5 Kelantan parodies of international hit songs that’ll dikir your barat

There’s just something charming about the Kelantanese dialect. Like, instead of saying “this food is so addictive I can’t stop eating”, they say ‘uloooh nyakuk‘, and we think that’s beautiful.

It’s this beauty that attracted us to music from Kelantan, and recently, we got into a genre that some refer to as ‘dikir dangdut‘, a mix of singing in the traditional Kelantan style (dikir) paired with upbeat dancing music with Nusantara/Indonesian elements (dangdut). Be warned – some of them can get pretty racy.

Anyways, within this unique category, there’s an even more unique subset that the world needs to know about, and that’s Kelantan parodies of famous international songs. So lock your doors, put your earphones on, and let us embark on this thrilling cultural journey.

1. Trouble is a Friend❌

    Cinta Auw Auw✅

Literal meaning of title: “Love Auw Auw”

Parody of: “Trouble is a Friend” by Lenka

If you’re not familiar with the original song, Lenka sings about how trouble is an unavoidable part of life, and how it will find you no matter where you go, oh oh. In the Kelantan version, Wani and Rosalinda sings about how heartbreak due to love is an unavoidable part of life, and it can scar you for life, auw auw.

The video itself seems to be heavily inspired by this version of Trouble is a Friend MV, from the inky splashes to the costume design (which is arguably more halal). However, some elements arguably made it better. For one, a bamboo flute is added to the music, perhaps making it more palatable to the target demographic.

The dancing is little more than gyrating and swaying to the beat, but the crazy CGI effects and green screen more than makes up for it: in one shot, they’re even Supermanning through some clouds.

Overall, not a bad watch, and the way the video glitches in some parts gave us some much-needed mini break from looking at the talent.

Freshness: 4/10. Good for one watch, maybe not a second time.

2. Right Now (Na Na Na)❌

    Dok Mano✅

Literal meaning of title: “Where you at?”

Parody of: “Right Now (Na Na Na)” by Akon

Unlike the original song, this parody is sung by two people in a conversation. And while the original song expressed a wish to get back together, this song takes it further: the guy and the girl wants to meet up someplace, but they can’t find each other once they got there. So they started arguing and calling each other names over the phone.

As if that’s not hilarious enough, at the breakdown the girl suddenly sang an English verse surprisingly well, and the guy responded with an Arabic-style verse while swinging around an oud (roughly the Arabic version of a guitar).

“Ya habibi ya maulana, swallow a kelubi seed and a canna seed comes out; no need to console me I don’t want to hear it, someone your level is found everywhere,” – Man Khan (the guy), translated.

Of course, the green screen is aplenty in this video, and while there’s the usual floating-in-the-clouds thing going on, they also sang in front weirdly cropped locations such as the Golden Gate Bridge, what seems to be a waterfall in China, some Swiss-looking mountainside, dirty Maldives with pigeons, and in the middle of what seems to be the Suez Canal. In a way, it befits the spirit of the song: they’re all over the place, so no wonder they’re wondering where each other is.

Also, the only non-green screen location throughout the video seems to be beside a flyover under construction for some reason.

Freshness: 8/10. Enough new elements to keep you on your toes, and kind of slaps harder than the original.

3. Love You Like a Love Song❌

    Gi Aloh Mano✅

Literal meaning of title: “Where the hecc have you been?”

Parody of: “Love You Like a Love Song” by Selena Gomez and The Scene

Another banger by Man Khan that’s arguably better than the original as well. While Selena Gomez shallowly sings about her crush on some guy, this parody is a stinging social commentary on the financial roles of men and women in relationships. Like the previous song, the guy starts of by asking his girlfriend where had she been, for he had waited for her in his car for a long time.

In his anger, he starts criticizing the girlfriend on her character, which eventually got to her spending habits. She, in turn, gets annoyed, and fights back. The rest of the song is him complaining about her spending his hard-earned money like a tractor, and her complaining about his stinginess.

As usual, green screen dominates the video, but somehow it feels like it’s being used tastefully this time. There’s also a marked improvement in wardrobe, and overall the vibe this time outmatched the message of the song.

Freshness: 7/10. Not as crazy as the previous one, which makes the woman’s sudden attempt at a high note near the end all the more lulzy.

4. On The Floor❌

    Laye Palo✅

Literal meaning of title: You know when you huff glue and the feeling goes to your head? Roughly it means getting high (laye) on that feeling in your head (palo). We dunno, we’re not really from Kelantan.

Parody of: “On the Floor” by Jennifer Lopez ft Pitbull

Yea, it’s another Man Khan song. Love the guy. Anyways, much like J Lo’s version, this song is also about dancing and partying all night, but with a little lover’s spat thrown in for good measure. The girl asks the guy where had he been, saying that he promised to take her out but the guy forgot. But it ends well, because by the end of the song they’re partying and and laye-ing their palos.

We dunno how it’s possible, but for this video, they made green screen funnier by interspersing it with real footage. For example, the video opens with a 2 second shot of a CGI-looking red Ferrari close up, and immediately after, it’s a bunch of real kapcais on a busy road somewhere. Then it’s back to the girl driving the CGI Ferarri, and the guy riding alongside him on a big bike against a green screen. But it all flows smoothly, we can’t complain.

Freshness: 7/10, because this is the first time we heard rap in Kelantan when Man Khan tried to emulate Pitbull at the start.

5. Jomblo Happy❌

    How Do you Do❌

    Каникулы❌

    Harga Diri✅

Literal meaning of title: “Self Worth”

Parody of: “Jomblo Happy” by Gamma1 (Indonesian), which in turn was based off “How Do You Do” by beFour (English), which in turn was based off “Каникулы” by Bum(Russian)

Judging by the covering trail, this seems like quite a popular tune. The Russian version, Каникулы (holidays) is basically about a schoolgirl being done with exams and school stuff and getting excited over flying off to see her boyfriend for the holidays, in quite a Britney Spears-esque video. Following the same vein, German group beFour essentially translated the song, focusing less on the holidays and more on the meeting your love aspect.

Gamma1 then lifted the tune, and while they kept the iconic whistling element from the first two versions, they slowed down the music to be less uhn tss uhn tss and more mellow. The storyline is changed as well: instead of excitement of seeing a loved one, Jomblo Happy (lit Happy Bachelor) tells listeners that some people chose to be single, and being single is more free and happy.

We assumed this is when Rosalinda and Eda Ezrin entered the picture with Harga Diri. The melody is brought back up to upbeat (maybe even more than the original), and they dropped the whistling altogether, replacing it with a synth. And while they may have the lowest budget for their video – which are mostly green screens and awkward choreography – the message of their song is probably the most wholesome.

Basically, the song warns one about embarrassing yourself in this day and age, and to keep your virtue and self worth by keeping your urges in check.

Freshness: 7/10. We wish we could give more, but hearing the lyrics while looking at the video gave us a sour taste at the back of our throats.