#SHOWBIZ: Lav Looi reimagines 'Standing In The Eyes Of The World' for Malaysia Day

KUALA LUMPUR: Local composer, producer, and singer Lav Looi is celebrating Malaysia Day with a new vocal cover of the classic hit Standing In The Eyes Of The World, out tomorrow.

The new track features her brother Martin on violin and builds upon the instrumental track Lav originally produced for his album Velvet Alibi, which came out in March.

That album recently bagged Silver Medals in the Violin Pop and Album categories at the 2026 Global Music Awards.

Living in Spain, Lav originally planned a much smaller project ahead of Merdeka.

"At first I thought, okay, I'll just record a quick snippet for Merdeka and post it on social media," said the 32-year-old in a statement to the New Straits Times.

"But once I finished it, I thought, why not record the full song and release it for Malaysia Day instead?"

This updated version keeps the original backing track from Velvet Alibi, but swaps Martin's lead violin for Lav's vocals, backed by rich multi-layered harmonies.

The song opens gently with piano, acoustic guitar, finger snaps, and shakers before building into a powerful, rock-infused second half.

It finishes with a nod to home, blending traditional Malaysian percussion and instruments into the final climax.

For Lav, producing the track from overseas was a heartfelt way to stay connected to her roots.

Standing In The Eyes Of The World was originally performed by rock queen Ella, composed by Wah Idris and David Gates, with lyrics by Habsah Hassan.