Good things come in threes. For young Malaysian musician Belle Sisoski, the past year has been marked by three notable milestones: the release of her debut album Ethnosphere, a headlining concert at Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS in Kuala Lumpur in April and, most recently, her participation in Toyota’s Move Your World Beat, an Asian music project that brings together artistes from across the region.
"What initially attracted me to Toyota’s Move Your World Beat project was the creative concept of bringing together different cultures, sounds and musical identities through one shared experience," said Belle, who was in Nagoya, Japan last week for the Toyota's One Team Asia event, coinciding with the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games.
The event also marked the introduction of Toyota Motor Asia’s Move Your World Beat initiative, with Belle and fellow collaborators taking the stage to perform New Day Rising, the track leading the campaign. The regional line-up featured Valentina Ploy (Thailand), Ben&Ben (the Philippines), Natasha Noorani (Pakistan) and Shye (Singapore), while 2Pillz (Vietnam) joined through a video message.
"As a solo artist who works extensively with traditional instruments and contemporary electronic production, the idea of connecting people through music really resonated with me," said Belle, who turned 21 recently and continues to explore new creative opportunities.
'Freedom to experiment'
In the cross-cultural New Day Rising, Belle incorporated elements of Malaysian traditional instruments, including the rebab and serunai associated with Kelantan’s Mak Yong, as well as gamelan and instruments reflecting Chinese and Indian influences.
The songwriting began with discussions in October last year, followed by online exchanges as the artistes developed their individual ideas into a collective composition.
Born in Kuching, Sarawak, and now based in Kuala Lumpur, the multi-instrumentalist, producer and singer-songwriter plays more than 30 traditional instruments and has a five-octave vocal range. A cross-border collaboration offered fertile ground for her musical curiosity, allowing her to explore different influences and perspectives.
"One of the most exciting parts was having the freedom to experiment with music production beyond conventional methods. For my solo track, Further Forward, I recorded sounds from a Toyota car, including its indicators, doors and engine, and transformed them into musical elements before combining them with traditional South-East Asian instruments and electronic production," said Belle.
"Through a project like this, I hope people who might initially discover my music through electronic beats or contemporary production become curious about the traditional instruments behind those sounds. If hearing an instrument like the tapi, rebab or engkerurai for the first time inspires someone to discover its cultural origins, that already means a great deal to me," said Belle, who brings the tapi – a traditional two-string boat lute of the Lun Bawang (and Lun Dayeh) community in the highlands of northern Sarawak – into focus through the Toyota music project.
"I want to show that traditional music isn’t something that belongs only to the past. It can continue evolving, connecting cultures and finding its place in contemporary music without losing its identity."
Being an inspiration
In Nagoya, Belle appeared at ease sharing the stage with performers from diverse musical backgrounds, prompting a question about the importance of young women seeing female musicians like her bring traditional instruments onto contemporary stages.
Not so long ago, traditional instruments such as the sape were largely regarded as the domain of male musicians in Malaysia.
That perception, however, is gradually changing.
"Representation is incredibly important, especially when it comes to challenging people’s perceptions of what an artiste or musician is expected to look like or do," said Belle.
"Growing up, I was trained in classical piano and violin, and gradually became increasingly interested in music production, electronic music and traditional instruments. Today, my performances involve everything from playing multiple instruments to live electronic production, deejaying and singing," she added.
Her mother, a music teacher, is a guiding influence, while her thesis on the ethnomusicology of the Iban community in Sarawak was one of the early experiences that helped shape Belle’s musical thinking.
Belle sees these musical disciplines as distinct, but has never allowed gender to dictate the instruments she plays or the directions she pursues. Instead, she approaches music with curiosity, a spirit of experimentation and a readiness to learn.
"It’s also important to acknowledge that women have always played significant roles in preserving and shaping traditional music and cultural practices," said Belle, whose social media following has not overshadowed her thoughtful and articulate approach to music and its cultural roots.
"If seeing me perform traditional instruments alongside electronic music encourages a young girl to pick up an instrument, explore music production or pursue something unconventional, it’ll mean I’m doing something right," she added.
A dream year
From her early days as a teenage YouTube sensation with a sizeable international following, Belle has evolved into a musician and producer steadily establishing her name through original material.
She has performed on stages both at home and abroad, with some appearances marking defining moments in her career.
"This year has been quite a surreal year for me. Every project has been significant in its own way, but if I had to choose one that has had the biggest personal impact, it would definitely be my concert with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO)," said Belle.
For the ambitious musician, Ethnosphere began as a creative vision to bring together three distinct musical worlds: traditional South-East Asian instruments, cinematic orchestration and electronic dance music.
"To finally hear my own compositions performed live with a full symphony orchestra, conducted by Gerard Salonga, was something incredibly special," said Belle.
The album is built around five elements, with each track marking a different stage of the journey and opening up a philosophical and spiritual space through its sound and imagery.
Taking the album to a major concert stage was an opportunity to grow in confidence as a musician.
"It was more than just a concert. It felt like a childhood dream come true, where years of experimenting, learning and developing my own musical identity had finally come together on one stage," she said.
"Seeing a full house (at DFP) embrace this rather unconventional combination of genres was especially meaningful."
Looking back, Belle sees her MPO experience as a reminder that music need not conform to established genres or formulas to find common ground with audiences.
"At the same time, working with Toyota has opened another exciting chapter, bringing my music and cultural roots to a much wider international audience," she concluded.
