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Insomniacks

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Insomniacks
OriginKuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Genres
Years active2015–present
Labels
Members
  • Syed Mir Iqbal (Iqie)
  • Wan Arif Iskandar (Iskandar)
  • Danial Lee Hashim (Danial)
Past membersGavin Wong (Gavin)

Insomniacks is a Malaysian pop band from Kuala Lumpur.[1] They rose to prominence with the release of their second single, "Pulang", in 2018,[1] which charted on the Malaysian RIM streaming charts for 146 consecutive weeks, and a total of 185 weeks as of July 2022.[2][3][4]

The group have cited 5 Seconds of Summer, Fall Out Boy, Day6, Mayday Parade and Paramore as influences.[5][6]

Career

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History and formation

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The band began as Dan's Band with Danial and Iqbal who were classmates at SMK St. John. Gavin joined as the drummer after being recommended to the duo by Iskandar (a schoolmate of Gavin's at Sekolah Sri KDU, and childhood friend of Iqbal's). Iskandar would later go on to join the band as their bassist.[7]

Insomniacks formed in 2015. In November of that year, the quartet would begin posting videos of themselves performing covers of popular songs on their YouTube channel.[8]

2017–present: Debut and mainstream success with "Pulang"

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In 2017, they released their debut single, "Selalu", which was featured as part of the soundtrack of the Astro Ria drama, My Coffee Prince.[5]

In 2018, the group released their second single, "Pulang". The group released the four-episode Pulang WEBisode webseries on their YouTube channel as part of their single promotions. "Pulang" achieved the record for most consecutive weeks on the RIM streaming charts.[2][3] "Pulang" has been on the RIM Malay singles chart for 185 weeks, as of July 2022.[4]

In 2019, Iqbal co-founded the Klang Valley-based music collective, Distorted (alias Distorted Material), alongside Jessel Phuah (Sino), Ariff Jazmi, Helloluqman of Block J (Jonah), and Nik Qayrel Aiman (Eneyeqay) of the duo Niqie. Iqbal goes by the alias Balo as part of Distorted.[9]

Insomniacks were the fifth most streamed Malaysian artist on Spotify, in 2019.[10]

In 2020, Insomniacks released their third single, "Kepala Batu" ahead of the release of their debut EP of the same name. "Kepala Batu" was composed in collaboration with prolific Malaysian singer-songwriter, Faizal Tahir.[11] The lead single from the EP, "Reminisensi", was the first song Insomniacks wrote as a band.[11]

After four years signed with Sony Music Malaysia, their contract expired in 2020. They consequently signed with Universal Music Malaysia in March 2021.[12] On 14 February 2022, Insomniacks released, "Sempurna". The single peaked at number 1 on the RIM Malay singles streaming chart[13] and number 5 on Billboard's Malaysia Songs chart.[14]

Since March 2022, Gavin has not been participating in "Sempurna" promotions with the band. On 12 June 2022, it was announced in a statement on his and the band's social media that he would be taking an extended hiatus from the band and will not be part of any upcoming projects.[15]

The band released their first single as a trio, "Igauan Malam", on 4 November 2022.

Members

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Adapted from Hitz:[11]

Active

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  • Iqie (Syed Mir Iqbal; born 3 June 1997 in Kuala Lumpur) – lead vocals, guitar
  • Iskandar (Wan Arif Iskandar; born 9 September 1997 in Westminster, London[16]) – bass, vocals
  • Danial (Danial Lee Hashim; born 25 February 1997 in Kuala Lumpur) – rhythm guitar, vocals

Former

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  • Gavin (Gavin Wong; born 27 December 1997 in Kuala Lumpur) – drums, cajon, guitar

Discography

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Extended plays

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Title EP details Track list
Kepala Batu EP
  • Released: 24 July 2020
  • Label: Sony Music Malaysia
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming
  1. "Here Again"
  2. "Reminisensi"
  3. "Langgar"
  4. "Kepala Batu"
  5. "Selalu"
Teman EP
  • Released: 8 August 2024
  • Label: Universal Music Malaysia
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming, CD
  1. "Sayang/Cinta
  2. "Teman"
  3. "Cerita Kita"
  4. "Igauan Malam"
  5. "Belum Mulai"
  6. "Temani Hati"
  7. "Dimana"
  8. "Sempurna"

