loQue is the founder of Butterfingers, one of the earliest and most successful independent bands in the history of Malaysian music. He has been in the industry since 1993. That is almost 18 years of experience under his belt. He is also the main lyricist and composer for the band.
Butterfingers was founded back in 1992. Their first gig was in 1995 and since then the band has keep on building up their success story. To date their albums (4 English albums, 2 Malay albums and 2 compilation albums) have sold over 200,000 copies. They have headlined countless of sold-out concerts first ever band allowed to hold a self-organized sold-out farewell showcase at the prestigious Istana Budaya in January 2009. They have also been nominated for numerous AIM awards since 2002 and won the best music video award in 2009.
monoloQue, loQue’s alter-ego was born in 2004 when he felt something were missing with his life, both musically and personally. The band he founded took a hiatus and he knew he needed a fresh start. In 2005 he applied for Berkeley College of Music in Boston and was immediately accepted. He graduated top of his class in a double major degree in music composition and synthesis at the end of 2009.
loQue creates contemporary Malaysian sound interwoven with beautifully crafted Bahasa Malaysia lyrics and it works. He makes it cool. The fact that the public are acceptance to such music proved that we can have a sound that is uniquely Malaysian, devoid of the Western influence.
Now that he is back, he is striving to make changes to the music industry in Malaysia which he thinks has been too Westernized. He wants to educate the younger generation that it is okay to be proud of our own language, culture and history, that it is important to have your own unique identity.