By JAYDEE LOK
alltherage@thestar.com.my

HIGH flyer ZE!, dubbed the “super-glam electro pop diva from Kuala Lumpur” by MTV Iggy, has done the nation proud by firmly etching her name in the global music scene.

The 31-year-old has just been nominated for the prestigious Berlin Music Video Awards (BMVA) 2014, alongside famous A-listers like Katy Perry, Steve Aoki and Korn.

The video for her song $ BROKE $ featuring Ego Boycott, has been shortlisted for the Lo-Fi Category – where the videos have to have a raw and rustic feel, so they look like they were created with a retro, analog camera.

ZE!’s video fits the category perfectly. It’s bristling with a positively eclectic 1980s vibe – from zebra heads to brightly-coloured hot pants and random tropical fruits. You can also catch a couple of close ups of ZE!’s perfect pearly whites … as a bonus, of course.

“I wanted to release a video that bursts with so much colour, it would blow everyone’s mind. I re-imaged the (mid-2000s) MySpace era, where there were no rules and it was a mess – I loved it and I miss it,” she shared during a recent interview.

What’s even more impressive than having been nominated for the award is Ze!’s own direction and production of the video, despite not having a background in film.

“It’s a big honour to know what people think of the video I made … it means something to me.”

I shot it in my bedroom with the help of a friend. Then I laboured over it for about two months, just editing it, so it (the video) is really like my baby.”

ZE! has competition to contend with though: also nominated in the same category is the video for Franz Ferdinand’s Evil Eye.

However, that shouldn’t be a problem for our go-getting superstar!

She has already come a long way from making music with friends for fun and acting in commercials. The audio engineering graduate has been touring Europe since 2008 and has also hosted a Belgian TV program on summer festivals (she pretended to be an alien on a spaceship, what else!).

Last year, she won the award for Best English Song with rapper Altimet and local DJs Goldfish and Blink at the Anugerah Industri Muzik 20 for their song In The House.

Sadly, ZE! won’t be able to rub shoulders with her fellow nominees, like Enrique Iglesias, John Mayer and Rudimental at the awards ceremony. She’s too busy making plans for herself.

“I’m still working on my next tour and that takes a lot of time,” she explained.

“But the producer (Ego Boycott) is based in Berlin and I hope he attends the ceremony on my behalf.”

That doesn’t mean that you can’t help Ze! win the award from right here in Malaysia. If you’d like to show your support, vote for her video on the BMVA website (berlinmva.com) and her own (ze.com.my) by tomorrow, April 30.