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Several headlines over the past two days have claimed that Malaysian rapper Namewee released a "new song" while being held in police remand over the death of Taiwanese influencer Hsieh Yu-hsin.
However, the track in question — Very 帥(Demo版) — is not new.
The song is a demo recorded in 2014, originally uploaded to Namewee's official YouTube channel on 22 November that year, where it has since accumulated over 500,000 views.
The version that appeared on Spotify earlier this week is the same recording, complete with the original "DEMO" label in its title.
The only thing new here is the platform release.
The track, which translates to "Very Handsome" in English, was added to Namewee's Spotify catalogue on 5 November
The same day, the 42-year-old artiste surrendered to authorities and was remanded for six days to assist in the ongoing investigation into Hsieh's murder.
The timing was enough to fuel a media narrative across Malaysia, Singapore, and Hong Kong, suggesting that the rapper had somehow managed to release new music from lock-up.
However, Namewee had already announced the release beforehand, and music distribution platforms allow artistes to schedule catalogue uploads weeks or months in advance.
Based on industry practice and available information, this appears to be a routine back-catalogue upload to streaming services, rather than a new creative release or something arranged while in police custody.
Meanwhile, the investigation into Hsieh's death is still ongoing
Kuala Lumpur police have reclassified the case as murder, and Namewee remains under remand until 10 November to assist with the probe.
Police have said that Hsieh's toxicology and post-mortem examination reports are estimated to take three months to complete.
He previously denied drug-related allegations in a separate charge and has said he will cooperate fully with authorities. His next court mention for the drug cases is set for 18 December.
