WAVES were made through the entertainment world in late March last year when Malaysian girl group Dolla dropped their debut single Dolla Make You Wanna.
A crescendo of praise hailed the group’s success in breaking through pop music barriers at the local and regional level.
The group, comprising Sabronzo, Tabby, Syasya and Angel, also displayed their prowess with dance moves and musical output that can rival groups in other markets.
Meant to be
Tabby told theSun that as a child, she was shy, although lively.
She became more outgoing and self-confident as she grew up, with encouragement from her parents.
Stressing how her parents mean the world to her, Tabby also said she loved singing even at a very young age.
Her musical passion was bolstered by a supportive family who sent her for singing lessons.
By the ages of ten to 14, Tabby was already no stranger to talent and singing competitions, along with charity events and musicals.
A brief hiatus from singing was taken during her A-Level years, before Tabby plunged back into singing as she started university at age 18.
“My university was very helpful as they gave me a full talent scholarship, allowing me to pursue my dreams early,” said Tabby, who has been singing for almost two decades.
“I had been looking for a music label to pursue my dream of becoming an artiste when I saw an advertisement for auditions for girl groups,” Tabby said, which led to her joining Dolla.
Not just singing
Tabby came to the group via a different route from her mates.
“Syasya and Sabronzo come from dancing backgrounds, and Angel used to do ballet when she was younger. I never had any formal dance training, nor did I dance,” she said.
Tabby never expected having to dance seriously as part of a career, let alone as part of a career that also involved singing.
“I worked very hard at the beginning when we came out with Dolla Make You Wanna to try and keep up with the other girls. I’d have to thank Ezra and Uncommon Studio for working so hard to train me (in dancing) and of course, the girls for guiding me along the way”.
Knowing that the path she was always going to take was in the entertainment industry, Tabby let music guide her towards that destiny.
She describes music as a “saviour” that got her through difficult times in her life.
However, Tabby also recognises the importance of skills-based education, and has opted for a degree course in business.
“I believe it is so important to have a good educational background to fall back on or to rely on. It would be interesting to see how my business degree helps in the future,” she said with a laugh. “Who knows, I might start a business of my own.”
Future highlights
Recently, Tabby was featured on the track Malaysia Di Hatiku, with Yonnyboii, Luca Sickta and Kmy Kmo.
Always wanting to release a patriotic song, Tabby explained that the collaboration was made possible as Universal Music Malaysia was looking for a female singer to contribute to the track.
Tabby revealed that after being in a state of lockdown for so long, the team has drawn up a plan, with a new song likely to come out soon.
“This time around, it is a chill song, full of positive and motivating energy. So I’m really hoping that the fans will love this one as much as we do. Other than that, we also have a lot of exciting work with Samsung, and YouTube content that will be coming soon.”
