Bihzhu

Bihzhu’s new album Nightingale Tales is just one of those things that you pick up and go, “hmm… why not?” Why not indeed, is what we have to say; she is one of those artists that has clear, crisp vocals, which sings about the beauty life brings without being too overly nauseous or smug about it. She doesn’t push an idea; she just says it as a passing note rather than shouting it in the town square.

What we love about her stuff is she would be a voice that you would randomly hear in a field of corn, spend countless hours looking for, and make your return everyday hoping that you would catch it again. When you finally do, it will sing in your head, making you hum or whistle as you go about a day, infecting your every fibre with its simple grace and heartfelt melodies that pull on your heartstrings and douse you with the sights, sounds and taste of fresh sun sweet honey.

Songs that are our favourites from the album, although they are all good in their own way, are ‘The Heart Way’, ‘Easy Peasy’ and ‘Xia Bai Chan’. Although the album might only hold 6 tracks in its entirety, you cannot overlook the quality of its production; sweet vocals, amazing musical accompaniment and high quality sound, which dances through your speakers. Support a fellow Malaysian, who JUICE thinks, deserves to be heard for what she loves, and clearly, what she does. - JUICEOnline.com

Upon watching her performance and then shyly approaching her at the grand opening of Chatime Galleria, I almost kicked myself for not knowing about her sooner. “Where has she been?”, I inwardly questioned. No, wait. More like, “Where have I been?!?”

But she’s not new to the local music industry, obviously. I’ve just been ignorant all my life!

Formerly one-half of the popular pop-jazz band Rhapsody, she is a wordsmith and a songstress who hails from sunny island up north Penang. Her music is largely influenced by artistes such as Ella Fitzgerald, India.Arie, Caetano Veloso, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Jamie Cullum, Florence & The Machine, and The Beatles.

Well, evidently:

Bihzhu (who used to go by the name Nicole Foo) continues to sweep us off our feet with her warm, jazzy, somewhat honey-laced voice. Armed with her love for jazz, soul, reggae, acapella, world music, and pop, she meshes her musical influences and her life experiences into a light-hearted and melodic smorgasbord that shines with honesty, earnestness, beauty, and love.

And might we add that her talent has taken her from venues like Melbourne’s Miss Libertine, to our city’s best jazz bar No Black Tie, and the Fringe Stage at the 2006, 2009, 2011 editions of the Penang Island Jazz Festival.

It’s safe to say that she has gone around the world – almost!

In October 2011, she released her debut EP, aptly titled, “Nightingale Tales“.

“Echoing the hills and valleys of life, Bihzhu’s sultry vocals entice you on a journey that traverses the breeziness of folk and foot-tapping swing, lifting and swirling before plunging into the groovy soulfulness of reggae.”

“Nightingale Tales’ is but a glimpse into the heartland of this promising songstress, hinting at a richness of emotion and purity that shines through every note, and lingers in the silences in between..”

Oh swoon! So drop everything and purchase the digital album here or, alternatively, you can buy her physical special print CD album at these locations:

BIJOUX TERNER - Level 1 Shop 49, 168, Jalan Bukit Bintang 55100 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
THE *CLICK* SHOP - 18, Jalan SS2/55 47300 Petaling Jaya Selangor Malaysia
HAI BENG COFFEE SHOP - 216 Jalan Burmah 10350 Penang Malaysia
STRAITS RECORDS - 24 Bali Lane, Singapore, Singapore 189860

For more information, visit her Facebook page or follow her Twitter account. If you followed closely enough, you might be able to hear her sing.

Don’t say we didn’t share! - Hype Malaysia

"I've got pictures of me when I'm two years old holding this weird little thing, pretending it's a mic and putting on impromptu concerts for my grandmother.' Bihzhu, also known in her daily life as Nicole Foo, is laughing with a breezy happiness you'll recognise from 'The Heart Way', her latest track off solo debut album 'Nightingale Tales'. She's telling the tale of her and music (they go way back), starting with her childhood, then her pop-jazz band Rhapsody, her formal decision to pack in hte day job in 2009 and finally last year, the move to go solo.

