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If you’ve been following the interviews on the Malaysian radio station LITE FM from January 2026 onwards, you’d have heard Daniel Lee being interviewed by both Terry and Leya. Lee was on Malaysian Idol season 2, and went on to win the entire competition for which the panel of judges included Paul Moss, the Malaysia-based New Zealander singer, songwriter, producer, and Fauziah Latiff, the Malaysian singer.

So, during the interview, since Lee himself confessed that he’d look for opportunities to sing, even if it can be difficult and small, given the state of the Malaysian music industry, of course, he had to give longtime fans a special treat – an updated, more mature version of “Mimpi” (the one shown on the station’s Facebook page had a snippet of him singing it).

If you need to refresh your memory as to how the song sounds like, fortunately the song is available on streaming platforms including YouTube, Spotify and TIDAL.

“Mimpi”, a Malay language pop song, was released in 2005, under his self-titled debut album, “Daniel”.

As the Kedah native is also proficient in Mandarin, a Mandarin version was released, titled “Fei” or “Fly”. Although slightly different in title, the melody and message conveyed were retained.  

When Lee entered the Malaysian Idol reality television singing competition show, he was still a student in Penang’s Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).

Back then, when the song and related music video were released, it was popular amongst fans due to its opening, which used a familiar melody and quite a catchy rhythm, for music of the early 2000s.

When local Malaysian media outlets interviewed him in the past, Lee said that his career went downhill due to a combination of factors, including being scammed by concert organisers. Lee also admitted to being too full of himself, which cost him opportunities.

Setback after setback led him to realise that he must change for the better and be more humble.

Lee’s most recent appearances and work have been at the 2026 New Year Countdown show in Sibu, Sarawak as well as his own version of a patriotic song in 2025.