JessC Shines at LIT Music Awards, Wins 4 Awards Across 3 Languages

Malaysian singer JessC (Zhong Jiexi) has in recent years successfully broken into the international market with her Raya-themed songs. Recently, she collaborated with Malaysian superstar host and all-round entertainer Dato’ AC Mizal to perform the 2026 Raya song "Mari Menari Raya," which won the Platinum Award at the LIT Music Awards, making it one of the few Malay festive songs to break into the international awards scene.

Her Raya song from last year, "Satu Suara Raya," was also shortlisted as a finalist in the Asian Pop Music category at the U.S. InterContinental Music Awards (ICMA). Speaking about why her string of works has been internationally recognized, JessC said in a media interview after Tuesday night’s “Raya Open House × ICMA & LIT Music Awards Celebration Banquet” that she did not intentionally tailor her music for the international market, but simply adhered to presenting local culture in the most sincere way.

“I never imagined that a Raya song could be heard, accepted, and even liked by people from such distant countries. This makes me even more convinced that music can truly transcend cultures. This is not just my personal achievement, but a moment when Malaysian culture is being heard by the world.”

Aside from the brilliant performance of her Raya-themed works, JessC also won the ICMA Asian Pop Music Award with "I Am Who I Am". In the latest results from the LIT Music Awards, she won across three languages with four different works, setting an impressive record for winning awards in multiple languages simultaneously. The winning works include the Malay songs "Mari Menari Raya" and "Expose" (both Platinum Awards), the Mandarin song "My Style," as well as the English song "One Chance," which received a Gold Award. Notably, "One Chance" also earned her the Best New Artist Award.

JessC especially thanked producers Yi Jieqi and Wu Guanyan, as well as Peipei Jiang, who initially introduced her to the team. She said the two producers had created two Mandarin albums for her, allowing her to recalibrate her musical direction and gradually find a clearer sense of identity. She will always remember Yi Jieqi’s words of encouragement: "Treasure your own feathers—don’t do things carelessly."

When asked if she would consider taking on Chinese New Year songs again in the future, JessC laughed and said she feels “a bit scared.” She revealed that she once released "Wu Xin Nian," a work that incorporated elements of Chinese martial arts, but the focus at that time was too much on visuals and martial arts, and the music itself was neglected. “That experience taught me that music is the most important thing.” She said if she were to create New Year songs again in the future, she would focus more on the quality of the music, hoping to make works that are more enduring and moving.

Currently, JessC is busy with the Chinese cultural performance "A Flowing Heritage of Chinese Arts." In addition to pop and festive music, she also hopes to take on works with greater cultural depth, such as music that incorporates Peking opera elements. “I hope I can start from Malaysia and gradually bring these cultural elements abroad.”