SINGERS from Malaysia

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 56.34, Siti Nurhaliza is the most famous Malaysian Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 76 different languages on wikipedia.

Siti Nurhaliza binti Tarudin (Jawi: سيتي نورهاليزا بنت تارودين, [ˈsiti nʊrhaˈliza ˈbinti taˈrudɪn]; born 11 January 1979) is a Malaysian singer, songwriter, and actress. Referred to as the "Voice of Asia", she is regarded as one of the most influential artists in the Malay world. She has recorded songs in multiple languages, including Malay, English, Arabic, Mandarin, Japanese, and Tamil. Siti debuted 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 two awards for Best Performance and Best Ballad. It was later included in her self-titled debut studio album (1996), which sold over 800,000 copies in Malaysia. Her self-titled sophomore album (1997) was similarly successful, selling over 400,000 copies in the country and over 500,000 copies in Indonesia, and was certified 6× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Malaysia (RIM). In 1998, Siti performed during the closing ceremony of 1998 Commonwealth Games in front of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. In 2001, Siti's record sales contributed to ten percent of Malaysia's total album sales of that year. Her concert at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in 2004 drew around 70,000 people, making it the most-attended concert in Kuala Lumpur until Coldplay surpassed it in 2023. In 2005, Siti became the first Southeast Asian singer, and third Asian singer to perform a solo concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London with accompaniment from the London Symphony Orchestra. That same year, she was listed second by MTV Asia in Asia's Best Musical Artiste and was named as the Biggest Asian Artiste by Channel V. Siti is one of the best-selling recording artists in Malaysian history, having sold over six million copies of her albums. Four of her albums are among the best-selling albums of all time in the country. Her various accolades include 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, and five records in the Malaysia Book of Records. She was voted Most Popular Regional Artiste for ten consecutive years between 2001 and 2011 in the Anugerah Planet Muzik, and was named one of the world's 500 Most Influential Muslims from 2015 to 2024. She was named Biduanita Negara (National Songstress) at the 2024 National Arts Awards, making her the third artist to have received the honor after Saloma and Datuk Sharifah Aini.

2. Michael Wong (b. 1970)

With an HPI of 48.89, Michael Wong is the 2nd most famous Malaysian Singer.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Michael Wong Kong Leong (Chinese: 王光良; pinyin: Wáng Guāngliáng, Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Vòng Kông-liòng; 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 45.83, Fish Leong is the 3rd most famous Malaysian Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Fish Leong Ching Yu (simplified Chinese: 梁静茹; traditional Chinese: 梁靜茹, born Leong Chui Peng Chinese: 梁翠萍 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 43.24, 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, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame after winning the first season of Australian Idol, in 2003. Born in Malaysia and raised in Adelaide, Australia, Sebastian has since released eleven top ten albums, including three number ones. Eight have 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. Twelve of his singles have been certified multi-platinum, including the 14× platinum "Battle Scars". His debut single "Angels Brought Me Here" was the highest selling song in Australia in the decade 2000 to 2009. With eighty-two platinum and seven gold certifications and combined album and single sales of over six 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 3x 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 eleven platinum and five 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. Sebastian was previously an ambassador for World Vision Australia and the Australian Red Cross. Together with his spouse Jules, Sebastian created "The Sebastian Foundation." 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 was 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 2024 Sebastian was inducted into the South Australian Music Hall of Fame

5. Che'Nelle (b. 1983)

With an HPI of 42.04, Che'Nelle is the 5th most famous Malaysian Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Cheryline Ernestine Lim, known by her stage name Che'Nelle, is an Australian singer-songwriter. She gained popularity in Japan with the release of her debut studio album, Things Happen for a Reason (2007).

6. Nicholas Teo (b. 1981)

With an HPI of 41.90, Nicholas Teo is the 6th 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)

7. Yuna (b. 1986)

With an HPI of 39.35, Yuna is the 7th most famous Malaysian Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Yunalis Mat Zara'ai (Jawi: يوناليس بنت مد ظراعي; born 14 November 1986), known professionally as Yuna, is a Malaysian singer-songwriter. 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.