And it's worked for her. After stepping into the limelight Bihzhu performed at the Penang Jazz Festival 2011, scored a gig in Melbourne (while on holiday, no less), and is planning an album tour of Malaysia in the coming months.

'I had a lot of doubts about myself as a musician,' Bihzhu confesses, 'I don't have any musical training, I don't play any instruments and I'd never really tried writing my own songs before.' But what she does have is a beautiful voice - none of your teenage screechers here, Bihzhu's voice is rounded and honeylike, bridging the gaps between the genres she loves to play with. Her newly launched EP is a solid collection of six tracks, each one entirely different from the other. The girl can scat effortlessly, as well as play indie pop princess, and then slow it down for an acoustic Mandarin number. 'I think it's a pretty accurate representation of who I am as a person,' Nicole says. 'You can't just use one word to describe a person. Sometimes I feel a little bit folk, sometimes I have a lot of jazzy vibes, and I also really love dub and reggae. - Time Out Kuala Lumpur

And then we were allowed five minutes to catch our breath, recharge our glasses and get comfortable for the next young star, Bihzhu.
Formerly one-half of the popular pop-jazz band Rhapsody, Bihzhu (who used to go by the name of Nicole Foo) has set the stage alight with her sultry vocals. Reminiscent of Fairground Attraction's Eddi Reader (for those of you old enough to remember that far back!), Bihzhu has a richness and controlled power that she combined with a pitch-perfect performance.
Another talented young Malaysian musician that also has a wicked sense of humour, she is so comfortable with her audience. Just as with Az before her, you find yourself lifted by her enthusiasm and beaming big smile.
Bihzhu's vocals sweep you past the breeziness of folk and foot-tapping swing, touch on the rhythm of reggae, before showing her true inner soul and depth of feeling.
Playing to her strengths of simple, unaffected songwriting and purity of vocalizations, her appealing blend of pop, jazzy folk, and swing, feels so intimate because of its authenticity.
My favorite had to be her catchy 'The Heart Way'. A cheerful tune of acceptance, that highlights Bihzhu's fun approach to life. It was part of Julie Biscuits Share the Love campaign and has been featured on major radio stations, 988 FM, XFM and Hitz FM.
Close behind, and I do mean close behind, were 'Palpitations' and 'Xiao Bai Chuan'. 'Palpitations' has a retro feel, bubbling with lush instrumention and playful scatting and is all about any Penangite's favorite topic; food. And forbidden foods at that!
'Xiao Bai Chuan' was a lilting Mandarin nursery rhyme her mother used to sing her to sleep with, when she was little. Bihzhu sung it with a tenderness that plucked at the heart strings.
The Tropical Spice Garden was a great setting for her and she played the crowd superbly. What an enjoyable evening this was turning out to be! - whatsonpenang.com

Bihzhu is a rising young talent within the local music scene. Far from a sudden career choice, Bihzhu has been singing from a young age, and is known to spontaneously break into song regardless of the location or occasion. Without any formal musical training, Bihzhu has had to overcome her self-doubt and fear to perform at her current level. In her own words, she reached the realisation that her career is not a competition, but a journey. For this reason she is still learning, and quotes hard work, a love for what you do, and humility, as the three traits necessary for musical success. "I love singing. There are no two ways about it. And I told myself that I'm still young and this is the time to chase my dreams." - CLEO Malaysia

Nicole Foo, also known by her moniker ‘Bihzhu’, is truly made for the stage.

According to Nicole Foo’s bio, the efferverscent songstress was “already wielding household objects as a microphone and holding impromptu concerts for her grandmother in her earliest years in Penang.”

