Peninsular musician pays tribute to Mt Kinabalu

Proud moment: Bangkuai (second from left) launching the ‘Oh Kinabalu’ song and music video in Kota Kinabalu with Lewis (second from right).

KOTA KINABALU: He had been captivated by the majestic Mount Kinabalu even as a young boy.

“I’ve always wanted to honour the mountain. Since I was a young boy, I have been fascinated by it,” said musician Justin Lewis, 41.

His chance has come.

The music video of Oh Kinabalu, the Bahasa Malaysia song he wrote dedicated to the country’s highest peak, was launched by Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai on Saturday.

Besides featuring a group of traditionally dressed dancers, the music video also has shots of the iconic mountain, the Melangkap River and Kudat’s Tip of Borneo, among others.

Oh Kinabalu is available on YouTube (https://youtu.be/ZotoxPSI9l8).

Shooting the video took time as they needed clear skies to capture the mountain in the backdrop, said Lewis, who is from Selangor.

Also referred to as the One & Only JLewis, he comes from a musical family.

His father plays the guitar while his uncle is Lewis Pragasam, the renowned drummer.

Lewis, who started to compose the song in December last year, said he often mingled with students from Sabah and Sarawak during his university days, and has been living in Sabah for the past four years.

“Whenever we drive up towards the mountain, stopping by Pekan Nabalu is a must for me to catch a glimpse of the mountain,” he said, although he has never climbed Mount Kinabalu.

He launched two other singles during Saturday’s event: Lonely and My Lady.

He and his team also launched the “TikTok Oh Kinabalu” challenge (https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSdUJmkqT/) for people to post dance videos with Mount Kinabalu in the background.

Bangkuai, who is Sabah Tourism Board chairman, praised Lewis’ dedication and expressed hope that Oh Kinabalu would gain recognition.

“It is admirable to see a non-Sabahan singing about the beauty of our state. At Sabah Tourism, we’d like to see other artistes follow suit and use music to promote places of interest, particularly in rural areas,” he added.