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but havelackedoomph 32’ssemi-finalsmay ThefirstMuzikMuzik writes DennisChua deliveredaclearwinner, AzmiofCaliphBuskers
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Salma Asis; Haqiem Rusli; Ayda Jebat; Altimet; Mawi and Syamsul Yusof; Sherry Al-Hadad and Hefny Sahad; Khai Bahar ; Dayang Nurfaizah; Hazama Azmi; Tajul and Wany Hasrita
IT is often said that Malaysian music’s “Superman” Faizal Tahir leaves a trail of victory in every contest he joins.
And even if he is not available for a performance, his song is bound to be a front-runner that takes home at least an award or title.
This is just what happened to Faizal’s hit
Sejati at the first semi-finals show of Muzik Muzik 32 last Sunday — it was named the best song of the week, and will likely join the list of 12songsthat qualify for Anugerah Juara Lagu 32 (AJL32) on Feb 11 next year.
The haunting and moving song about the less privileged who longed to be loved was placed by Faizal in the able hands of Caliph Buskers’ lead singer Azmi Saat, and he serenaded the crowd in Sri Pentas 2, Plaza Alam Sentral, Shah Alam with his usual honesty and passion.
Azmi’s deep and caressing voice earned him a roaring applause from the audience, and even co-hosts Hefny Sahad and Sherry Al-Hadad admitted that they were blown away by his soulful singing.
“That was awesome! Well done, Azmi and Faizal,” said Hefny as soon as Azmi’s performance was over.
“It’s a touchingly beautiful song, and all for a good cause — to highlight the homeless and victims of war around the world,” added Sherry.
Azmi was not alone in delivering an
outstanding performance that evening — audiences loved Khai Bahar and Haqiem Rusli too.
Both Khai’s Bayang and Haqiem’s
Segalanya were poignant songs, belted ou by deep and mature voices too. Khai and Haqiem, like Azmi, were also dressed stylishly in suits, and this perhaps made fans identify with their performances.
Mentor 5 champion Salma Asis wass easily the best female singer that eveningg, performing Ajai’s composition Akhirnya Cin
ta with her power ballad vocals. She proved to the audience that her win in 3 Juara early this year was truly deserving.
Projector Band was easily the bes group for the evening, delivering a catchy love song called Aisyah. While it hardly invoked emotion and passion, it was light and easy listening from start to finish.
The biggest duet partners of the show, Syamsul Yusof and Mawi, brought audiences a sense of deja vu with their hip-hop and pop number Bukan Propaganda.
The tune, the theme song of Syamsul’s supernatural adventure Munafik (screened last year), sounded almost similar to Kalah
Dalam Menang, which he also performed with Mawi in AJL 31 early this year. Nevertheless, it was a refreshing change from the norm, as the two singers sported markedly different hairdos — Mawi kept his hair much longer than usual while Syamsul appeared to have had a haircut. The only romantic duet,
SiniSini RinduRindu performedperformed byby risingrising starsstars TajulTajul andWanyHasrita,soundedsweetbutwhen compared to Kalah DalamMenang, it clearly lacked “oomph”.
The same could be said for the songs performed by Akademi Fantasia 9 (AF9) graduates Hazama Azmi and Ayda Jebat.
Hazama’s Aku Yang Sebenar saw him in a stylish red suit but it failed to tap his vocal versatility, while Ayda’s Mata was more of a dance than a song — fans could not relate to its sound but they were impressed with her slick steps and disguise as a SWAT team leader.
Hip-hopper Altimet’s entry Amboi, a strong critique of social ills, cleverly merged his usual urban rhythms with the melodious chants of Dikir Barat, but alas, it was not one of his best efforts.
The guest artistes — three in all — were a lot more effective in stealing the show than most of the performers. Dayang Nurfaizah was her usual elegant self, in looks, dress and song when she performed the sad but inspiring Lelaki Teragung, which earned her Best Performance at AJL 31.
Nasyid supremosRaihanwerenostalgic and soothing with their medley of greatest hits, such as Thank You Allah, and the power divas Jaclyn Victor and Ning Baizura were tip-top in their duets, Di Mana Di Mana and
Beribu Sesalan.
This coming Sunday’s lineup looks a lot more exciting, and here’s hoping that the singers — solo and group — will take listeners to greater heights with their songs.
dchua@nst.com.my