Small wonder then, that she eventually went on to form the immensely popular pop-jazz duo Rhapsody together with Ywenna Carolin, back in 2005. Buoyed by Foo’s charismatic vocals (drawing favourable comparisons to greats such as Ella Fitzgerald to Billie Holiday), Rhapsody took a legion of fans hostage and barrelled through high-profile shows at the Penang Island Jazz Festival, Actors Studio Bangsar, KL Performing Arts Centre and more. The partnership ended amicably in 2010 when Carolin moved to Singapore.

Long-time fans should take heart at the 27-year-old’s recent return with a promising new solo endeavour under her alter-ego, Bihzhu. A five-track EP entitled Nightingale Tales is due in October, and she’s also currently a leading musical collaborator for the Share The Love community movement, in which her new single The Heart Way features prominently.

Bihzhu’s new material draws upon a wellspring of influences, from soul and reggae to a cappella, world music and pop. It’s just this sort of broad-minded, keen appreciation for music that gives her a huge leg up over your typical flavour-of-the-week diva.


We recently got the low-down on what’s in store for Bihzhu.

Why did you make a conscious decision to make an active solo comeback as “Bihzhu”?

Life gave me some wake up calls. Late 2010, it had been almost a year since I left my full time job, “supposedly” to pursue music, and I realised that I had nothing to show for it. Then in October, I was attending a spiritual seminar in the United States, and was invited to perform, and I had some of the most incredible experiences there that really put a whole new spin on why I sing.

It was almost like pre-Bihzhu, I sang for selfish reasons, only for myself, but now I know that I am only an instrument for the music to come through. I know this might come across as esoteric mumbo-jumbo, but those experiences I had were life-changing revelations.

Who are your major musical collaborators and partners these days?

With Rhapsody, I wrote all the lyrics and contributed partially to the melodies and Ywenna composed almost all the songs. I had a mental block that I couldn’t really write music because I don’t play any musical instruments. But early this year, I took a stab at it and most of the songs on the EP are my own works. My friend Savy Ho (producer, musician, arranger) helps me a lot with the arrangements, while for gigs, I work a lot with Faz Aznam (guitarist), we played together with Rhapsody and I really enjoy playing with her, but am looking to play with more musicians in the near future.

What has inspired or influenced you over the years?

I remember growing up listening to my dad’s cassette tapes so I really loved groups like The Brothers Four, and Peter, Paul and Mary. I partly wish he was a jazz aficionado so I could’ve grown up digesting that music too, because believe it or not, I only started getting into jazz when I was in college. I am also a huge fan of Brazilian musician Caetano Veloso, and Fat Freddy’s Drop from New Zealand, a cappella groups, world music, gospel etc.

What’s the main difference with your music now, as compared to your time with Rhapsody?

With Rhapsody, it was very jazz-influenced. I always say being in a band is like being in a relationship, you need to have chemistry, love and trust each other, and want the same things. And I enjoyed every minute of it, but everything you do has to be mutual. Going solo now, the biggest difference is that I pretty much get to go in any direction I want, and express myself in ways that might not have been possible with Rhapsody, for example, Ywenna soooo did not like reggae, but I do! (laughs)

Tell us about your upcoming EP Nightingale Tales.

I’m really into jazz, but that’s not the only thing I like, so Nightingale Tales is like a mini musical smorgasbord of all the different parts of me, a little folk, a little reggae, a little jazz, a little pop, a little soul.

I know some artistes are so clear about who they are and they have a very specific sound, but I feel like I’m just starting to explore who I am, as a person, as a musician, and these five songs are a good start, a small step.

I was chatting with my uncle in Penang and he said that the nightingale is a bird that isn’t flashy but it’s enchanting when it starts to sing, and I was like, heyyyyy, that’s so me! I’m not the flashiest bird either but I think it’s different when I sing (or at least that’s what people tell me!) and since all the songs tell a different story about my life so far, I think Nightingale Tales is super apt. So far, the plans are for it to be independently released, and I’m looking at different distribution options right now, but nothing concrete yet.

¦ Browse www.facebook.com/bihzhumusic. - The Star