All for the love of good music
Datuk Sheila Majid and Datuk Zainalabidin chat with Dennis Chua as they look back on their three decades of friendship
ALMOST every music fan here knows iconic singers Datuk Sheila Majid and Datuk Zainalabidin Mohamad. Sheila is strongly identified with Malaysian jazz, while Zainalabidin combines pop and world music, especially with his 1990s environmental song Hijau.
They wowed Malaysians from all walks of life when they teamed up for the iconic Ikhlas Tapi Jauh concert at Stadium Merdeka 26 years ago.
In this legendary event, they shared the stage with singer, actor and comedian Datuk Afdlin Shauki, musicians Azman Warren and Amir Yusoff and the late singer and music lecturer Zubir Ali.
On April 26, evergreen Zainalabidin and Sheila are set to relive the memories of Ikhlas Tapi Jauh in a special concert called Re-Jamm.
Re-Jamm, which also features Afdlin, is part of the three-day KL Jamm music festival held at the Malaysian International Trade and Exhibition Centre, off Jalan Duta, Kuala Lumpur.
“It’s great to be back, even though it’s not the full team. We promise to have a blast with fans of that famous concert,” says Sheila.
Zainalabidin chips in saying that while they have yet to finalise on the complete repertoire, songs as Ikhlas Tapi Jauh and
Hijau are definitely included.
Sheila, 54, says the last time they teamed up was in The Legendary Concert 2012. It was held at Stadium Merdeka and also featured rock star Amy of Search.
“We did invite Azman and Amir to join us but they are busy. Nevertheless, they wish us well and hope the concert will be a success,” says Zainalabidin, 59, adding that they cannot wait for their big day.
Zainalabidin, Sheila and Afdlin have been rehearsing almost daily since January in preparation for the 90-minute concert.
“It’s going to be a mix of old and new numbers. There will be three segments, beginning with Afdlin, followed by Sheila and finally, myself.
“In between the segments, there will be duets involving Sheila and Afdlin, Sheila and myself, and Afdlin and myself,” says Zainalabidin, adding that he will also be the percussionist in Sheila’s and Afdlin’s segments.
“It is going to be an interactive show where audiences will get to sing along with us. Each of us will sing seven songs,”
adds Sheila, who is grateful to KL Jamm’s organising chairman Datuk Norman Abdul Halim for coming up with a “strong platform” that not only supports Malaysian musicians but also sees them sharing the stage with some of the region’s best entertainers.
“We must always benchmark ourselves with the best in the region. Only then will Malaysian musicians grow from strength to strength.
“KL Jamm, I hope, will help promote more music venues for new, homegrown talents to perform and thrive. It is only through live performances that entertainers can successfully build up their careers.”
Sheila and Zainalabidin have known each other since 1986. They first met during a performance by his former band Headwind.
“Actually, Zainalabidin has been in the industry a decade before me as a member of Headwind. However, our solo careers date back to the same period. We have been great friends ever since, bonding over a love of music, especially songs by the late Tan Sri P. Ramlee,” she adds.
Below is an interview with Sheila and Zainalabidin:
WAS BECOMING A SUCCESSFUL RECORDING ARTISTE ALWAYS BEEN YOUR CHILDHOOD DREAM? ZAINALABIDIN: I’ve never dreamt of becoming a recording artiste. I wanted to be an archaeologist like Indiana Jones!
SHEILA: Me neither. I didn’t have any dreams back then. I chose to try my luck singing when I was 17, walking into the Booty Boys’ recording studio in downtown KL. Shortly after, I guess I found my true calling.
WHO WERE YOUR BIGGEST MUSICAL INFLUENCES EARLY IN LIFE? ZAINALABIDIN: My biggest influence was Tan Sri P. Ramlee and he will always be my idol.
From the West, it has got to be Sting and I guess he influenced me, resulting in me singing environmental tunes like Hijau.
