GUESS WHO’S THE DASHING STAR WITH THE GOLDEN VOICE?
Dashing Malaysian hockey star Firhan’s a crooner when he’s not on the pitch
KUALA LUMPUR: When Malaysia’s dashing national hockey forward Muhammad Firhan Ashari isn’t in action with a stick in hand, he turns to the microphone to play crooner.
The 25-year-old just loves to sing – and that’s so in tune with his character as he picked up the trait from his wedding-singer mother Noni Azmira Che Long.
Firhan said his mother used to belt out songs at weddings and “kenduris”.
“She has a lovely voice. Even the late singer Datuk Sharifah Aini was impressed with her voice during a singing talent event when she was a teenager,” said Firhan.
“She was then given the opportunity to sing together with Sharifah in functions more than 15 years ago.
“My mother did not produce her own albums but she won the commendation from many for her tal- ent in singing classical and modern Malay songs.
In awe of his mother’s natural talent, Firhan started singing at the age of 13 and used to frequent karaokes.
“Now, I’ve a karaoke set at home and when I am free, I’ll sing with my mother, my younger sister Nur Nisrina and my wife (Nuraini Mohamad),” said Firhan, who has a five-month old daughter Nur Ayra Delisha.
“After a hectic hockey schedule, it’s nice to sing. It really helps me relax. It also enhances my language and listening skills.”
His favourite Malay song is “Syurga Di Wajahmu” by Nash and his No. 1 English song is “All of Me” by John Legend.
As he prepares for his second World Cup in Bhubaneswar, India, starting on Nov 28, Firhan wants to get into the rhythm and be one with the Malaysian team for a memorable outing.
“I want to perform better than my first World Cup in The Hague (Holland in 2014) and put my name on the score sheet,” said Firhan.
“I scored one goal against South Africa in the playoff for the 11th placing, which we lost (2-6).
“This time, we’re well prepared and aim to give the other teams in our group a run for their money.”
Malaysia will kick off what will be their ninth World Cup campaign against world No. 4 Holland on Dec 1. Their other matches are against world No. 13 Pakistan on Dec 5 and world No. 5 Germany (Dec 9).
Malaysia must finish in the top three in their group to advance into the second round.
To help motivate the team, Firhan sang the praises of his teammates and said nothing was impossible as they had 10 experienced players vying for honours in their second World Cup.
“We have a good team, we’re a determined lot and with a little luck, I believe we can reach the second round,” he added.