PETALING JAYA, Aug 29 — Atai normally spends Merdeka Day with his family. This year, however, he will be performing to remind everyone of his uncle, Sudirman.
“I am doing this to bring back Sudirman’s memory to the people, to help spread his music,” said the 40-year-old of his performance at the Memori Chow Kit Road 2.0 showcase that ends on Sunday.
“I got into the music scene to follow in his footsteps. In the past, I was always backstage, observing my uncle perform.”
Atai, whose real name is Razman Azrai Zainudin, will perform songs by the much-loved Malaysian music icon, who died in 1992.
The showcase will be held in front of Sogo KL at Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman from 7.45pm to 11pm today, 9.30pm to 12.30am tomorrow and 9pm to 11pm on Sunday.
Other performers include Jaclyn Victor, Datuk Aznil Nawawi and Tomok.
Atai, who is AG IT Consulting Sdn Bhd chief executive officer, said he planned to create a fund in Sudirman’s name for a good cause.
Atai believed Merdeka was the starting point for someone to be successful.
“We, as a nation, should stop being negative so things will be better for everyone,” he said.
Daniel Veerapen, who rearranged “Kulit”, one of the songs that will be performed by Atai, said it was done with a modern take but maintained the elements of the original song.
“I am using today’s ‘sounds’ for the arrangement, which was done about six months ago. The reason Atai chose ‘Kulit’ is because it has never been made into a cover although it is one of Sudirman’s most recognisable songs,” he said.
Daniel, who is the son of jazz musician Michael Veerapen, said he was carving his own niche in music producing and composing.
Information Department Merdeka secretariat operations officer Nor Hazli Abdul Hamid said they were expecting a crowd of about 200,000 for the three-night performance.
“The concept behind the event is to pay tribute to MH17 and MH370, and the performers will be singing patriotic and religious songs in memory of the victims,” he said.
“It is not only to instil love and peace for the country but also to pay homage to Sudirman.”
Nor Hazli advised those who wanted to watch the performance to take public transportation because Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and Jalan Dang Wangi would be closed until 10am on Monday.
