Where were you when ira4ma first appeared on your radar? For many of us, it was her song “Magazine” popping up in YouTube recommendations — some kind of algorithmic magic introducing us to an underground Malaysian singer who wrote and recorded the song in just three days. No label, no big studio, just BandLab and a dream. The comments buzzed with comparisons, calling her the Malaysian Effie, the South Korean sad-girl hyperpop poster child, fueled by teens who spend too much time on Discord.

In the homemade music video, ira4ma wears a brown hijab and fluffy white earmuffs, her grey cat Kapten Jack lounging in the background, all seemingly captured on her webcam. Innocence radiates from her body language as she lip-syncs to the camera as if it were a mirror with no one watching — a sight that jolted me straight back to 2018, when Clairo’s “Pretty Girl” first blew up online. Similarly, “Magazine” too tells the story of a girl navigating the insecurity borne from a relationship, quietly demanding more from a boy who clearly has nothing to offer.

The Shah Alam–based singer is only 18. Warmly known as Ira, she uploaded her first self-written song, “WCB (What Could’ve Been)”, just a year ago — a formulaic saccharine lo-fi bedroom pop track, first surfaced after the end of a relationship. Making music became her refuge from heartbreak, and this eventually led to her debut SoundCloud album Was This All Written For Me? Many assumed her next step would remain a continuous path of this sappy tween pop that perhaps will lead to mainstream breakthrough, echoing Yuji and Putri Dahlia’s million-streamed “Old Love”.

But Ira instead gravitated toward hyperpop, dissecting tracks by 2hollis and Lucy Bedroque, experimenting with glitchy aesthetics, singing over YouTube beats and recording music on BandLab — a software she found embarrassing to work on because “everyone else is using cool stuff.” Encouraged by musician peers, she released “Magazine” on SoundCloud first. From that point, nothing was the same.

Hyperpop, which she describes as “keyboard music with video game beats and you just sing over it,” has become her playground. Since its October release, “Magazine” — made with beats found randomly on YouTube and mixed by her friend 4jayy — has exploded online, drawing attention from niche magazines in Tokyo, Seoul, Paris and even offers from labels behind Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan. Today, the music video of her sweetly lip-syncing the line “Crying / Finding / Love without a magazine”, has over one million views across social media. I spoke to Ira last month to hear what life has been like since her sudden rise, her hyperpop experiments and what’s next for a girl whose main goal is simply to have fun. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Farhira: I discovered your music the way a lot of people probably did, through YouTube recommendations. And like a lot of people, I was really surprised you’re from Malaysia.

Ira: Do I not look Malaysian? (laughs)

F: You do, but you didn’t explode locally. You went viral overseas first, that was the surprising part for me.

I: Yeah, I was pretty surprised too. At first I was just promoting my music like usual. I expected the video to maybe get high views, but I didn’t expect people outside Malaysia to notice. It was quite crazy.

F: You first started with bedroom pop music that you’ve shared on SoundCloud since last year. And now you’re known for hyperpop music, and the jump is kinda big and drastic. You also said that you weren’t even familiar with hyperpop at first — you just wanted to try it.

I: Yeah, it was just an experiment.

F: The thing is, even though you said you were experimenting, I feel like you understand hyperpop’s aesthetics. How did you build that understanding?

I: I guess I just like hyperpop. I tried many times to get the sound right by listening to a lot of hyperpop to understand what I loved about it. A lot of hyperpop is more rap-focused, so I tried to do it with singing. That’s how I made “Magazine” in three days.

F: So how did you decide that “Magazine” was good enough as a hyperpop track to release?

I: Honestly, before I posted it on TikTok, I asked my friend if it was good enough because I was still new to the genre to know what’s good. He told me to just post it and see people’s reaction. I thought people were going to hate it. I was scared but I did it anyway.

F: What were you afraid people would criticize?

I: That the song was basic, and also because I’m wearing the hijab. I was scared people would question, “What is she trying to do?” I was afraid people would call me a poser.

F: When you released the song, did you immediately decide to make the music video?