I’ve seen Earth, Wind And Fire perform live and the group mesmerised me with its boundless energy and non-stop showmanship.
Andrea Bocelli performed on the same stage with me in Italy in 2016 at the Roman Forum. He told me to strive hard and not look back in order to become a worldfamous artiste.
SHEILA: The late Zain Azman and Datuk Julie Sudiro were my childhood favourites. My father introduced their music to me. Zain was super cool and suave and Julie remains an evergreen crooner with a beautiful voice.
I was more exposed to P. Ramlee’s films than his music back then, and it was only later that I began to appreciate his music.
From the West, I’ll always remember Michael Jackson’s fantastic concert at Stadium Merdeka in 1996. It’s the best I’ve seen. He totally blew me away with his moves.
I’m afraid I’ve never had a chat with any major international star but my biggest fan, my father, gave me lots of brilliant advice, for example, good music must come from the heart always.
ZAINALABIDIN, YOU DID AN
ADVERTISMENT WITH TV3 BROADCASTING ICON WAN ZALEHA RADZI IN A NESCAFE SHAKE ADVERTISEMENT IN 1987. TELL US HOW THE SHOOT WAS LIKE. ZAINALABIDIN: Wan and I met through an advertising agency which hired us for the advertisement shoot. It was fun to work with her. She’s so knowledgeable about everything, yet humble and down to earth.
The shoot didn’t take very long. It wrapped up within a day and we had great fun drumming while shaking our cool coffee containers on the set.
We didn’t keep in touch but we bumped into each other over the years, most recently at an international equestrian event that took place in Kuala Terengganu. She’ll always be my favourite broadcasting icon together with the late Datuk Mahadzir Lokman, who was a staunch fan of mine.
SHEILA, YOU HAVE ACTED IN FILMS TWICE. DID DIRECTOR TAN SRI JINS SHAMSUDDIN PERSONALLY CHOOSE YOU FOR ALI SETAN IN 1984? SINCE YOU CHOSE TO STAR IN ONLY ONE FILM BACK THEN, HOW DID THE PRODUCERS OF SINARAN THE MOVIE
PERSUADE YOU TO MAKE A GUEST APPEARANCE IN IT?
SHEILA: The producer Harun Hassan encouraged me to audition for a role in Ali
Setan, and I decided to give it a shot. Little did I realise that my character Tipah would give rise to a modern “peribahasa” Tipah Tertipu, referring to girls who are easily duped by “bad boys”!
Better still, Ruffedge even came up with a song of the same name.
As for Sinaran, its producer Kevin Chin is a fan, and the film is meant to be a tribute to my song of the same name. The musical film coincided with the 30th anniversary of the song, so I thought it would be great to be part of it.
IKHLAS TAPI JAUH WAS YOUR BIGGEST CONCERT EVER. TELL US ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE PREPARING FOR IT.
ZAINALABIDIN: We worked almost around the clock rehearing for it for more than a month. It was very tiring but satisfying because we were all determined to make it great.
Honestly, I felt nervous on the day of the concert, but when I got on stage looking at the 45,000-strong crowd cheering, I just wanted to perform and give my best.
My biggest fear was forgetting the lines. Fortunately, that didn’t happen. Everything was near-perfect and at the end of the day, we all felt on top of the world.
SHEILA: Rehearsals were hectic, lasting for hours every day. We also went on a road tour, visiting entertainment venues around the country.
We bonded very well like a family, and Zainalabidin always cheered us up with his jokes. Since I was the only woman amongst the artistes, the crew gave me special treatment!
SHEILA, YOU ONCE SAID YOU DID NOT LIKE THE RECORDING OF THE HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI SONG HARI MULIA
AND FELT THAT YOU DID NOT DO A GOOD JOB. WHY IS THAT SO?
