‘Keep traditional pop music alive’
YOUNG Malaysians may love popular musical genres, like R&B, rock, Western pop and hip-hop, but Datuk Ramli Sarip wants them to spare a thought for traditional Malaysian pop or “Lagu Asli”.
“Traditional pop is our heart, soul and national treasure as it is entirely homegrown. Over the years, icons such as Tan Sri S.M. Salim and Datuk Sharifah Aini have been its flag-bearers.
“Alas, they have left us, and, sadly, not many youngsters share their passion for the genre,” he said at after announcing Konsert Tanah Airku at Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur recently.
“I grew up appreciating rock music, but at the same time, I developed an appreciation and passion for traditional pop. It will be a tragedy to see it fade away.
“It is not easy to find replacements for its great stars and there is nothing much that we can do apart from performing as much as we can so more Malaysians can appreciate it.”
Ramli, 65, fondly dubbed Papa Rock, vowed to promote the genre as long as he was fit enough.
The veteran artiste said musicians who were passionate about traditional pop should compile more albums to preserve the genre’s most memorable songs.
“This is vital so traditional pop can live on, since documentation of songs will make it accessible to the future generations.”
On his involvement in Konsert Tanah Airku, Ramli said he was happy he could still entertain fans for two hours at his age.
“I will be singing 18 songs, half of them before the intermission, and it will be a proud moment to hear my staples get the traditional touch from two brilliant orchestras.”
The concert will be held at Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (DFP) in KLCC, Kuala Lumpur.
It will see Ramli performing his hits in traditional-pop style, in collaboration with the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (MPYO) and Orkes Tradisional Malaysia (OTM).
Organised in conjunction with MPYO’s 10th anniversary, the two-day concert will take place on Nov 17 and 18.
Among traditional tunes set to be performed are Sri Mersing, Laksamana Raja Di Laut, Joget Irish For Sitar, Dialog Cak Lempong, Serampang Laut and Pantun Budi.
Ramli, who is making his second appearance at DFP, will be joined by conductors Ahmad Muriz Che Rose and Mohd Yazid Zakaria as well as traditional pop singer Norihan Saif.
He last performed at DFP a decade ago with Datuk Khadijah Ibrahim for her Pearl Anniversary Concert. He hoped to be back next year for an anniversary concert to celebrate his famous duet with Khadijah, Doa Buat Kekasih.
“The song will be 30 years old next year, and Khaty (Khadijah) and I want to celebrate it with fans of all ages. More guest artistes will be coming on board and the concert will have ‘universal love’ as its theme.”
Tickets for Konsert Tanah Airku are priced at RM60 and RM100. Call 03-2331 7007 for more information. By Dennis Chua