Road to fame paved with hard work, says child star

CHILD STAR Wani Kayrie (pic) says the road to stardom is paved with hard work as she makes a bid to be among the new generation of local stars, reports Sinar Harian.

Wani, whose real name is Syazwani Abdullah, first grabbed the public’s attention seven years ago on Astro’s Kamilah Bintang when she was just

10 years old.

“My strongest weapon in being relevant has been hard work,” the 17-year-old said.

The oldest of three siblings, Wani took the initiative to stage performances and has a following on social media.

“After Kamilah Bintang, I wanted my own shows, which led to a meeting with reps from Suria Records who opened a lot of doors for me,” she said.

Her debut single Jangan Jangan, composed by DJ Fuzz, attracted a lot of attention starting with her teenage fans and has now reached more than four million views on YouTube.

Despite her success with last year’s single Berteman Saja and Jangan Jangan earlier, Wani said she does not want her song to be a one-hit wonder.

> Songstress Sharifah Zarina Wan Hassan is making a comeback with a new single, reports Kosmo!

The 35-year-old, best known for her hit song

Langit Ke Tujuh, said she had chosen young hit-maker Ippo Hafiz to compose for her. Not wanting to sing under record labels, Sharifah is funding the indie project with her savings.

Having been out of the spotlight for several years, Sharifah admitted being envious of other artistes still in the limelight.

She has set a target of releasing at least one single every year as long as she is able but was a bit nervous about public expectation of her new single.

“I keep thinking the public would expect me to deliver something stronger than Langit Ke Tujuh,” said Sharifah during a recent interview. Asked how she kept her slender figure, the mother of three revealed she quit eating rice three years ago.

“I also make it a point to hit the gym, where Zumba is my favourite fitness programme.”