Akim & The Majistret to record Chinese album
A CONCERT in the heart of George Town, Penang, late last year opened the eyes of popular band Akim & The Majistret to an interesting observation about their fan base.
The seven-member group, comprising vocalist Akim Ahmad, guitarists Zimie Zahari, Gjie and Beby, bassist Faoq, drummer Wan and keyboardist Afiez, received roaring applause from Chinese-speaking fans who approached them to convey thanks after the show.
“It’s amazing that our music transcends boundaries,” said Zimie at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur recently to announce the band’s January concert in Singapore.
“All this while, we thought our fans were almost entirely Malayspeaking, and concentrated in Johor, which is Akim’s home state.”
Akim added: “While I have performed in English, Tamil and Chinese in the past, I never knew of our sizeable pool of Chinese fans in the northern region.
“This is a truly 1Malaysia moment which warrants a celebration and a big thank you — in the form of a fully Chinese album from our band!”
Akim & The Majistret will start work on a Chinese album — with Mandarin and Cantonese versions of their original compositions — next year.
To master more Mandarin songs, Akim has been taking lessons in the language.
“Lessons began early this year, and it’s not easy to master it. I take eight hours to perfect a Chinese song,” he said.
The band will debut its Mandarin version of current hit song Lagu Untuk Laila in Singapore.
The concert at the Esplanade is titled Konsert Planet Akim & The Majistret 2018, and it is organised by Singaporean entertainment events company Adi Media.
Tickets to the 8pm concert are priced between S$48 and S$148 (RM144 and RM444), and are available at www.apactix.com. By Dennis Chua