The Most Famous
SINGERS from Malaysia
This page contains a list of the greatest Malaysian Singers. The pantheon dataset contains 4,381 Singers, 6 of which were born in Malaysia. This makes Malaysia the birth place of the 75th most number of Singers behind Trinidad and Tobago, and Chile.
Top 7
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Malaysian Singers of all time. This list of famous Malaysian Singers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Siti Nurhaliza (b. 1979)
With an HPI of 47.73, Siti Nurhaliza is the most famous Malaysian Singer. Her biography has been translated into 70 different languages on wikipedia.
Biduanita Negara Dato' Sri Hajah Siti Nurhaliza Tarudin (Jawi: سيتي نورهاليزا بنت تارودين; IPA: [ˈsiti nʊrhaˈliza ˈbinti taˈrudɪn]; born 11 January 1979) is a Malaysian singer, songwriter, actress and businesswoman. With more than 350 local and international awards, she is one of the 50 most awarded musicians, along with megastars like Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, BTS and many more. She made her debut at age 16, after winning a local singing competition show, Bintang HMI, in 1995. Her debut single, "Jerat Percintaan", won the 11th Anugerah Juara Lagu and another two awards for Best Performance and Best Ballad. Her debut album as of 2005 has sold more than 800,000 units in Malaysia. She has recorded and sung in multiple languages, including Malaysian, Javanese, English, Arabic, Japanese, and Mandarin. Throughout her career, Siti has received a number of music awards in Malaysia and its neighbouring countries: 42 Anugerah Industri Muzik, 31 Anugerah Bintang Popular, 28 Anugerah Planet Muzik, 22 Anugerah Juara Lagu, four MTV Asia Awards, three World Music Awards, two Anugerah Musik Indonesia (Indonesian Music Awards), and five records in the Malaysia Book of Records. Having 20 solo studio albums, 1 Special album, 2 duet albums, she is one of the most popular artists in the Malay Archipelago and Nusantara region – she was voted Regional Most Popular Artiste for ten consecutive years between 2001 and 2011 in the Anugerah Planet Muzik. Siti is one of Malaysia's richest, most-influential, most award-winning, and most single-producing artists. She is also one of Malaysia's best selling artists, with her album sales having contributed to 10 percent of Malaysia's total album sales for 2001. To date, she has sold more than 6 million in record sales. Internationally, Siti has won the Gold Award in Asia New Singer Competition at Shanghai Asia Music Festival in 1999, two awards from 'South Pacific International Song and Singing Competition 1999' held in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, and the Grand Prix Champion title in Voice of Asia in 2002 held in Almaty, Kazakhstan. In 2020, after receiving a record breaking of votes, she won the public choice for Adelaide Festival Centre's Walk of Fame 2019. Besides musical awards, she has various other achievements. In 1998, Siti was chosen to perform during the closing ceremony of 1998 Commonwealth Games in front of Queen Elizabeth II and her consort, Prince Philip, among other dignitaries and officials from 70 countries including those from the Commonwealth of Nations. In 2005, Siti became the first Southeast Asian singer, and third Asian singer to perform a solo concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London, while being backed by the London Symphony Orchestra. She was listed second by MTV Asia in Asia's Best Musical Artiste and Channel V's Biggest Asian Artiste in 2005. Later in 2008, she was named as one of Asia's Idol by Asia News Network. She also has been listed as one of The Muslim 500 - The World's 500 Most Influential Muslims from year 2015 to 2022. Her success in the Asian region has gained her honorific titles including the "Voice of Asia" and "Asia's Celine Dion".
2. Michael Wong (b. 1970)
With an HPI of 42.41, Michael Wong is the 2nd most famous Malaysian Singer. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Michael Wong Kong Leong (Chinese: 王光良; pinyin: Wáng Guāngliáng; born 30 August 1970), also known as Guang Liang, is a Malaysian singer and songwriter. He has sung and written many love-themed ballads and love songs, many of which have high popularity. He is popularly known in the Mandopop scene as the "Prince of Love Songs" (情歌王子). Wong began his singing career in a duo with Victor Wong. The pair had attained notable success in Taiwan, but in a mutual agreement, the two split in 2000. Wong has released five solo albums since then, the third one being his breakthrough album, Fairy Tale. He has achieved a great success in Taiwan, mainland China, Hong Kong and Malaysia where he is based. Wong has also helped several other successful singers by composing songs for them, including the ballad "Courage" (勇氣), which was originally sung by Fish Leong.
3. Fish Leong (b. 1978)
With an HPI of 36.71, Fish Leong is the 3rd most famous Malaysian Singer. Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Fish Leong (Chinese: 梁静茹, born Leong Chui Peng on 16 June 1978) is a Malaysian singer and songwriter. Having sold more than 20 million records to date, she has achieved popularity and success in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, and Malaysia.
4. Guy Sebastian (b. 1981)
With an HPI of 34.72, Guy Sebastian is the 4th most famous Malaysian Singer. His biography has been translated into 38 different languages.