SHEILA: I don’t think I sounded good in that song. Looking back, I think I sang like a strangled cat! OF ALL THE SONGS YOU’VE SUNG
AND PERFORMED LIVE, WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE? WHAT’S YOUR MOST FAVOURITE AND LEAST FAVOURITE VIDEO AND ALBUM COVER?
SHEILA: It’s got to be Sinaran, a song that radiates with positivity. My favourite album cover is Cinta Kita, because the photographer did a great job capturing me with my flowing hair.
I didn’t like the cover of my first album
Dimensi Baru as it was a mere magazine photo of me.
The video for Aku Cinta Padamu is my all-time favourite, especially because it involves my daughter Kayda. My most recent video, Boneka, did not satisfy me. It looked like a rushed job.
ZAINALABIDIN, YOUR BEST KNOWN SOUNDTRACK IS DISNEY’S TARZAN.
TELL US WHY YOU CHOSE TO DO IT. ZAINALABIDIN: It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with Disney and it was Phil Collins who chose me out of several Asian artistes.
There were similar offers after that but I turned a few down because they weren’t my kind of music.
NAME US YOUR FAVOURITE NEW SINGER-SONGWRITERS WHO CAME AFTER 2000.
ZAINALABIDIN: Yuna easily comes to mind. She really does us proud.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR FRIENDSHIP OVER THE YEARS. WHAT ARE THE MOST ENDEARING QUALITIES YOU LIKE ABOUT EACH OTHER? DO BOTH OF YOU HAVE ANY MUSICAL PLANS TOGETHER?
ZAINALABIDIN: Sheila is like a sister to me. She’s honest and forthright, always speaking her mind. We have never got into any major disagreements, only differences of opinion. She makes me laugh because of her witty comments about singers and their performances.
We both love music that is soulful and inspiring. We love P. Ramlee and Sudirman songs. But she’s a lot more into jazz than I am. I’m more into rock than she is. No collaborations yet but we are thinking about it. SHEILA: He is my big brother in showbusiness, a kind, gentle soul, honest and natural entertainer. At times I speak my mind and he knows it.
Zainalabidin is always funny and just like my song Sinaran, he brightens up my day.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR FRIENDSHIP WITH AFDLIN OVER THE YEARS. ZAINALABIDIN: Afdlin is my kid brother of sorts. We have been together through thick and thin. He met me in one of my shows, not long before Ikhlas Tapi Jauh. He’s honest, hardworking, open-minded and quite the perfectionist. We may disagree on certain things related to showbusiness but we don’t direct our anger at each other. Never.
We both love a good laugh. Whenever he comes up with puns and wisecracks, I’d just burst out laughing. He got me to do stand-up comedy at his Comedy Planet restaurant two years ago and I loved the experience.
He has one interest which I can’t relate to — beating up bad guys in a buddy movie set in Thailand!
We have lots of plans for the future now that both of us are the ambassadors for Etiqa Assurance. We are in the midst of planning something really big which is still under wraps.
SHEILA: Afdlin is adorable and fun. He’s a lot like Zainalabidin in many ways. His knowledge of global entertainment greatly impresses me.
It’s never easy to be a “triple threat” in showbusiness — that is, acting, singing and producing — but he’s proven that in his three decades of entertainment.
SHEILA, DID YOU INITIALLY SUPPORT KAYDA’S MOVE TO BECOME A RECORDING ARTISTE?
SHEILA: Kayda did it all on her own. I did not encourage her but I advised her to complete her studies first.
Kayda is very disciplined and driven, and best of all, she creates her own music. She prefers to be based in KL but who knows, one day she might go overseas. I think being based overseas will be good for her musical growth.
DID YOU EVER THINK OF
HAVING ANOTHER TALENT
APART FROM SINGING AND ENTERTAINING?
ZAINALABIDIN: I want to try acting if the script is right. Voiceover work in animated films is great, too.
SHEILA: Motivational speaking and cartoon voiceovers would be fun!
He (Zainalabidin) is my big brother in showbusiness. Sheila Majid