Facts about Malaysia girl group, Dolla
Malaysia brims with local talents. Looking to bring back girl groups for a new generation, and a slice of K-pop to our country’s buzzing music scene is Dolla – a Malaysian girl group releasing catchy songs with music videos comprising aesthetic themes and impressive dance routines. Here are eight facts about Dolla to know about the group, who recently graced a prominent billboard in New York’s Times Square.
1. Dolla is a four-member girl group from Malaysia
Image adapted from: @dolla.official and @dolla.official
Dolla, comprising four members, was formed in 2019 following a series of auditions held by Universal Music Malaysia, which was on the hunt for talented singers and dancers. Much like popular groups known in the West and South Korea that were formed through similar audition processes, the group’s members did not know each other prior to becoming part of the group.
Fast-forward to March 2020, and the members were signed to Universal Music and officially unveiled to the public via the release of their debut single, Dolla Make You Wanna.
Their line-up, in age order from the oldest, consists of Sabrina Rusli, better known by her stage name Sabronzo, from KL; Tabitha Ariel Lam, or Tabby, from KL; Angelina Chai Ka Ying, or Angel, from Sarawak; and Noorsyasya Afiqah Shahrizal, or Syasya, from KL.
Image adapted from: @dolla.official and @dolla.official
Their roles in the group are as follows:
- Sabronzo: main rapper, main dancer and lead vocalist
- Tabby: main vocalist and visual
- Angel: lead vocalist and visual
- Syasya: lead dancer, lead rapper, and lead vocalist
2. They sing and rap in Bahasa Malaysia and English
Image credit: @dolla.official
Their debut song Dolla Make You Wanna has lyrics in Bahasa Malaysia (BM) sung over a catchy dance track, with the occasional use of English peppered throughout. Their second single Impikan, released on October 2020, also contains BM lyrics referencing girl power and self-confidence.
Looking to appeal to a wider audience, the group released an English version of Impikan called Watch Me Glow, showing that the girls can indeed do it all.
They recently branched further out from their usual dance-focused tracks with their latest all-BM single Berani too, which means “Brave” in English. It’s a slow-paced song unlike their previous singles that showcases all four girls’ vocal chops – but with the same message of female empowerment.
3. They appeared on a Times Square billboard ad in 2021
Image credit: @dollaofficialMY
Just a year into their debut, Dolla achieved a notable feat in their careers after being featured in a New York Times Square billboard ad as a part of Spotify’s EQUAL campaign.
They represented Malaysia and Singapore’s joint playlists in the global music campaign, which aimed to highlight female artists from 50 countries via 35 EQUAL playlists. Dolla became the third Malaysian act to have their faces gracing the billboard that overlooks an iconic part of New York – Times Square – following after the footsteps of female artists Yuna and Layla Sania.
4. There is a massive art mural of them in KL
Image credit: @dolla.official
Their faces are not just splashed across a major billboard in cities abroad. In the heart of KL, all four members are depicted in an art mural done by local graffiti artist Lowkey, which captured the girls’ visuals in vibrant colours on the side of a building facade on Jalan Gereja.
The art mural was done in partnership with Samsung – which is one of several collaborations the girls have under their belts, having worked with Hyundai and Gucci in the past too.
5. Their fans are officially called iDolla
Image adapted from: @dolla.official
Like fellow popular artists with a loyal following, Dolla has a fanbase in their own name – iDolla, pronounced ‘I dollar”. They even have their own official Telegram account. With the support of their loyal fans and interest from Malaysians and beyond, the group has amassed over 85,000 followers on Instagram, 128,000 subscribers on YouTube and 660,000 followers on TikTok to date.
To connect with their fans during the pandemic, the members often share dance practice videos, vlogs and behind-the-scenes videos on YouTube, and dance challenges and more on Instagram and TikTok. Each member also has their own personal Instagram account.
6. They want to forge their own path
Image credit: @dolla.official
Dolla is often compared to K-pop girl group, BlackPink. The two groups have the same head count, for starters, and similar performance styles. Concepts for their songs often take on feminine meets effortless cool, or ‘girl crush’, concepts that the latter is known for too.
Following talk of similarities between the two group from netizens, Dolla admitted to looking up to the Korean girl group. They’ve also done song and dance covers of BlackPink several times too. But they’ve told the media that they did not try to imitate anyone and any overlaps spotted are coincidental. Their aim is to showcase their talents as a group who sings and dances, as there aren’t many groups like them stemming from Malaysia.
Showing that their uniquely Malaysian identity is their release of their song Raya Raya Raya in April 2020. The song incorporated baju kurung and kebaya into its concept, while paying homage to traditional Hari Raya songs and activities surrounding the holiday in its music video.
7. They call themselves ‘PKP Princesses’
Image credit: @dolla.official
Dolla debuted in March 2020 with their first single right when the pandemic struck in Malaysia and a strict lockdown was enforced. Nonetheless, while they’ve not been able to put on shows and meet their fans – something K-pop acts regularly do to show off their moves and more – the girl group has said that they have no regrets about making their debut during the pandemic.
This is all thanks to their loyal fans and the responses they’ve received for their music.
They’ve even joked that a nickname of the group is ‘PKP princesses’ – or ‘Movement Control Order princesses’, based on the acronym for the nationwide lockdown in Bahasa Malaysia. As their career was launched in the midst of a pandemic, they lent their voices to a fundraising campaign song called Heal, which featured fellow Southeast Asian female artists too.
8. Their music videos have reached impressive milestones
Image credit: YouTube / Dolla
Despite having only debuted in 2020, Dolla’s music videos have already racked up impressive numbers on YouTube. Impikan has 5 million views, while Dolla Make You Wanna racked in 4.2 million views and Raya Raya Raya, 4.3 million views to date. Two weeks from its release, Impikan received over a million views on YouTube.
Facts about Malaysian girl group, Dolla
It isn’t hard to find talented individuals in Malaysia who are looking to make a mark locally and abroad. Not left out of this group is Dolla, a Malaysian girl group with a growing fanbase and discography as shown by these eight facts about them.
If you enjoyed these facts about Dolla, read more here:
- Ronny Chieng: 8 facts to know about the Malaysian-born comedian in Shang-Chi
- Mokhtar Dahari: 11 facts every millennial should know about the national footballer
- Abdul Latif Romly: 10 facts about two-time Paralympic gold medalist
Cover image adapted from: @dolla.official and @dollaofficialMY
Drop us your email so you won't miss the latest news.
