Rain, nostalgia and great showmanship at AJL 33
Impressive sets also added to the excitement of the awards event, lending a party atmosphere, writes
THE night was full of powerful and poignant moments at the recent Anugerah Juara Lagu 33. The new generation of singers like Sufian Suhaimi and Ara Johari showed the nation what they were capable of while household names such as Misha Omar and Siti Sarah’s blew the audience away with their powerful vocals.
To sum up the night in one word, it was “extraordinary” and the dramatic stage sets played a big part in making each performance that much more super.
Sufian Suhaimi’s emotional number Di Matamu was a tear-jerker, as fans were under the impression that the performance was a tribute to his ex-fiancee, actress Elfira Loy. Fans knew that he was heartbroken over his split with Elfira, so when wedding-themed props complete with a chandelier and a wedding dais decorated the stage, his performance was all the more poignant. Meanwhile Khai Bahar, who looked dapper in a suit, wowed the audience with his self-composed song Luluh, accompanied by a pianist.
Standing on a high black platform was Misha Omar, draped in an elaborate black ensemble ready to hit the high notes to
her song, Sampai Bila. As she began, she removed her black outerwear to reveal a gorgeous red outfit. There was no need for ornate decorations for this song, her mellifluent vocals were magical enough to earn her third place and the Best Vocal award.
Siti Sarah, on the other hand, may be small but her voice does not reflect her petite size. Semakin was flawlessly done, and this too required no props to spice up her set. Kaer and Amylea showed good chemistry on stage when they performed the duet Tak Pernah Hilang. It was nice to see the duo come this far, from their days as contestants of the Akademi Fantasia reality show for seasons two and three respectively.
Ara Johari, also a former contestant on AF13, wowed the jury with her performance of Kau Pun Sama.She emerged as runnerup and won RM35,000 and a trophy.
In between the ballads, the venue turned into a party site with upbeat numbers. Among them, former AF 7 contestant Syamel, who surprised with his dance moves to his song Kau Pun Sama.
The trio of girls called De Fam delivered their version of Altimet’s song Bunga, and Haqiem Rusli kept the party going with his hit tune Jatuh Bangun, which he co-