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“Aiyoooo, every year same thing lah!”

If you’re based in Southeast Asia, you would have heard of the haze situation that has made its way back once again from Indonesia to Singapore and Malaysia, with the latter countries having to bear the effects of Indonesia’s forest fires. The haze, of course, not only affects those trying to put out fires, including those not as visible, but also children who are unsure about their schooling progress, and those who are trying to live an active lifestyle, where nothing beats going outdoors to exercise/break a sweat. Mark O’Dea, a British content creator, who’s now based in Malaysia, made a full YouTube music video on the haze situation, in 2019. Fast forward roughly seven years later, when once again, you’ve to keep yourselves in the loop about the air pollutant index (API), and limit outdoor activities, O’ Dea reposted a snippet. Borrowing Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb” might not seem like the best idea, as Cyrus originally conceived it as a motivational song about having belief, faith, power and strength in the face of adversity. However, O’Dea being the comedic content creator and performer, managed to make the lyrics work alongside the melody and the rhythm.

In the snippet, Mark O’Dea is seen singing, rotating between wearing a mask and not wearing one. Later, as the song progresses, he goes into this “Why haven’t we learnt anything from the past” mode, which makes it even more relatable and sensible, even if it’s a parody.

For a tough and tricky situation like the haze, it’s usually not advisable to make light of the situation, but O’Dea’s version is worth a listen, or perhaps many, many, many listens, if you can afford to laugh, especially when you’re stressed out about the whole situation.  Surely, after many years of suffering, especially the animals and nature, you would know of the effects of haze on your health. O’Dea walks you through effects of the haze in simple language, making it accessible to as many listeners/followers. If you think about it, it’s the best way to connect with the young and old.

Through the high notes, you can, however, sense O’Dea’s urgency about the situation. His short reel on Instagram has 20.3K views, since it got re-posted 20 hours ago.

Now, that you’ve been made aware of O’Dea’s parody, how are you going to go back to listening to Miley Cyrus’ original? Can you even go and listen to it now?

Mark O’Dea has been in Malaysia since his early 20s when he received an offer to performed with the Asia-based band “The London Boys”. Safe to say, he has adapted quite well to Malaysian speech and some of the nuances, while maintaining his British accent, where appropriate. Trained in theatre, O’Dea performed at London’s West End when he was 11. With the help of a scholarship when he was 12, he secured entry to the Sylvia Young Theatre School, studying alongside friends like Rita Ora. After the band split, O’Dea auditioned for and landed a regular presenter role for “The 8TV Quickie” programme (2014-2016), debuting in the local Malaysian private television scene. Other than that, he also hosted sports and travelogue programmes, under the-then pay-TV station Astro (Today, Astro combines streaming packages, and satellite TV options, alongside IPTV to compete with other streaming giants).

Blending his own English humour and the colourful Malaysian culture, he started his own Instagram and Facebook pages, as well as YouTube channel. If you’ve been watching some of his videos, you’d know that he has successfully influenced his British mother to always pack instant or cup noodles whenever she travels or visits his Malaysia-based son. Then, there’s the part on “Can”, used by typical Malaysians to signal approval, which is a direct translation from “Boleh”, found in Malay. He had recently gotten married to a Malaysian of Chinese descent, where the highlight was his parody live performance of “Back For Good” by longtime British band “Take That”. So, you’d know why he has a lot more reason to say “Aiyoooo” unapologetically.  

The exclamation or interjection “Aiyo” or “Aiyoooo” (for dramatic effect) is used to express surprise, shock, distress, regret or frustration. While it is similar to the Mandarin Chinese aiyo, it is also used in India and Sri Lanka.