This 13-Year-Old Drummer is Not Your Average Malaysian Teen

Nur Amira Syahira was only eight years old when she picked up her first pair of drumsticks. Out of all the musical instruments she has seen, the drums piqued her interest. She thought it was strange and interesting that it comes in so many different shapes and sizes, and she really wanted to give it a try. The excited little lass managed to convince her parents to get her a drum set, and the rest is history. Now, 13-year-old Amira has become one of the most sought-after young female drummers in the country!

Oh, and did we mention that Amira has her own YouTube channel? She has uploaded more than 200 videos of her drum covers and accumulated more than 43 million views in merely five years! Recently, she hit the 100,000-subscribers mark and successfully received a Silver Play button from YouTube.

So how did she do it?

Would you believe it if we told you that Amira learned her drum skills and techniques purely off YouTube alone? Yup. The girl has NEVER attended a single drum lesson! Some of her idols in the industry are Meytal Cohen, Joey Jordison from Slipknot, and Black from Malaysian band, Wings. “I feel like you can find and learn anything on YouTube. So I never felt the need to go for drum classes,” she said.

Amira first performed in public at a small gig in Penang when she was nine years old along with a band of adults. It was an overwhelming feeling for her having hundreds of pairs of eyes watching her on stage because she had always been used to just listening to songs and jamming in a closed studio. But the young girl managed to overcome her nerves and successfully played 10 songs straight!

However, it’s not easy for the teen to perform with a group of seasoned musicians decades her senior.

“Sometimes, the songs that they pick are very difficult for me to keep up, like hardcore metal songs. I can’t afford to refuse, so I just try my best to go with the flow and follow along. Of course, the scolding is inevitable whenever I make a mistake. But the uncles would cut me some slack at times and play songs which are easier for me to catch,” Amira shared.

This continuous experience toughened Amira and eventually led her to an unforgettable performance with Indonesian band Wali. The band saw her drum cover of one of their songs, "Nenekku Pahlawanku" on YouTube. They recognised her talent and invited her to perform with them when they held a concert in Johor last year.

No doubt, YouTube has become a huge stepping stone for Amira to grow her drum career and she will definitely stick around for a while.

“When I first started, I never intended to become a famous celebrity. That was never on my mind. All I want to do is show people what I love and at the same time entertain people,” Amira said. When she turns 18 in five years’ time, her goal is to achieve one million subscribers and have at least 1,000 videos in the bag. Even as a regular student now, she still manages to upload at least 10 videos a month in between juggling school and performing. So she hopes to turn this into a full-time career in the future.

What is her personal advice to young aspiring musicians and artists in Malaysia?

“I don’t think I’m that special. I’m just like a regular person. Makan nasi jugak. But I’m thankful because I have this passion in playing drums. To me, if you’re passionate about something, make sure you take it seriously. Don’t play around with something that is difficult to get because you might end up not achieving anything at all. But if you focus, you will be rewarded. So if you love it, take it seriously, do it well and it could become a good career for you in the future. It is good to be honest and open about what you love. Go all out and show what you love to do. If you want to become a YouTuber, do it. But most importantly, never do it for fame. Do it for yourself.”

We wish Amira all the best in her drumming career, and we definitely want to see her hit that one million subscribers mark soon! You can watch all of Amira’s drum covers in her channel and also follow her updates on Facebook. Here's one of our faves: