Caught in an Act

Kathlyn D’souza chats with Altimet about his starring in and writing music for Ola Bola The Musical, as well as producing albums before his self-imposed retirement by age 40

When altimet got a call from Puan Sri Tiara Jacquelina of Enfiniti Vision Media, the producer and director of Ola Bola The Musical, he had said yes to writing rap segments for the show, and also ended up being cast as Drill Sergeant Ahmad. This wasn’t an entirely unwelcome turn of events, as Altimet remarks: “Initially, it was just to write lyrics, but I love a challenge and being out of my comfort zone.” Then he adds, “I think Puan Sri Tiara was thinking about it holistically, because being the guy who writes the rap parts, I have to coach the actors on how to do it properly during rehearsals as well, right?” This transition from artiste to actor marks Altimet’s first foray into theatre, and some of his friends and family had forewarned him about how time- and energy-consuming it can really get. Of course, this didn’t deter our challenge-driven friend. “I like being the guy with the least amount of experience, who would have to work extra hard,” he admits. He had watched the rest of the crew—many of them younger than him—perform and transform into their roles, which made the exchange and synergy utterly enjoyable. “They’ll go ‘Oh man, this is Altimet, the legend!’ and I’ll say ‘No, bro! In this situation, I’m the new guy, I’m trying to learn from you!’” recounts Altimet. Learning by observation is just one way Altimet tried to mould himself into character, but he confessed to watching movies that have drill sergeants in them, mentioning the one in Apocalypse Now as being his favourite. It is a bit exaggerated, but the production team have got a pretty good idea of what the sergeant should be like. “Again, this is a musical, so Ahmad can’t really be that overstated. In a musical, all the characters— no matter how stiff or upright they are— have to break into song or dance one time or another,” he reasons. Altimet’s debut on stage aside, he also spoke of his announcement to retire at age 40. Does he still stand by this decision? “Yes, I do,” he affirms. It’s time for new challenges. I’m going to stop being a performing musician quite soon.” Would he then consider professional acting perhaps, seeing as he hits the stage this month? He wouldn’t mind that, if that’s where the road leads to, but he won’t be as passionate about it as he is for music. In fact, he is slated to release two albums this year, where the last album tells of a story on how he meets a girl, falls blissfully in love, but eventually ends it. “It really is about music,” he explains. “My last album is going to be about me breaking up with music, about how we’re finally done.” We end the interview on a high note— about the best thing someone’s ever said to him about his music. He tells the story: “There was this guy, a toll operator who had excitedly asked me, ‘Bro, you Altimet ah?’ I said yes, and he listed down a bunch of my songs that he really liked, before saying ‘thank you for telling our stories’. And there was this lady who had come to a roadshow with her grandkids, and wanted to take pictures with me. She said to me, ‘You know, I don’t like Malaysian music, and particularly not rap. But I like your songs.’ So, these are my two trophies. They give me much more satisfaction than any physical trophy.”