Malaysia
- Language
- Malay
- Anthem
- Negaraku
- Duration
- 0:59
- Status
- Today, 'Negaraku' is performed in full for the King of Malaysia and in a shorter version for the Queen or other officials, with its original tempo restored.
Malaysia National Anthem History
Negaraku
Malaysia's national anthem, "Negaraku," surprisingly originated from a Seychelles tune hummed by a Perak Sultan's aide in 1888. It was adopted in 1957 upon independence, after its melody was chosen by a committee led by Tunku Abdul Rahman.
Malaysia
Negaraku
History timeline
-
1888
An aide to the Sultan of Perak, to avoid embarrassment, hummed a Seychelles tune, establishing it as Perak's state anthem.
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1920s-1930s
The melody gained popularity throughout Malaysia as the love song “Terang Bulan” after an Indonesian opera performance.
-
1957
A committee led by Tunku Abdul Rahman selected Perak's state anthem melody for the new national anthem of independent Malaysia.
-
1957
New lyrics were collectively written for the chosen melody by a panel of judges, led by Tunku Abdul Rahman.
-
1992
The anthem was rearranged to a livelier, march rhythm, which proved unpopular with the Malaysian public.
-
2003
The anthem's tempo was restored to its original, slower pace following public dissatisfaction with the 1992 rearrangement.
The melody for 'Negaraku' originated when an aide to the Sultan of Perak hummed a tune from the Seychelles, on the spot, to avoid admitting his state had no anthem.