Malaysian songwriter Zuriani Khalid Zonneveld tells ELIZABETH TAI how she cuts it in the City of Angels.

Fact File Name: Zuriani Khalid / Zuriani Zonneveld

Age: 41

Current base: Los Angeles

Zuriani Khalid Zonneveld did an about-turn from a potential diplomatic career to one in the songwriting business, with no rgrets.

Time abroad: all her life; in the US since 1981

Education: Northern Illinois University

Hometown: Kedah

IT WOULD have been so easy for Zuriani Khalid Zonneveld to just complete her degree in Economics and Political Science, and then follow her father’s foot-steps by joining the Malaysian foreign service. Having grown up in various countries — Germany, Egypt and India — thanks to her father’s diplomatic career, she would have been on a familiar road if she had pursued that path.

However, everything changed when she was 18. When she was studying in the United States, she discovered that people could have a career in writing songs.

Zuriani had always been interested in music. She started on the piano when she was four years old, learnt how to play the tabla and the sitar while in India, and was part of a group in Malaysia that played ethnic Malaysian instruments when she was 16.

After graduating, a determined Zuriani headed for Los Angeles to songwrite her way into the music industry. It was a very difficult decision then, as she was single and didn’t have any family or connections in that city.

She started with a few day jobs, which included waitressing. She taught herself the business and learnt the technical aspects of songwriting on the side.

Her first songwriting job was with BMG Malaysia, and she has since written for several well-known companies, including music giant Warner/Chappell.

She has worked with artistes like Philip Bailey (of Earth, Wind and Fire fame), Melissa Manchester, Chukii Booker, Steve Booker, Stephan Oberhoff, Vinx, Linda Thompson, Murlyn Music writers in Sweden and Norway, and two time Grammy winner Keb’Mo’.

Besides Malaysia and the United States, she has had releases in Hong Kong, Germany, Britain and Spain.

Married to American Arthur Zonneveld who is in the grocery delivery business, Zuriani is a songwriter and producer currently assigned to Big Life Music in London. The company pays her to write songs and, as a publisher, they pitch her songs to different artistes to get them cut. On an average, she writes about 55 songs per year.

Although based in Los Angeles, Zuriani still has her eye on Malaysia. She has written songs for Malaysian artistes like Siti Nurhaliza, Ella, Fauziah Latiff, Ziana Zain, Liza Hanim and KOOL. Some examples include Bagaikan Puteri sung by Farah, Satu Arah by KOOL, and Jalan Di Sisimu by Ella. She calls them “progressive Malay stuff”.

“I look at it as my way of staying in touch with Malaysia and Malaysians. I’m still a Malaysian. Although I have lived abroad a long time, I still keep my Malaysian passport,” she says with a tinge of pride in her voice.

After 15 years in the business, Zuriani has no regrets about her decision to become a songwriter.

When did you first start writing songs?

I’ve always been creative with the piano. I was always creating my own melodies and coming up with my own words. But I didn’t know that there was such a thing as a career in songwriting. That was quite a revelation.

It must have been quite a change — from a career in the foreign service to being a songwriter. Why did you decide to change?

Sometimes, I could still kick myself for it. But at the end of the day, you have to do what makes you happy. I think I would have been happy being in the foreign service but it would have been too political.

What were the first years in LA like?

Rent in LA is very expensive. Forty to 50% of your income goes to rent. Being a waitress was a much more lucrative job as far as paying the bills was concerned. I worked from 6am to 2.30pm, and I would make US$100 a day in tips. I would then take a nap and work from 4pm to 10pm on songwriting. That was my routine for a year and a half.

Fortunately, I knew some really good musicians and producers who produced all the big stars. They let me sit in their studios where I was able to observe how they worked.

It took me a long time to find a really good manager and publisher. I was with Warner/Chappell for many years. I was looking for a manager for many, many years and never found anyone I liked.

I met Paul Kennedy from England by chance. I was referred to him by this Swedish company called Murlyn Music. If there’s an album coming out in Britain, eight out of 10 songs would be from Murlyn Music. I do a lot of writing together with their writers. They write for Britney Spears, Atomic Kitten … anybody that has an album out, they’ve done it.

My publisher, Jazz Summers, and his partner, Tim Parry, are great. Big Life Music is a big independent publishing company. They’ve been really supportive and it’s like being in a family. As a songwriter for huge companies like Warner/Chappell and Sony, you can get lost in the shuffle. If you’re not an Elton John or a Sheryl Crowe, you don’t get any attention. That’s what happened to me.

At Big Life, I get a lot more attention. Jazz Summers used to manage Lisa Stansfield, Wham!, and George Michael, so I’m in good hands.

How is it like being a songwriter in LA?

I have the best of both worlds because I have a full-time career and a family. I have a five-year-old daughter and I still get to spend a lot of time with her and my husband.

I don’t feel like I am neglecting my family and that’s the best thing about being a songwriter.

What is your routine like?

I get up in the morning, have my cup of coffee, take my daughter to school and come back. I don’t have to dress up, put make-up on or drive anywhere. I work at home in my studio. It’s really conducive to my lifestyle and the kind person that I am.

What is the songwriting business in the United States like?

It is very cliquish. For example, if I wanted to work with a singer like Brandy, it is virtually impossible because Brandy’s husband has his own set of writers and they only work with their own people. They keep the pie to themselves. To get into these cliques is just impossible.

What about the Malaysian market?

It’s great. It’s very song-driven. In the US, before they even listen to your song, they want to see who wrote it first. In Malaysia, they listen to the song first. If it happens to be a known writer, fine. If it is not, they don’t really care. The emphasis is on getting a hit song out.

What kind of songs do you write?

I write all kinds. I don’t just stick to one type. I can write blues, ballads … but lately I’ve been doing a lot of R&B and pop rock. I’ve even written classical pop styles and have pitched songs to Charlotte Church. I am all over the place because I listened to all kinds of music when I was growing up. Some people only listen to one style of music, which is a pity.

What’s your favourite?

I like anything with soul. Even some rock has a lot of soul like Aerosmith. Some of that Britney Spears stuff doesn’t do anything for me, you know. It’s just all about skin and there’s not much substance to it.

What are the challenges in your job?

Getting my songs cut. It’s not about the lack of good songs in my catalogue. It’s a political game. It’s not really about the music either; it’s all about the business — that’s the problem.

What are the best things about the job?

Writing (songs) is such a spiritual experience for me, so I’m really in my zone. I’m very at home. I’ll do it till the day I die. Whether I’m successful or not, it doesn’t matter.

How do you feel when you hear your songs sung?

It’s very exciting because it takes so much to get there. The easiest part is writing the song. The most difficult part is the business part — getting it recorded and hopefully, the song will make it to the album. They’ll record about 16 to 22 songs and then they will pick the best 12 or 14, so somebody’s gonna get cut. Then the next stage is recording the song with the artiste. Then finally, you find out whether you make it on the album or not.

You go through all these painful stages. And if your song becomes a single, that’s amazing. If it’s a single, you’ll hear it on the radio. In Malaysia, I have tons of songs. Once I was in Langkawi and the radio played three different songs by different artistes, and they were all my songs. That was really fun.

What advice would you give to aspiring songwriters?

You need to always keep challenging yourself. And you have to have an instinct for a chorus. That’s the most important — what makes a good chorus.

Zuriani can be contacted at
twobz@hotmail.com.

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