgb_o and stream the song on all major digital platforms.
Listen to Pemung Jae (Trio Version): https://bfan.link/pemung-jae
For more updates on Alena Murang, please follow these social media platforms:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alenamurang/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alenamurang
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AlenaMurang
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7fxEcgl9ozJhSXTQf0Y9vq
Alena Murang Telegram Channel: https://t.me/+y9rR5Oi_X9c2NzJl
WEBSITE: www.alenamurang.com