Guy Theodore Sebastian (born 26 October 1981) is an Australian singer who rose to fame after winning the first season of Australian Idol, in 2003. Sebastian has since released ten top ten albums, including three number ones. The first seven all gained either platinum or multi-platinum certification. He has also achieved twenty three top twenty singles, with fourteen of them, reaching the top ten, including six number ones. He is the only Australian male artist in Australian chart history to achieve six number one singles, and places third overall for all Australian acts. Ten of his singles have been certified multi-platinum, including the 13× platinum "Battle Scars". His debut single "Angels Brought Me Here" was the highest selling song in Australia in the decade 2000 to 2009. With 69 platinum and seven gold certifications and combined album and single sales of over five million in Australia, he has the highest certifications and sales of any Australian Idol contestant. Sebastian has worked with a number of notable American musicians, including Brian McKnight, Robin Thicke, Steve Cropper, John Mayer, Jordin Sparks, Eve and Lupe Fiasco. "Battle Scars", a collaboration with Fiasco, spent 20 weeks on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 71 and achieved platinum certification. "Battle Scars" also reached number two in Norway and New Zealand. Sebastian has reached the top ten in New Zealand with an album and six singles, including two number ones, and gained six platinum and three gold certifications there. In 2015, he represented Australia in its debut in the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Tonight Again", finishing in fifth place. Throughout his career, Sebastian has received 34 ARIA Award nominations, winning seven including Best Pop Release and Best Live Act. Other awards include the APRA Urban Work of the Year, the [V] Oz Artist of the Year, Urban Music Awards for Best Male Artist and Best R&B Album, and an International Songwriting Competition award for "Battle Scars". Sebastian has sung at many notable events, including performing for Pope Benedict XVI, Oprah Winfrey and Queen Elizabeth II. He has a strong commitment to charity, and was previously an ambassador for World Vision Australia and the Australian Red Cross. He has created his own foundation, The Sebastian Foundation, with his wife Jules. Sebastian was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours in recognition of his significant service to music and charity. He has served as a judge on Australia's The X Factor from 2010 to 2012 and again from 2015 to 2016, and coach on The Voice Australia from 2019 to 2024. In 2021, Sebastian became The Voice's senior coach after Delta Goodrem's departure.
5. Nicholas Teo (b. 1981)
With an HPI of 33.97, Nicholas Teo is the 5th most famous Malaysian Singer. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.
Nicholas Teo (Chinese: 張棟樑; pinyin: Zhāng Dòngliáng; Jyutping: Zoeng1 Dung3 Loeng4; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tiuⁿ Tàng-niû) is a Malaysian Chinese singer under Good Tengz Entertainment Sdn Bhd. (Malaysia)
6. Che'Nelle (b. 1983)
With an HPI of 33.06, Che'Nelle is the 6th most famous Malaysian Singer. Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Cheryline Ernestine Lim (born 10 March 1983), known by her stage name Che'Nelle, is a Malaysian-Australian singer-songwriter. She gained popularity in Japan with the release of her debut studio album, Things Happen for a Reason (2007).
7. Yuna (b. 1986)
With an HPI of 29.15, Yuna is the 7th most famous Malaysian Singer. Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Yunalis Mat Zara'ai (Jawi: يوناليس بنت مد ظراعي; born 14 November 1986), known professionally as Yuna, is a Malaysian singer. Her initial exposure came through the viral success of her music uploaded to Myspace, which received over one million plays. This online success alerted an indie-pop label/management company to her music, and in early 2011 she signed with the Fader Label. She is best known for her collaboration with Usher on her breakout single "Crush", which peaked at number 3 on the US Billboard Adult R&B chart. From 2010-2015, she was the 2nd Most Popular Female Singer in Malaysia with Siti Nurhaliza at first place and Stacy Anam at 3rd place. Born in Kedah and raised in Perlis and Selangor states to Perakian Malay parents of Buginese descent from Kuala Kangsar and Batu Gajah, she began writing songs at age 14. She soon taught herself to play guitar, and by 2006, in need of a creative outlet while attending law school, performed for an audience for the first time. Yuna made her recorded debut album in Malaysia in 2008 with a self-titled EP, earned five Malaysian Music Awards nominations (the Malaysian equivalent of the Grammy). She took home four trophies, including Best New Artist and Best Song for her breakthrough hit "Dan Sebenarnya". The Decorate (EP) followed two years later. Decorate included the viral hit "Rocket," which won raves from Billboard magazine, indie rock radio station KEXP, and hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, as well as a feature in Spin's "Eight Bands You Need to Hear Now". For her performances, Yuna was nominated as one of MTV's Iggy's Best New Bands in the World in 2011, and she marked the occasion by playing at the historic MTV Studios. The 2012 single "Live Your Life", produced by Pharrell Williams, was a preamble to her self-titled full-length debut, which arrived that April. That summer, Yuna appeared at Lollapalooza. In 2013, Yuna returned with the album Nocturnal, featuring the single "Falling". In February 2016, Yuna previewed her third album with the release of "Places to Go", a single produced by hip-hop artist DJ Premier. The full album, Chapters, was released three months later. In December 2016, Chapters broke into the Top 10 of the Billboard Best R&B Albums of 2016: Critic's Pick; Chapters ranked at number 7. Yuna received an award for the Most Successful Malaysian Singer from the Malaysian Book Of Records. Chapters was also nominated in the Top 20 Best R&B Albums of 2016 by Rolling Stone magazine. Yuna performed as a special guest at the 2016 Soul Train Music Awards. In May 2017, Yuna became the first singer from Asia to be nominated for a BET Award; Yuna received a nomination for the BET Centric Award for "Crush", her duet single with Usher.
People
Pantheon has 7 people classified as Malaysian singers born between 1970 and 1986. Of these 7, 7 (100.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Malaysian singers include Siti Nurhaliza, Michael Wong, and Fish Leong. As of April 2024, 1 new Malaysian singers have been added to Pantheon including Nicholas Teo.
Living Malaysian Singers
Go to all Rankings
Siti Nurhaliza
1979 - Present
HPI: 47.73
Michael Wong
1970 - Present
HPI: 42.41
Fish Leong
1978 - Present
HPI: 36.71
Guy Sebastian
1981 - Present
HPI: 34.72
Nicholas Teo
1981 - Present
HPI: 33.97
Che'Nelle
1983 - Present
HPI: 33.06
Yuna
1986 - Present
HPI: 29.15
