A disc jockey, music producer, remixer and occasional model, Arsham Pour epitomises the importance of never giving up to achieve his own dream. He came to Malaysia to study Recording Arts at Limkokwing University’s Sound and Music Design Academy
Choosing Limkokwing
“I wanted to study music in my country, but I did not get that opportunity back in my home country,” he said.
He came to Malaysia with his brother, Armia to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.
For them, it was pure luck to be able to discover a place where they could study more about music.
The brothers discovered Limkokwing University by chance while they were visiting Malaysia. It was at an education fair that they had the opportunity to meet a representative of the University who informed them of the opportunity to nurture their talents and pursue their dreams.
It was then that they started their own music brand.
Trail of Accomplishments
As a band, they have released 10 songs with 4 music videos on their own Vevo Channel. They were also voted as one of the Top 10 Remixes at World Contest by Spinnin’ Records contest.
Their music style is categorised as Electronic Dance Music and their single ‘Safe Train’ received two awards for ‘Best Original Song’ as well as ‘Best Music Video’ by IndieWise USA.
By 2016, the brothers received several recognitions for their work including ‘Winner of Industry Boost Competition 2016’, chosen by Reverbnation as Number 1 DJ in Malaysia, official MAC DJ 2016, Official Coca Cola DJ 2016, and were featured on the cover of DJ magazine in September 2016.
Social Media Support
Arsham explained that in today’s digital environment social media plays a major role in a music artist’s success. For them, it meant that they would have to strategise the social media branding and presence during the earliest stage.
“We were able to ask our friends and fans to help us by supporting us,” he added. “We kept getting more votes until we reached the top.”
According to him, careful planning of social media presence enabled their band to be recognised while staying ahead of the competition. Judges often look for artists and performers with large fan base and followers.
“We were able to use Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, because we have a lot of fans on social media,” he added. “Thanks to our fans, they helped us to win.”
Creative Lessons
Arsham credited Limkokwing University’s lecturers for providing him with step-by-step guidance to create music videos and audios. At the same time, the University also provides support in developing students’ creativity.
“My lecturers helped me a lot,” he said. “They taught me modern harmony and music composition while utilising melodies that meet industry levels.”
The lecturers at the University also provided industry insights to make melodies sound better on various mediums. During classes, he also learned a wide variety of music forms from classical styles to modern approaches.
“They always asked me to be creative,” he said about the University’s lecturers. “We were given the opportunity to expand our ideas and experiment.”
“We also combined classical music with electronic music to create something very unique,” he said. “That was one of the key points which enabled us to win.”
Advice to Students
“In short, the idea is to never give up,” he said while advising other aspiring talents to do what they love to do and keep doing it.
“You have to dare to do something big and ignore the bad things by keeping your focus.”
