Guba boasts an acoustic indie pop sound and has enjoyed success with his first single, You And Me.
He also recorded a duet, You’re So Fine, with fellow Asian star Yuna, who will also be making her way to OzAsia, with the song featuring in the acclaimed Malaysian film KIL. Guba is looking forward to performing at OzAsia, which this year has a focus on Malaysian artists. “I’m working on some new material for my next album,” he announces. “So Australian audiences will be the first to hear them. I actually just played one over the phone to my producer who liked it and said we should record it.” Guba made the move from the state of Sabah on the island of Borneo to Kuala Lumpur. “I went there because I got a job,” he says with a laugh, “but I continued to write songs – I already had about 50 or 60 by then – and then I jumped on Google to find a studio in Kuala Lumpur to record them. “I found Laguna Music,” he says of the studio that also has its own label and were more than happy to sign the young singer songwriter to its roster. “I wrote my first song when I was 14,” Guba recalls when asked about his beginnings. “I never actually finished it though. But it went back to it a few years later and finished it off although the song didn’t actually end up on my album. But I will keep it for another project.” Asked about his influences, Guba says he was exposed to lots of western music as a youngster. “My dad loved Frank Sinatra and Cliff Richard while my mum was listening to Ella Fitzgerald and jazz singers like that. I heard a lot of varied stuff but would say my influences came mostly from the music from the UK that I started listening to. That’s been what has influenced my songwriting.” As Guba has worked with Yuna, he says it’s likely he will join her on stage at OzAsia. “I would think so,” he laughs. “We’ve recorded one song together that I wrote. My label knows her so they contacted her after hearing the song and we recorded You’re So Fine together.” Guba will be making his Australian debut at OzAsia although he has made his way to our country in the past. “I’ve been to Melbourne and Sydney,” he says. “I was just on a family holiday but I reallyconnected with Melbourne. It just seemed like my kind of place. And I also have many Aussie friends.” Guba OzAsia Festival Space Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre Fri Sep 13 and Sat Sep 14 at 7pm
