Grace Jones, Macy Gray, The Cardigans and Asian acts wow Ombak Festival 2024 in Malaysia

American singers swap stories in between performing at Desaru Coast in Johor, Malaysia along with The Cardigans, Joe Flizzow, Masdo and more

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The very first Ombak Festival, at Desaru Coast in Johor, Malaysia, saw US singers including Grace Jones (pictured), and other international and Southeast Asian acts take to the stage. Photo: Sunlee Khan

Published: 5:15pm, 26 Sep 2024

On the face of it, two women sitting on a sofa and reflecting on the “good old days” does not sound like anything special – but the duo in question are anything but ordinary.

One is Macy Gray, an American R&B and soul singer whose 2001 hit “I Try” won her a Grammy. The other is Grace Jones, a Jamaican-American singer and actress – wearing a black jumpsuit that would not have looked out of place on her character May Day in 1985’s James Bond film A View To A Kill.

The 76-year-old Jones capped off the look with a pair of vintage aviator goggles.

The duo were hanging out in a green room at the Ombak Festival 2024, a music and lifestyle event which took place between September 13 and September 15 at Desaru Coast in the state of Johor, Malaysia.

Spanning about 1,600 hectares (4,000 acres) and stretching 17km (10.5 miles) along beachfront overlooking the South China Sea, Desaru Coast is billed as Malaysia’s newest hotspot and a playground for both adults and children.

An hour away from Johor Bahru Senai International Airport, a four-hour drive from Kuala Lumpur and a 90-minute ferry ride from Singapore, it boasts a quartet of five-star resorts.

American R&B and soul singer Macy Gray performed at the inaugural Ombak Festival at Desaru Coast in Johar. Photo: Sunlee Khan