Siti Sharing Her Diary

It was a 3 year absence from Singapore. For a pop sensation with a big fanbase in the island state, that would have been something.

Well she is now ready to be back. That is Dato' Siti Nurhaliza - arguably Malaysia's most successful entertainer and pop icon to date. She is making a comeback appearance at the prestigious Esplanade of Singapore.


Her concert is titled Diari Hati (A Diary Of Her Heart).

I can still remember the time Siti burst into the music scene some 11 years back. Yes, she literally 'burst' into the scene. Petite, young and beautiful - with a great voice and popular music. Her video clips were aired on TV so often.

A new icon was born, and this icon continue to stay on up till today - an achievement lauded by many as unbelievable. Not many artistes can hang on that long - usually 3-5 years at their peak. But for Siti or CT for short, she held it for years to come. And till today, no one seems to be in second seat waiting to take over the 'throne' of this pop princess.

I've never been to any of her concerts and in fact, have hardly watched any of her performances on TV. But I've heard a few of her songs and find them pretty good. And there was once when I was in a concert for another performer, and in she walked in. Guess what - the whole auditorium went quiet or in whispers "Eh, that one Siti lah..". What an awe-stricking moment. Never had any star had such strong presence - not even the overseas performers on stage that night.

Ok, on with the show in Singapore on 21st March 2008. From petite, Siti has definitely put on some weight based on her pictures on TV and the magazines. So it was my first time seeing her since. In the concert, she herself mentioned about it before she sang Beyonce's Flaws & All. Jovially, she mentions in Bahasa Malaysia "last time S, now from M going to L" - mentioning don't expect her to dance like Beyonce.

Spotting her now image, she comes in dressed in the tudung, albeit a more modern version that doesn't wrap round the neck. She sang both slow and fast tunes, mainly songs from her new album. These were quite new to me, but were quite nice especially the one penned by Singapore's composer - Dick Lee. It sort of have a Chinese 'tune' to it. One of the new songs that I like is Sutramaya which has a fusion of traditional and modern feel to it. I believe it is only Siti who can pull off such a song.


Of course, Siti did not miss out on some of her favourite hits like the all time popular Cindai. However, I was expecting her to sing 2 songs which I know her for Aku Cinta Padamu and Bukan Cinta Biasa. Maybe I should have shouted my request out, as Siti was very friendly and warm throughout the concert, listening to the audience and talking to them in between songs.

And that was where I could see why she is so liked by many. It's her down-to-earth personality. She connects well with the crowd, and talks to the crowd allowing them to connect with her. It's her humble attitude that makes her so likable, and only enhances her star power.

In between she gives some presents she has for the crowd - like photo frames and diaries. These items were placed at the side of the stage on a sofa and side table. She jokingly mentioned who would want to the sofa as well. She sure knows how to joke with all sincerity. Very Malaysian, and it ticks with the crowd. Lots of people wanted her presents, and she managed well to give the last one to a makcik who is a big fan of hers.

The most heart warming moment in her concert was when a handicapped person who was in the audience was called out by Siti to be by her side while performing a song. It was a very touching moment when Siti actually noticed and actually called her. Just imagine what wonders did Siti do to the lady, who will have a long lasting sweet memory of being with her idol. And to the rest of the crowd as well. Like I said, that's why she is so likable!

People from Singapore, Malaysia and some even Indonesia (Medan) came to watch their idol. The seats were not cheap especially those from abroad, but were well worth it. I'm sure many left with a greater sense of happiness of connecting to the 'diaries from this Malaysian star's heart'.

Interview With The Stars

The 50+1 Malaysians List is most likely the most challenging one of all segments that I've encountered. From finalising the list with help from other industry players, getting contacts of the personalities, and interviewing them.

Being in their fast paced life, these are busy people with hardly time for themselves - attending TV shows, concerts, events, shoots and other interviews.

Having had a lil bit of experience interviewing some of Malaysia's biggest designers for my previous work, I come a lil more prepared. However, I must say this is a different ball game in a way. First, it's not just 8 people (designers)... now it's 50+1 (ie 51!).

And although they are from the entertainment industry, however, the number of sub industry or segments are much more this time round - the singers, the actors, the celebrity chefs, the sports players, the models & others. On top of that, the singing category is even further divided from pop to hip hop, nasyid, independent bands, etc. This is because we want to showcase each individual who made an impact in the Malaysian entertainment industry. And that is only fair to have from each singing category as well.

Furthermore, it's not only the Malay entertainment industry, but also the Chinese entertainment industry. All these adds to the complexity of the whole process.

I had to do some surveys, talk to some association experts - all these to get their views. I also had to research on these personalities myself - their past works and their awards. Remember, before the list is out, there were many more names mentioned.

Once the list was finalised, which took the longest of times, the next thing was to interview these personalities. Again, as we are new in this industry, there were quite a fair bit of explaination. And like I mentioned earlier, these are busy people.

Ok, so appointments were made - either via face to face, telephone and emails. All 3 had its own unique points and experience for me. The emails interviews were the easiest. The only setback is some artists may not answer the question accordingly, and may at times need to be re-emailed.

The phone interview is the best I would say, as first it is quick and fast - both on the artiste and my part. And I get a chance to speak to them, introduce my company and the book better. Also, I can guide them in case they don't quite understand the questions posed. Of course, however, there were some artistes who made telephone appoinments only to not pick it up when called. Some were rescheduled later (over and over again) - some never.


Then there were some who prefers a face to face interview, which I did both in KL and Singapore. This was rare and though it took much more time, but it was well worth it. It was great to see Jaclyn Victor, Saw Teong Hin and Rusdi Ramli face to face. I'm lucky that these are humble people and there were no airs in them, giving a very easy interview.




It was interesting that I interviewed a singer, a director and an actor. Saw gave good insights to his works and the film industry, while Jaclyn was very nice giving info on Malaysia throughout. And of all the 50+1 artistes I encountered, Rusdi was the most humble one of them all.

The whole process has been a remarkable one - some big stars were very humble. In fact, I realised the bigger the stars (in most cases), the more humble they are. They reply promptly, and are very co-operative. They thanked me for my time, our efforts and also wish me the best - now that's what I call a true Star!

Some other interesting things to note - there were some who I thought would have been 'difficult' turned out very nice indeed (very different from reports from the press or insider's stories). What a big surprise! And of course there were those which were vice versa.

I'm still waiting for a few more answers to be emailed back, but officially, I'm closing this chapter. What a journey!

Shinning Star

My friend read me my star the other day... Though I rarely read them, but this one is a good one to be shared - "In this situation, the best is yet to come. Really - believe it. Stand wholeheartedly behind your plans for the future and you will soon see that your certainty pays off. What you want will come to pass if you have faith."

Even if the star didn't say so, but Im sure, if we just follow these words in our everyday lives, we will be able to see our dreams through.

I spoke to a friend recently and mentioned to him about it - bout first 'dreaming' and next to 'follow through'. And though the roads can be rather bumpy, but just like the star said, we got to just keep believing :)