SINGAPORE, Nov 25 — Thirty years is a long time to be in any career, so it’s only natural that people will want to celebrate such an anniversary with a big bang. And one of Malaysia’s top pop stars, Sheila Majid, intends to do just that.
“Next year, I am going to perform in Singapore and then Jakarta,” she said, adding that those shows will be part of the celebrations commemorating her 30th anniversary in showbiz. “But first, there’s this.”
“This” refers to the Malay movie musical “Sinaran,” which opens in cinemas tomorrow. The story revolves around a young girl named Shila (played by Lisa Surihani), who has to learn hard lessons about love and friendship. The movie also stars Indonesian actor Evan Sanders, Malaysia’s Izara Aishah, and Singapore’s Syarif Sleeq and Nadiah M Din. Yes, it’s your typical young adult movie musical, but filled with Sheila Majid’s hit songs.
The movie and its accompanying soundtrack feature nine songs, which one could say is an apt way to mark Sheila’s career thus far. There are her classics such as “Sinaran,” “Di Dalam Emosi Ini” and “Warna,” which have been reinterpreted and “updated for a more modern audience”, said the film’s director, Osman Ali.
Alongside those hits are two new songs written specially for the movie: “Tanpamu” (written by the film’s executive producer Kevin Chin) and “Sinaran Cinta” (composed by Chin and Shahrom Rashid). Sheila herself sings the latter song in a cameo appearance.
Interestingly, Sheila said the idea to use her songs for a movie was broached about five years ago. However, she didn’t give it much thought at the time and heard nothing until last year, when Chin called to inform her that the film was being made.
“You know, you always having people coming up to you with ideas, but executing it is another thing. Sometimes it’s tak jadi (not so),” she said. “I’m very flattered that he wants to take my music (and use it) in this movie. We don’t have many Malay musicals. I hope that ‘Sinaran’ will be a memorable movie.”
Although the movie project is something that she’ll probably remember for a long while, she pulled up short when we asked to her pinpoint other memorable moments in her three-decade-long career.
“The life we performers lead, we don’t have time to bask ‘in the glory’ of any show. I mean, after a concert, I don’t even have much time to sit down backstage!” she said. “I only have time to rest for a while, drink some water and then it’s interviews with the press and meeting the fans, one after another. By the time I get home, I just want to remove my make-up and sleep! And then it starts again the next day.”
Case in point: The morning after our interview, Sheila was off to Ipoh to perform a show that same night, before driving back to Kuala Lumpur to attend the premiere of “Sinaran” there.
“It’s a lot of hard work. You have to really like (what you do),” said Sheila of her career. “It’s not glam. Okay, this part is glamorous, when we have the eyelashes on and we’re attending gala events, but the work part, people don’t see. All the preparation, all the time and effort goes into that. I can’t say which concert made a mark. But maybe after a few years, I might start remembering things that happened (on a particular) night.”
Life as one of Malaysia’s top pop stars is apparently quite normal, she said, although that term is probably relative.
“Like any woman, I have to try to balance my work with being a mother to four children,” she said. “But I’m happy that my family understands the work I do, you know? I don’t have a set timetable; I’m running around all the time. The challenge is that expectations of you can be very high when you are (well-known). It’s how you deal with it.”
Of course, Sheila has learnt several key lessons in her life, one of which is understanding that what you do and who you are can be two different things.
“Being Asian and a woman, you have to behave like a lady. How I speak to people in public, how I carry myself ... all that is not necessarily me being Sheila Majid but my upbringing from when I was young,” she said.
Another important lesson is knowing when to put your foot down. “Sometimes people tend to take us performers for granted. So we have to say things like, ‘No, I’m not going to be wearing a catsuit!’” she said, with a laugh. “You have to be straightforward but not be unreasonable. People will want you to do certain things, but if you can’t do it or it’s going to be a burden, you have to tell them up front instead of giving them false hope and disappointment at the end.
“That’s why I’m tough at the negotiating table, but when everything is agreed upon, I’m the easiest person to work with!”
Speaking of work, Sheila is currently recording new material for an album that will be released next year, if things go according to plan. “We’re working on the songs right now and once they are done, we will be putting them out as singles, one by one, online,” she said, citing poor CD sales as the reason it will be done this way. “But once they’re all released, we’ll compile them into an album, as a collector’s item for the fans.”
We reckon that’s one musical offering she can definitely put down as something her fans will remember. — TODAY
