KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 5 — Composer and singer Ikhwan Fatanna Mokhtar did not expect his song, Hening Rindu, sung by Marsha Milan Londoh, to be recognised on the international stage after grabbing a gold nod at the ContentAsia Awards 2025 in Taipei, Taiwan yesterday.

He said that winning the Best Sound Design Category Created in Asia for an Asian Television Programme/Series at the awards was a major achievement after the song was crowned champion of the 39th Anugerah Juara Lagu (AJL) in February. (The song, composed by Ikhwan and Wan Saleh with lyrics penned by Ikhwan, won AJL’s main prize of RM100,000 and a trophy).

“Actually, I wasn’t even told about this song being nominated for the ContentAsia Awards. So, when I found out, I was really surprised because it was Marsha and several staff from Alternate Records who told me this song won for Sound Design,” he said when contacted by Bernama today.

Ikhwan said the victory would serve as motivation to continue producing quality works for artistes as well as to be liked by listeners in this country and also in other countries.

“I want my songs to be heard not only in Malaysia but also abroad,” he said, having previously collaborated with Indonesian artistes Rizky Febian and Nissa Sabyan.

Discussing the piece, Ikhwan said that Hening Rindu, which was also arranged by Wan Saleh, was about finding sound elements that could help the song’s melody stand out more.

“Music and sound design are very important. Alhamdulillah, with the help of Wan Saleh as the sound arranger for this song, he did an excellent job in helping the melody and lyrics of this song become what we all hear,” he also said.

Meanwhile, Marsha expressed her gratitude for the song’s success in an Instagram post, describing it as the result of teamwork.

“Thank you for pouring your heart and soul into this project. I’m so grateful to be the voice for a song that carries so much soul. This is truly a shared journey,” she said.

The ContentAsia Awards is an annual event that recognises premium video content and talent achievements across various platforms in the Asian region.

This edition featured over 150 nominated programmes, highlighting the strong competition in the regional creative content industry. — Bernama