Another feather in her cap

Funny woman Zulin Aziz tells Loong Wai Ting about her single Terbiar and why it took two years in the making

FORsomeonewhohasnobackground in singing, it can be a nerve-racking experience to sing in front of a crowd. That doesn’t seem to bother Zulin Aziz, who, prior to releasing her first single Terbiar, had no professional training in the singing department.

At a recent Press launch of her new tune atWarnerMusicMalaysia’sMutiaraDamansara HQ, the TV host, radio personality and actress impressed the crowd with her vocal prowess as she belted out Terbiar, sounding as if she had done this many times before.

Save for some uncanny impersonations of popular singers, such as Jacyln Victor and Dayang Nurfaizah, and singing to Projector Band’s tune Sudah Ku Tahu, which Zulin posted on her YouTube and Instagram accounts last year, her recent performance was her first time singing live in front of a crowd.

FINDING HER REAL VOICE Thebossanova-flavoured Terbiar isthework of Ijoo Omar of local indie band Monoloque and KL-based composer Aiyad Sakti.

Later, as Zulin sat down for a chat with the Press, she admitted to feeling very nervous about her performance.

“Thankfully I remembered the lyrics. I’ve never sang in front of so many people before. It’s scary but I enjoy the experience very much,” said Zulin, who calls herself an accomplished bathroom singer.

The bubbly comedienne made the decision to come up with the song after fans and followers, who were impressed by her (impersonating) videos online, urged her to do it.

It was a challenge at first for the artiste with zero experience in singing professionally

But it was one challenge she was game for since she wanted to do it as a gift to her supportive fans.

“I really hope my fans will like it,” she said.

The song took Zulin two years to record. She did countless of recordings of the song to make sure that she got it right.

“There were times when I sounded like some of the singers that I’d imitated in my videos. But I was determined to find my real voice,” she said.

The KL-born artiste has tried different genres including hip hop before finally settling on bossa nova for her debut.

“I want to be different and releasing a bossa nova song will help me stand out from the rest,” she said.

With the first single out, Zulin hopes to work on her second single soon. However, she is still waiting for the right material.

OVERNIGHT SENSATION

The 28-year-old began her career in showbusiness in 2009 when she took part in the first season of the talent-search TV programme Pilih Kasih, becoming a top 10 finalist (singer and actor Iqbal Mazlan won Season 1).

Zulin currently works as a radio announcer for SuriaFM.

In 2014, she was nominated for Popular Comedian, Popular TV Host and Popular New Female Artiste at Anugerah Bintang Popular Berita Harian.

She became an overnight sensation when a video of her mimicking a certain TV host, speaking in gibberish in multiple languages including Cantonese, Thai, Korean and Arabic, went viral last June.

Many praised her for getting the intonations and accents right.

Soon after that, Zulin released another video, this time impersonating characters from Indonesian, Hong Kong and South Korean drama series.

Zulin, who is single, is in no hurry to settle down. “My mum has been pestering me a lot, asking me when I am going to get married. But I am happy being who I am at the moment,” said Zulin, who prefers to let fate take its own course.

Terbiar is available on iTunes, Spotify and Joox.

Zulin performing at the launch of her single, Terbiar.

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