Meet our 10 Malaysian ‘Gen Z’ rising talents in The Z List 2022

Last year, Lifestyle Asia KL first introduced The Z List, a platform that honours and recognises young, talented and successful ‘Gen Z’ers in Malaysia. Meet the 10 honourees in The Z List 2022.

Born into a digital age where information is gathered fast and trends tossed out are reshaped constantly, the ‘Gen Z’ers’ defining trait is perhaps their adeptness at adapting to change — and with how quick the world is shifting, it’s a trait that comes in handy. They are driven by the desire to do good, but in a way that’s done better than the generations before. They are spurred on by a ‘hustle culture’ that makes them strive to achieve success, and fast.

With so much change that’s taken place in just the last ten years, which have perhaps shed light on how much ‘Gen Z’ers have done for themselves and the community around them, it’s no wonder they are dubbed the ‘ever-present’ generation. The leading edge of the world. And they do it with the power of technology and social media in their hands.

And so, that in mind, Lifestyle Asia is proudly bringing back ‘The Z List’, a platform that celebrates outstanding ‘Gen Z’ talents who are successful, influential, and remarkable in their respective fields. Together with our authoritative voice in digital media, we hope that ‘The Z List 2022’ will continue to inspire other ‘Gen Z’ers out there to keep living their life to the fullest, with purpose, grit and authenticity.

Since the launch of The Z List 2021 last year, Lifestyle Asia has seen its past honourees reach great heights. Our alumnus, vegan MMA fighter Colleen Augustin has branched out from the ring to try her hand in acting, and is set to star in the feature film, ‘Fanna’ directed by Andy Liew. Content creator and singer-songwriter, Wen Wei, has since released her own clothing line, aptly called “Wen Wei’s World”.

‘Gen Z’ers are constantly making waves in the country and the world, and on that note, we’d like you to meet our 10 honourees in The Z List 2022, who tell us what we need to know about the generation they live in.

NUR DHABITAH SABRI (23), National Diver

“‘Gen Z’ers believe they have a voice, and everyone should really pay attention to what they have to say.”

VANESSA REYNAULD (22), Singer

“A lot of people assume that ‘Gen Z’ers aren’t really able to socialise in real life. But I think what it really is, is just a different mindset that we ‘Gen Z’ers hold compared to the other generations. We have things like TikTok and Instagram, and some of us are even more in touch with reality than others might think. At the end of the day, we have our own language and our own way of communicating with one another.”

SHERRY AMIN (24), Humanitarian & Founder of SKRLWN

“I think now, everyone in our generation is able to look at each other as people, as human beings. Issues get highlighted more easily compared to back in the day, thanks to social media. People are able to relate to each other a lot better now. Plus, the sort of things that we do for a living today is so broad. It’s not just standard 9 to 5 corporate jobs anymore — we encourage each other to work in the creative field, and be more individualistic, and to find our own way. The generation that’s coming up is a lot more innovative, and I think it stems from the fact that we’re all able to look at each other as people now, compared to how it was 40 or 50 years ago.”

SHALMA ELIANA (23), Singer-Songwriter

“‘Gen Z’ers struggle a lot with identity. We don’t know who we are. As I said earlier, it gets difficult to find ourselves. We’re still figuring it all out. We’re really just doing our best at this point, and I think more people need to be more aware of this.”

TABITHA LAM (22), Singer & Member of Dolla

“People assume that Gen Z are shallow because we’re always on social media, scrolling through Instagram and things. But I actually believe that Gen Z thinks quite a lot. We actually think a lot about mental health issues, social issues. And social media is a way to discuss these things. It’s just how you use it.”

OSKAR LEE (22), Personal Trainer & Model

“Those of us in ‘Gen Z’ grew up having access to the whole world, and seeing how other people live in a completely different country. We compare ourselves a lot, but at the same time it keeps us hungry. We know we want success, and we want it fast.”

LAYLA SANIA (20), Singer

“So people assume that we have it so much easier than before, for example like with university life. We might not have to go to campus, but we still have to study the same way. We still have to face our own struggles and problems, just like the previous generations. Only in different ways. So, I think that is the misconception — that we had it easy.”

JERYL LEE (23), Singer

“When it comes to things that are serious or if it has to do with the future, ‘Gen Z’ is really on top of that. I’m speaking for myself as well, because every time I do something, I’ll think even further about how it would affect me later on. So, I do believe that Gen Z gives a lot of thought about the future.”

JAYMOND TAN (23), Entrepreneur & Founder of Rollney Malaysia

“When ‘Gen Z’ers put their mind into something, they work really, really hard. And I think it stems from their past experiences, too. Maybe they were bullied by the other kids in school, or maybe they have something they want to prove to someone — either way, they want to sort of take control of their life again.”

ELICA PAUJIN (23), Singer and Winner of Big Stage 2022

“A lot of people assume that all ‘Gen Z’ers are completely dependent on social media. I’m not saying there aren’t any who completely rely on their devices and think life is totally impossible without social media, but not all of us are ‘addicted’ to it, so to say. ‘Gen Z’ is really not at all the way that most other generations think we’re like.”

CLICK HERE to enjoy the full experience of the unveiling of The Z List 2021 now.

Lifestyle Asia KL’s The Z List 2022 is brought to you by official brand partner, belif Malaysia.