Dior Daying Reserves a Seat for Her Late Mother at Her First Concert, Willing to Pay Fines to Cry

Malaysian singer-songwriter Dior Daying successfully fulfilled her late mother’s last wish—to step onto a grand stage like a female star and hold her very first solo concert. From a kampung girl to centre stage, she chose Genting’s Arena of Stars because, as she said, Genting is the place closest to heaven. A special seat was reserved for her mother, who passed away many years ago, with a note: “Mom, I know you’ll definitely be here today,” bringing the entire audience to tears.
During the performance of the song she wrote for her mother, “If That Call Had Connected,” a white coffin decorated with white flowers was placed on stage, slowly lowering as the song went on, while the screen showed a cremation scene that moved many to tears. Daying shared that after this concert, it feels like she has begun a new chapter in her life, and that her mother would definitely be proud of her.

‘Kampung Girl Ordinary People’ was Daying’s first large-scale concert since debuting 5 years ago, so she cherished it immensely. In addition to the segment in remembrance of her mother, she also included many surprises for the more than 5,200 fans in attendance. Known for her straightforward and quirky personality, she even pasted her own meme stickers on restroom walls to surprise fans using the restroom. Moreover, she thoughtfully prepared snacks, goody bags, and custom color-changing glow sticks for each fan, exclaiming, “This is my first show, so I have to give you the best! Only the Malaysia edition has this—if I go overseas, it won’t be the same!”

In order to prepare for her first large-scale concert, Daying said she gave it her all, diligently learning to play the keyboard, harmonica, and even picked up the guitar to look cool on stage. She also turned herself into a Christmas present for fans, acting out an unwrapping scene, which was followed by a costume change and the intro of ‘Divorce in the Republic of Ghana,’ instantly elevating the excitement.

Throughout the 3-hour concert, Daying expressed her journey through song, laughter, and words—from her debut song “Love Myself More” to other hits like “How Are You Doing Lately,” “After a Few Days,” “Saving Love,” “Grown-up’s Happiness,” “A Person Is Awake for Only 10,000 Days or So,” “Different Flowering Seasons,” and more, all prompting massive sing-alongs. She revealed that the rights to her song “This Life of a Person” have been purchased by a Chinese New Year movie coming next year, marking her first song to be sold as an official film track.

Daying also shared stories from her solo study abroad experience in the UK, living her university dreams. She invited Elliot Cox—a musician she had met only twice in London—as her special guest in Malaysia, and the two performed “John’s Bar” together. To get closer to her fans, Daying led her dancers onto a stage in the centre of the audience to premiere her unreleased song “I’m About to Go Crazy,” pushing the concert’s excitement to new heights.

During the encore, Daying invited the kampung band that had played with her in her early years to accompany her on “Kampung Girl” and “We Will Meet Again Someday.” As the concert drew to a close, she fought back tears, as her backstage team had told her that each tear would cost her a 100-ringgit fine. But because of the mutual love between her and her fans, who lifted up banners and sang “A Person Is Awake for Only 10,000 Days or So” for her, she could not hold back and choked up in gratitude to those who had climbed the mountain to support her: “You are the first people in the world to believe that I can hold a large-scale concert. When I didn’t believe in myself, you believed in me so much—you gave me so much encouragement.”

With her first concert now at an end, Daying will officially launch the ‘Kampung Girl Ordinary People’ world tour next year, with Sarawak scheduled for March 14, 2026, followed by Singapore on March 28. Additional tour stops include Taipei, Bali, London, and Melbourne, with ticketing details for Sarawak and Singapore to be announced soon by the organizer.