Artist Profiles: Alena Murang

Singer-songwriter, sape player, and educator Alena Murang is a Borneo-born Kelabit Dayak-European living in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), who sings in the endangered language of the Kelabit and Kenyah. Dayak are the native people of Borneo.

Alena is one of the first women to play the sapé, a lute instrument from Borneo traditionally (pre-1930s) reserved for male healers.

Deeply influenced by the lives of her ancestors, coupled with influences of rock and folk, her shows are a journey of past and present, along the mighty Baram river that runs from the coast to the highlands
of Borneo, through the world’s oldest rainforest.

Alena is also a dancer, sapé educator and visual artist. She was part of the revival movement of the sapé, in the early 2000s, 20 years ago, in the first batch of students from sapé master and Sarawak living heritage Mathew Ngau Jau.

Currently, Alena travels to festivals throughout the world, sharing the music of her people. Her first EP was Flight (2016), where she presented recreations of traditional Kelabit and Kenyah (two endangered languages in Malaysia) songs. For Alena, it was important to do this, as there were just a handful of good quality digital recordings of these lesser known songs.

In 2021, Alena released Sky Songs, inspired by the stories of her ancestors that lived in the skies and on Earth.

“The album is called Sky Songs because it is a representation of our ancestors and how sacred our lives on Earth are“, said Alena Murang.

Alena received a special recognition award (Pengiktirafan Khas) from the Sarawak State Government in March 2021.

In May 2024, Alena released the following singles: “War Cry” with Marsha Milan and Velvet Aduk; “Bejugit Betanda Menari” (Dance Dance Dance) with Saba (Borneo, Malaysia) musician Velvet Aduk for the annual Gawai Dayak holiday; and “Anun Bala” with Sauljaljui (Taiwan) and Mathew Ngau Jau.

In 2025, coinciding with the launch of Sarawak Biodiversity Policy Statement and Master Plan, Alena was appointed Sarawak’s Biodiversity Ambassador. Furthermore, at the Expo 2025 in Osaka, Alena was featured as one of Malaysia’s iconic figures at the Malaysia Pavilion.

Also in 2025, the single “Borneo Rain” was recorded in Kelabit, Malay and instrumental versions, and was released in time for the International Mother Earth Day. Additionally, the song “Jaga Alam” was released to celebrate World Biodiversity Day and the Gawai Dayak festivities.

Read more about Alena: Interview with Borneo’s Sapé Player Alena Murang

Discography:

Flight (2016)
Sky Songs (Wind Music International, 2021)

Author: Angel Romero

Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.