Rock 'n' Roll 'n' Blues Women!

Talk about a modern-day fairy tale: Zee Avi is quickly on her way to superstar status, thanks to the 21st century equivalent of fairy godmothers. In her case, it was YouTube and Jack Johnson that whisked the young Malaysian fashion student away from her life in London and out to L.A.

To make this tale even more modern, Avi is no empty-headed princess. In addition to her art, fashion, and musical skills, she is culturally rich and well-read. Raised in Borneo, Avi moved to Kuala Lumpur when she was 12, and spent her adolescence immersed in existential texts. "I read Sartre when I was 16 — so that's why most of my stuff is dark," Avi explains. She remembers poring over Kafka while her classmates read Sweet Valley High books, and recalls that existentialism was the first philosophy which made her realize she wasn't alone. Later, she found herself again in the visual art of M.C. Escher, Piet Mondrian, and Henri Rousseau — whose jungle-inspired paintings she likes because he'd "never, ever been outside of Paris, nor into a jungle. And this was the 1800s, so you couldn't exactly Google 'jungle' then."MORE

Every now and again an artist comes by to give us our chill and laid back fix while demonstrating a talent and virtuosity that is rare in this day and age. Yuna, a young Malaysian singer-songwriter, has the potential to be just that. Her voice, which light yet rich and velvety texture that only gets better with age, is the centerpiece of all of her songs, but is perfectly matched with her instruments of choice: guitars, drums, and occasionally piano. MORE