Insomniacks | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Labels |
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| Members |
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| Past members | Gavin Wong (Gavin) |
Insomniacks is a Malaysian pop band from Kuala Lumpur. [1] They rose to prominence with the release of their second single, "Pulang", in 2018, [1] which charted on the Malaysian RIM streaming charts for 146 consecutive weeks, and a total of 185 weeks as of July 2022. [2] [3] [4]
The group have cited 5 Seconds of Summer, Fall Out Boy, Day6, Mayday Parade and Paramore as influences. [5] [6]
The band began as Dan's Band with Danial and Iqbal who were classmates at SMK St. John. Gavin joined as the drummer after being recommended to the duo by Iskandar (a schoolmate of Gavin's at Sekolah Sri KDU, and childhood friend of Iqbal's). Iskandar would later go on to join the band as their bassist. [7]
Insomniacks formed in 2015. In November of that year, the quartet would begin posting videos of themselves performing covers of popular songs on their YouTube channel. [8]
In 2017, they released their debut single, "Selalu", which was featured as part of the soundtrack of the Astro Ria drama, My Coffee Prince. [5]
In 2018, the group released their second single, "Pulang". The group released the four-episode Pulang WEBisode webseries on their YouTube channel as part of their single promotions. "Pulang" achieved the record for most consecutive weeks on the RIM streaming charts. [2] [3] "Pulang" has been on the RIM Malay singles chart for 185 weeks, as of July 2022. [4]
In 2019, Iqbal co-founded the Klang Valley-based music collective, Distorted (alias Distorted Material), alongside Jessel Phuah (Sino), Ariff Jazmi, Helloluqman of Block J (Jonah), and Nik Qayrel Aiman (Eneyeqay) of the duo Niqie. Iqbal goes by the alias Balo as part of Distorted. [9]
Insomniacks were the fifth most streamed Malaysian artist on Spotify, in 2019. [10]
In 2020, Insomniacks released their third single, "Kepala Batu" ahead of the release of their debut EP of the same name. "Kepala Batu" was composed in collaboration with prolific Malaysian singer-songwriter, Faizal Tahir. [11] The lead single from the EP, "Reminisensi", was the first song Insomniacks wrote as a band. [11]
After four years signed with Sony Music Malaysia, their contract expired in 2020. They consequently signed with Universal Music Malaysia in March 2021. [12] On 14 February 2022, Insomniacks released, "Sempurna". The single peaked at number 1 on the RIM Malay singles streaming chart [13] and number 5 on Billboard's Malaysia Songs chart. [14]
Since March 2022, Gavin has not been participating in "Sempurna" promotions with the band. On 12 June 2022, it was announced in a statement on his and the band's social media that he would be taking an extended hiatus from the band and will not be part of any upcoming projects. [15]
The band released their first single as a trio, "Igauan Malam", on 4 November 2022.
In 2024, Insomniacks released their latest EP titled Teman, featuring eight tracks: Sayang/Cinta, Teman, Cerita Kita (a collaboration with Nabila Razali), Igauan Malam, Belum Mulai (featuring Nabila Taqiyyah), Temani Hati, Dimana, and Sempurna. [16]
In 2025, Insomniacks released their first English-language EP titled Awake & Dreaming, which included five songs: Anti-Hero (Welcome To My Nightmare), Awake and Dreaming, Overdrive (featuring Killa Driz), Some Days Are Just Better, and Why Don’t U Cry?. The track Awake and Dreaming holds special significance as it was the very first song the band wrote together ten years earlier, during the formation of the group. The EP focuses on themes of mental health, an issue the band considers highly important in today’s society. [17]
In the same year, after a decade in the music industry, Insomniacks won their first major award at the Gempak Most Wanted Awards. Their collaboration with Nabila Taqiyyah, Belum Mulai, earned them the award for Best Music Video (Anugerah Muzik Video Tergempak). To celebrate their 10th anniversary, the band also announced their first-ever solo concert, scheduled to take place on 12 July 2025. [18] [19]
Adapted from Hitz: [11]
| Title | EP details | Track list |
|---|---|---|
| Kepala Batu EP |
|
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| Teman EP |
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| Awake & Dreaming EP |
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| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MYS | ||||
| RIM [21] [a] | Song [22] [b] | |||
| "Selalu" | 2017 | – | — | Kepala Batu EP |
| "Pulang" | 2018 | 1 | Non-album single | |
| "Kepala Batu" | 2020 | – | Kepala Batu EP | |
| "Reminisensi" | 3 | 3 | ||
| "Pulang" (Reimagined) | 2021 | – | – | Non-album singles |
| "Reminisensi" (Reimagined) | – | – [c] | ||
| "Sempurna" | 2022 | 1 | 5 | Teman EP |
| "Igauan Malam" | 6 | – | ||
| "Lagu Raya" | 2023 | Non-album single | ||
| "Cerita Kita" (with Nabila Razali) | Teman EP | |||
| "Teman" | 2024 | |||
| "Belum Mulai" (with Nabila Taqqiyah) | ||||
| "Some Days Are Just Better" | Awake & Dreaming EP | |||
| "overdrive" (with Killa Driz) | 2025 | |||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Go There If You Miss Me" (Night Skies & Visions feat. Iqie of Insomniacks) | 2020 | Non-album single |
| Title | Year | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| "Selalu" | 2017 | Unknown |
| "Pulang" | 2018 | Thaqif Saadon |
| "Pulang" (Piano Version) | 2019 | Thaqif Saadon |
| "Kepala Batu" | 2020 | Thaqif Saadon |
| "Reminisensi" Lyric video | Unknown | |
| "Sempurna" | 2022 | Thaqif Saadon |
| "Igauan Malam" | Thaqif Saadon | |
| "Lagu Raya" | 2023 | Suhana Osman |
| "Cerita Kita" | Lily Samsuddin | |
| "Teman" | 2024 | Dick Wai |
| "Belum Mulai" | Idho Aruan | |
| "Temani Hati" | Idho Aruan | |
| "Some Days Are Just Better" | Jasmine Wong | |
| "Overdrive" | 2025 | Jinq Rui |
| Year | Organisation | Category | Nominee/nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Anugerah Planet Muzik | Best Band | Insomniacks | Nominated | [24] |
| 2019 | 32nd Anugerah Bintang Popular Berita Harian | Most Popular Group | Nominated | [25] | |
| 2020 | Anugerah MeleTOP Era 2020 | MeleTOP New Artist | Nominated | ||
| 2025 | Gempak Most Wanted Awards | Muzik Video Tergempak | Won | [26] | |