B.o.B., Boys Republic, Yuna in Malaysia gig

RAPPER and record producer B.o.B. will be performing.

PETALING Jaya, Malaysia—Once again, Asian and Western musical acts, both popular and upcoming, will share the spotlight in “MTV World Stage: Live in Malaysia” tomorrow at the Sunway Lagoon amusement park here.

In its sixth year, the live outdoor gig—known for bringing together artists of diverse cultural backgrounds and representing various genres—will feature performances by B.o.B, Yuna, Boys Republic and Thaitanium. The event is expected to draw a crowd of around 15,000 revelers.

THAITANIUM

American rapper/record producer B.o.B or Bobby Ray Simmons Jr. is expected to bring onstage an exciting set of pop-dashed hip-hop tunes from his three studio records—“B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray,” “Strange Clouds” and “Underground Luxury.”

The 25-year-old Grammy-nominated artist is best known for producing such chart-topping hits as “Nothin’ on You” with Bruno Mars and “Airplanes” with Paramore vocalist Hayley Williams. Some of B.o.B’s other notable collaborations are “Both of Us” with Taylor Swift; “Memories Back Then” with T.I., Kendrick Lamar and Kris Stephens; and “Price Tag” with Jessie J.

Supporters of K-Pop have newbie idol group Boys Republic to look forward to. Produced by Universal Music Group and Jung Hae-ik, the rising five-man band—Jo Wonjun, Choi Sunwoo, Park Seongjun, Kim Minsoo and Lee Suwoong—debuted last year. Its first single, “Party Rock” went to the No. 1 spot in the iTunes singles chart in the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.

Starting out as an indie musician, Yuna gained traction in social media before becoming one of the few Malaysian artists to break into the American mainstream music scene.

YUNA

Yuna’s debut, a self-titled international album, climbed to No. 19 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Chart, which tracks the progress of emerging and promising acts. The acoustic folk-R&B singer’s 2012 song, “Live Your Life,” was produced by American hip-hop  artist Pharrell Williams.

Thaitanium—Khanngeon Nuanual, Prinya Intachai, Naymyo Thant, Jason Roth and Watana Watanachaiyot—has opened for Jay-Z, Snoop Dog, 50 Cent and Far East Movement. The band is expected to perform its new single, “Wake Up (Bangkok City),” which features Snoop Dogg.

According to MTV Asia, the event will be recorded live for telecast to over 550 million households across 154 countries via MTV Networks.

Last year’s event, which attracted over 15,000 fans, featured Robin Thicke, EXO, Far East Movement and Joe Flizzow. Other big-name artists who have performed in previous editions include Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Boys Like Girls, 30 Seconds to Mars, The All-American Rejects, Hoobastank and Wonder Girls.

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