Popular Music: Making Islamic Music in Malaysia; From Traditional to Contemporary Approach

Popular Music: Making Islamic Music in Malaysia; From Traditional to Contemporary Approach provides an in-depth study of the sociological and anthropological impact of Islamic popular music in Malaysia, especially in nasyid as well as scholarly articles on music in Islam and identifying the role that globalisation has played in shaping the Islamic popular music industry. Fitri Haris, the author, as he himself is an insider and a veteran of the Malay-Muslim music industry, all knowledge and insight experience with industry experts, singers, composers, lyricists, arrangers and musicians, Islamic scholars, media workers, and music retailers, as well as related organisations and recording labels working in the Malaysian music industry were used in order to explore their views as the industry’s people, especially within the genre of nasyid to enhance its understanding in Malaysia and show how nasyid has been growing rapidly over the two decades.

There are three key points involved: Islam, music, and Malaysia. A brief overview of the pertinent aspects of Islam as a religion, the various perceptions of music in Islam throughout the Islamic world, and the emergence of Islam and Islamic music in Malaysia. This is necessary to provide a clear picture of the relationship between Islam, music and Malaysia (the study considers the history of nasyid and its development in Malaysia). This book presents descriptions of the various types of music circulating and performed in Malaysia. Beginning from the traditional music of the pre-Islamic era to the Islamic era and until modern times where Western music has penetrated the borders and influenced the popular culture and music of Malaysia, this book chronologically outlines the evolution of music in Malaysia. It also examines how Muslims have overcome the challenges they faced due to globalisation, as conflict has also occurred in parallel with the progress.

This book addresses the so-called ‘Raihan phenomenon’ of the late 1990s, which led to the growth of nasyid as a genre of Islamic popular music. It explores both the genre of nasyid and its wide landscape and context. This book also investigates the changes regarding musical instruments and musical style, analyses the lyrics and languages of the music, and the evolution of images and the changing retinue of the participants in this musical genre. Furthermore, this book considers the scope and structure of the music business and the marketing practices that surround nasyid in Malaysia. The conclusion summarises three major findings, namely: (i) the complexity of defining Islamic popular music and nasyid, (ii) the style and characteristics of n2syid and Islamic popular music in Malaysia; and (iii) the business models deployed within the nasyid genre in the music industry of Malaysia.