Needing a good laughter after a whole day of work or studies. Look no further as we are bringing to you some of the most funny people in town which can bring you up with their jokes.
1. Andrew Netto
Netto jumped straight into comedy after graduating from school and found quick success in the industry. He was then picked up by Harith Iskander, becoming an emerging comedian and opened for the comical superstar before he was officially signed on.
“The first stand-up I ever watched was Russell Peters when my father brought home a DVD back in 2004. Here was this Indian fellow telling funny stories on stage and making a living out of it. I told myself I could also do that.”
Best part? He landed a gig to open for Russell Peters’ show in Malaysia a few years later.
2. Joanne Kam
One of the most famous female comedians – and also known as Malaysia’s Queen of Comedy – Kam started by taking up an invitation to headline Boom Boom Room, a cabaret show in KL about 20 years ago. We all know how difficult it is to be a female comedian, and Kam is a great example of talent, hard work and opportune time.
“I felt Malaysians were much more affluent and open-minded during the ’90s. Even though my show had inciting and risqué elements, the people were less quick to judge and treated it as something out-of-the-box and exciting,”
She is also well known for her image as femme fatale, not shy to use her curves to stir up important conversations.
3. Luwita Hana Randhawa
Randhawa is a young comedian that got into the world of stand-up comedy in 2012, emerging a success locally and internationally. She’s not only a comedian but also a writer and photographer. Born in KL, she was raised in South Africa and Brazil, coming back in 2012 after studying theatre and film in New Zealand.
In the same year, she joined the open mic scene at Comedy Kao-kao and won Best Female Newcomer Award at KLPAC’s Short+Sweet Malaysia Stand Up Comedy Festival. In 2013, she decided to take it up a notch and perform wherever she travelled, which led to her performing in Australia, Cambodia, Hong Kong and Singapore throughout 2013.
In 2014, she got her own solo show; Nothing To Be Done, at the New Zealand Fringe Fest, and now, she is a regular in the comedy industry, opening for international acts at the Crackhouse Comedy Club.
4. Douglas Lim
With Harith being the Godfather of comedy in Malaysia, Douglas Lim is certainly the favourite son. After a couple of average shows, Harith picked him up and with enough exposure, Douglas started getting more gigs on his own and became well established himself. He also founded he Malaysian Association of Chinese Comedians with his fellow comic Phoon Chi Ho, Jason Leong and Kuah Jenhan in 2009.
Lim’s love for the stage started out with him as a singer-songwriter after his school days. He then landed himself a role on the local show ‘Kopitiam’, and is now primarily a stand-up comedian. But more than that, he’s also an actor, composer, and lyricist for both TV and stage.
5. Ahmad Nabil
Hailing from Negeri Sembilan, this comedian gained recognition after winning the second season of the comedy talent search reality show, Raja Lawak. Today, he is arguably one of the most popular comedians who does his show in the Malay language. Eventually, he landed a role in a movie called ‘Sify & Tongga’ in 2009, followed by ‘Lu Pikirlah Sendiri de Movie’ in 2010 – an autobiography about his journey to becoming an artist.
6. Jason Leong
Known as one of Malaysia’s fastest rising comedians, Leong delivers some amazing clean, sharp and observational humour. In 2013, he became the first Malaysian to win the Annual International Comedy Competition in Hong Kong, where he was also voted Overall Audience Favourite. This opened up many doors for him which includes a tour in the US where he performed in LA, Minneapolis and even New York. He then had this first major production, in collaboration with Pfizer Malaysia, with ‘Get H4RD, Stand UP!’ which brought together comics from Singapore, Hong Kong and Philippines. His public appearances include being the resident emcee of Comedy Kao Kao – a monthly comedy show he started a few years ago – and the Malaysian Association of Chinese Comedians.
7. Gajen
Gajen has started stand-up comedy since 2012 and was involved in a short documentary about him produced by NTV due to his well known clean comedy act. He even appeared in Malaysia’s first ever English stand-up comedy TV series (Astro Warna) in 2016.
Besides hosting and performing comedy for big companies such as Shell, Unilever, Maybank, Maxis and many more, he also performed along side with top comedians from around the world such as Paul Ogata (US), Gina Yashere (UK), Papa CJ (India) and many more.
8. Phoon Chi Ho
Daring, original and unpredictable, Phoon Chi Ho has been delivering hilarity and entertainment for years. With his sharp-wit observations, off-the-wall dance moves and rib-tickling takes on life, he has made more than 100 performances around the country. His join the scene in mid-2014 when he co-founded the local comedy dance troupe, The ComeBackKings. Off stage, this comedian is also a freelance writer by profession, an actor by ambition and a voice actor by option, whilst also pouring his passion as an ‘unofficial promoter’ of all-things-comedy in Malaysia.
9. Kuah Jenhan
Jenhan exploded into the Malaysian comedy circuit in 2006 at ‘Free Flow’ – an open mic session at The Actors’ Studio in Bangsar before winning Bond’s Stand-Up Comedy Competition the same year. In these past 5 years, Jenhan has had sold-out shows for audiences in Malaysia, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Hong Kong and Singapore. His humour and performance ethics has found respect and accolades of some of the most experienced comics locally and internationally. He’s also a columnist with Esquire magazine, a radio and voice-over talent, and a script-writer for TV, films and even performing arts. A master of many trades, he’s currently working on his international tour and fifth solo show.
10. Kavin Jayaram
Voted as the grumpiest comedian in Malaysia for his love/hate relationship with his life, love and country, Jayaram is well-known in the underground scenes and open mic spots. He has since performed with international acts such as Dave Callan, Pierre Hollins, Vir Das, JJ Whitehead and so many more. His first performance was in 2006 and has since then has grown much, getting involved in many major comedy shows and projects. He is passionate in developing his shows even more and is also the founder of ‘One Mic Stand’, Malaysia’s only weekly comedy open mic night which is growing in fame.
