Malaysian-Brunei Hari Raya song a big hit; tune garners millions of hits as it goes viral amid festivities

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Borneo Bulletin/ANN): With more than a million streams on Spotify and more than three million views on YouTube since its debut just in time for Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Bruneian artiste Aziz Harun’s latest duet with Malaysian Aisha Retno has become a viral theme song for this year’s festivities.

Ketipak Ketipung Raya, written by Aziz Harun with Aisha Retno and assisted by Romeo and Glowrush as producers, was released on March 22 and can be downloaded on iTunes and heard on music streaming platforms such as Apple Music, Deezer, KKBox, Spotify, YouTube, and YouTube Music.

“It’s a song that came about spontaneously last year. At that time, I wanted to have my own Aidilfitri song so as not to be left behind. And I wanted to make a content on the TikTok social media platform,” Aziz Harun said.

“Coincidentally, at that time I was collaborating with Aisha Retno for the song Jarak, so I asked Aisha if she would be willing to write this song with me. Aisha agreed, and we quickly put together what we could and introduced it on social media.

“We didn’t expect the song to receive such a good response from our followers on social media, especially on TikTok. So, we decided to record and properly produce it for release this year before Aidilfitri,” he added.

In a press statement when asked about the meaning behind the song, both artistes said the message is quite simple: preparing for the Aidilfitri celebration.

It portrays themes common in other Hari Raya Aidilfitri songs. It depicts the chaos of morning Aidilfitri preparations while asking about typical things like whether the clothes have been bought, whether the feast is ready, and so on.

“It also reflects the joyous atmosphere regardless of status and generation. That’s why I incorporated the traditional element of joget rhythm into this song to make it livelier and more engaging,” Aisha Retno said.

Both also said that they found it easy to collaborate because of the chemistry that had existed since their duet on Jarak. Ketipak Ketipung Raya also features a music video which was recorded in one go featuring the staff of Faithful Music, the recording company under Aziz Harun’s management.

“I didn’t realise how much I missed home until I arrived back in Brunei and went to a family gathering at my grandparents a couple of days before Hari Raya. It really showed me how much has changed for the better, Alhamdulillah,” Aziz Harun said.

“Most of my cousins have kids now which made everything seem a lot more chaotic in a good way, realised our parents are getting old which made me sad but I was very happy to be able to spend time with them.”

He added, “Seeing people use Ketipak Ketipung Raya for their Hari Raya social media posts is very flattering and extremely surprising given we didn’t have much expectations for the song.

“I’m just thrilled Ketipak Ketipung Raya could play a part in brightening everyone’s Hari Raya celebration this year.” – Borneo Bulletin/ANN