I: I made the video because the song started gaining traction. What’s crazy is that the day before I released it on all platforms, I had two presentations. I had class from 1pm to 6pm. I was so busy that day! I shot the video the day before and edited it inside a surau a few hours before launching it. 

F: That’s crazy. I love how you were just experimenting and being random, and suddenly here’s 700,000 views on Instagram alone. It’s insane.

I: I was anxious but also happy watching the numbers rise. Suddenly people all over the world were listening. It was a lot to process.

F: Was “Magazine” inspired by a real-life experience?

I: Ooh, girl. Okay, so people keep asking me, “What does ‘love without a magazine’ mean?”

F: I was going to ask that!

I: Okay, I’ve been dying to tell someone. The song is about being in a relationship where you don’t feel like the person is sincere. They’re with you because they want to show you off. I was in a relationship where I didn’t want to rush things but he kept showing me off. It’s like when someone makes it in the industry, they’ll appear on magazine covers, right? That’s what he did to me: he displayed me like I was in a magazine. I’m just trying to find love without being exploited.

F: Oh wow, that’s a really interesting way to talk about that feeling.

I: In the song, I’m expressing the frustration of not finding someone who wouldn’t treat me like that. But at the same time, I don’t want to find anyone else. It’s a push and pull.

F: Does he know he inspired the song?

I: No, I don’t talk to him anymore (laughs). But I don’t think he understands enough English to get it anyway.

F: You told me that right after “Magazine” went viral, you began to receive offers from record labels. What did you do with those offers?

I: Since I just started and I’m still in uni, I haven’t decided anything. I’m still exploring. But the labels that approached me were pretty big, so I was shocked.

F: So getting signed isn’t really a priority since you’re studying?

I: Yeah, that’s one thing. And also, honestly, I never wanted music to be my career. I made it for fun, like I didn’t expect anything from it. When I released it, suddenly people started questioning me for wearing the hijab while making music. I was like, what? It’s just my hobby!

F: Some of the comments pointed out how you’re a hijabi making hyperpop. Apparently, it’s an odd sight for them.

I: Yes, some people joked about me being “2hijabi” or “2nurul” (laughs). I wanted to like those comments so badly but I couldn’t! And yeah, some people said it’s haram to make music. But I’m doing this for fun, I just didn’t expect it to blow up. And I never claimed to be perfect.

F: As a hijabi myself, I don’t like it when people decide what I can or can’t do. Even something as simple as running a music magazine can seem unusual to them, like they think hijabis aren’t supposed to have hobbies like this.

I: Definitely. And also, when I was on the phone with some labels, they asked about live performances. But since I wear the hijab, I have my own boundaries. I haven’t thought about performing live. Like, I wear tudung labuh when I go out, I can’t imagine myself wearing it on stage. It feels funny performing hyperpop dressed like that. So I told them I haven’t decided yet.

F: Hyperpop is very shaped by the internet. Without the internet, it wouldn’t exist. How has the internet shaped you and your music?

I: Ooh, that’s a good question. When I was a kid, my sister used to play the most random songs on her laptop, from Chinese to Thai to everything in between. That exposure made me more open. And for people my age, I feel like we don’t have that many limits to what we can see online. So discovering all this was just part of growing up in an environment where no one judged what you listened to.

F: Are you working on anything new?

I: Yes, I work on music every day. I do it to relieve stress. I made a TikTok the other day, joking about how my breakup turned me into a SoundCloud rapper, but it was true! I was so heartbroken I started making music. Since “Magazine” is my first hyperpop track, I’m still exploring my sound.

F: With all the attention you’re getting from “Magazine”, do you feel the pressure to keep the momentum going?

I: Yes, of course. I got all this attention from just one song so can you imagine the pressure? But I’m figuring it out. I feel really lucky with the reception and offers I’ve received, alhamdulillah.

F: So how do you tell yourself that it’s okay if the next song isn’t as big as “Magazine”? Or do you still aim for that same level?

I: Honestly, not really. I don’t mind if I can just maintain what I have. I’m not asking for more. The pressure is still there, but I have other priorities now, so I can deal with it slowly. Even if I take it slow, I think there will always be people out there who’ll listen.