Lots of people come up with the mobile applications with the hope of making big money. Not so for Shu Wei of Zukeeny. He wants to spread the love for music. 

Kashminder Singh

MW: Why is your company called Zukeeny?
SW: The zucchini is a humble little known vegetable. A great cook can turn it into something wonderful. I want my company to be the same.

MW: Is this your first venture?
SW: After studying here, I worked in the US for a while before returning to Malaysia. Instead of working, I decided to be my own boss.

MW: Why did you go to US for work?
SW: Actually I went to the US to pursue classical music. I studied software development but I always wanted to progress in music. However, I ended up working in the US IT industry.



MW: How did you get started in the mobile industry.
SW: I had this idea of a music based mobile game running in my head for quite some time and when I returned I heard about MDP (Maxis Developer Programme) and took the decision to launch my own company.

MW: Tell us about the music game.
SW: It’s called Jeiband. The players try to follow the steps in the game and if they get it right, they would have played a melody.

MW: What kind of music do you have in the game?
SW: Currently we have many old favourites and even holiday themes like Hari Raya and Christmas songs.

MW: Do you have to know music to play the game?
SW: Not at all. This game is for anyone who wants to make music but has not learnt how to do so. I hope that more people will appreciate music by playing the game. Friends can even have jamming sessions too where each plays an instrument in the game.

MW: Are you a gamer yourself?
SW: I am best described as a moderate gamer. There’s no way I can spend a lot of time on games, I have a business to develop.

MW: How large is Zukeeny?
SW: There are only three of us but we are happy.

MW: What’s it like to start your own business as compared to working for others?
SW: For one, I can go to work in my pyjamas if I want. I work from home and so, the big difference is that you require great discipline and motivation as there’s no one to make sure that you work. And no, I don’t work in my pyjamas.

MW: And what are your parent’s views about you working on your own?
SW: They have been very supportive; they did let me use the house, right? They have let me pursue my dream and I am happy with their support and encouragement.

MW: Have you achieved your dreams then?
SW: From a creative point, yes. But financially, we have still some
way to go. We are looking at other things to do in the IT and mobile sectors.

MW: Will you improve on Jeiband?
SW: Yes, we are working on some improvements and also other possible games and applications.

MW: Since you are into music, why haven’t you worked on ringtones?
SW: Frankly, there’s nothing new and exciting in ringtones. Our aim is to come up with new products that will teach people while they are having fun too.

MW: Second last question. Are you a mobile gadget guy too?
SW: Not really. I do play around with mobile phones since I have to ensure that my game runs on many phone models but since I am mostly in the house, I don’t have many other mobile gadgets.

MW: And finally, how do people get to experience Jeiband?
SW: The best way is to go to www.jeiband.com. Everything is explained there and you can get the game for a one time payment of only RM5.00. No further monthly charges or data charges.