Singles

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As lead artist

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List of singles as lead artist, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
MYS
RIM
[17] [a]
Song
[18][b]
"Selalu" 2017 * Kepala Batu EP and My Coffee Prince OST
"Pulang" 2018 1 Non-album single
"Pulang"
(Piano Version)
2019 Qada & Qadar OST
"Kepala Batu" 2020 Kepala Batu EP
"Reminisensi"
(Original or Piano Version)
3
Non-album singles
"Pulang"
(Reimagined)
2021
"Reminisensi"
(Reimagined)
"Sempurna"
(Original or Piano Version)
2022 1 5 Teman EP
"Igauan Malam" 6
"Lagu Raya" 2023 Non-album single
"Cerita Kita"
(with Nabila Razali)
Teman EP
"Teman" 2024
"Belum Mulai"
(with Nabila Taqqiyah)
"Some Days Are Just Better" Non-album single
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
"*" denotes the chart did not exist at the time of release.
  1. ^ The Top 10 Domestic Singles chart was reconfigured into a Malay songs charts, starting the week ending 24 March 2022.
  2. ^ The Billboard's Hits of the World charts launched and were first issued on the date February 19, 2022.[19]
[edit]
List of singles as featured artist, showing year released and album name
Title Year Album
"Go There If You Miss Me"
(Night Skies & Visions feat. Iqie of Insomniacks)
2020 Non-album single

Music videos

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Title Year Director(s)
"Selalu" 2017 Unknown
"Pulang" 2018 Thaqif Saadon
"Pulang" (Piano Version) 2019 Unknown
"Kepala Batu" 2020 Thaqif Saadon
"Reminisensi"
Lyric video
Unknown
"Sempurna" 2022 Thaqif Saadon
"Igauan Malam"
"Lagu Raya" 2023
"Cerita Kita"
"Teman" 2024
"Belum Mulai"
"Temani Hati"

Awards and nominations

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Year Organisation Category Nominee/nominated work Result Ref.
2018 Anugerah Planet Muzik Best Band Insomniacks Nominated [20]
2019 32nd Anugerah Bintang Popular Berita Harian Most Popular Group Nominated [21]
2020 Anugerah MeleTOP Era 2020 [ms] MeleTOP New Artist Nominated

References

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  1. ^ a b "Watch Insomniacks' tale of love gone wrong in 'Sempurna' music video". NME. 2022-03-02. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  2. ^ a b Fatin Farhana Ariffin (2022-03-05). "Insomniacks tolak gimik takut tersungkur". Berita Harian. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  3. ^ a b YUSUP, NOR ERYANI (2021-10-19). "Insomniacks lunaskan agenda tertangguh". Kosmo Digital (in Malay). Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  4. ^ a b "Recording Industry Association of Malaysia - TOP 10 Most Streamed Malay Singles In Malaysia Week 14 (01/04/2022-07/04/2022). #rimchart #recordingindustryassociationofmalaysia #moststreamedmalaysinglesinmalaysia #rim #erafm | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  5. ^ a b Ayol, Ayul (11 December 2017). "Insomniacks Papar kisah hidup remaja". Buletin Malaysia. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  6. ^ #insominutes 001 - Intro to Insomniacks, retrieved 2022-04-19
  7. ^ Kenapa Band Insomniacks tak nampak macam melayu? | MeleTOP | Nabil & Neelofa, retrieved 2022-04-19
  8. ^ Animal - Neon Trees (Insomniacks Cover), retrieved 2022-04-18
  9. ^ Ahmadi, Zim (2020-11-17). "Distorted's 'MEDUSA' will stop you in your tracks [NEW SINGLE]". Awful Track Record. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  10. ^ Aref Omar (2019-12-04). "#Showbiz: K-Clique beats Siti as Spotify's most streamed Malaysian artiste of the year". New Straits Times. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  11. ^ a b c "INSOMNIACKS". hitz.com.my. 4 March 2020. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  12. ^ Sudirman Mohd Tahir (2021-09-21). "Peluang Berharga Insomniacks". Harian Metro. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  13. ^ "Recording Industry Association of Malaysia - Top 10 Domestic Week 8 (18/02/2022- 24/02/2022) #rimchart #recordingindustryassociationofmalaysia #localmusicmalaysia #rim | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  14. ^ Cusson, Michael (2022-02-15). "Malaysia Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  15. ^ "@InsomnicaksMY: band statement". Twitter. 2022-06-12. Retrieved 2022-06-12.
  16. ^ #Insominutes 004 - How Well Do You Know Your Band Members, retrieved 2022-04-19
  17. ^ Peak chart positions on RIM's Top 10 most streamed Malay songs in Malaysia:
  18. ^ Peak chart positions on Billboard's Malaysia Songs:
  19. ^ "Billboard Expands International Footprint With 'Hits of the World' Charts". Billboard. February 14, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  20. ^ Khotimah, Nur (2018-09-27). "Isyana Sarasvati Masuk 5 Kategori, Ini Daftar Nominasi Anugerah Planet Muzik 2018 Singapura". WowKeren.com. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
  21. ^ "ABPBH32: BTS Wins 1st K-Pop Artist Award + Complete List Of Winners". Hype Malaysia. 2019-09-23. Retrieved 2022-04-18.