Ernie Zakri Dazzles Fans At Debut Concert Despite Laryngitis

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 27 (Bernama) – A bout of laryngitis (an infection of the throat) had affected her voice but it did not stop singer Ernie Zakri from mesmerising more than 3,000 fans who turned up to watch her perform at her debut concert, ‘Aura: Ernie Zakri Live in Concert’, at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre last Saturday evening.

Ernie, whose real name is Nur Ernie Shahirah Zakri, said she had been suffering from laryngitis for a week, which forced her to limit interactions with her fans, who call themselves ‘Ernienators’, throughout the two-hour concert.

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“My doctor advised me to limit my talking (to fans) to take care of my voice,” she said at a press conference after the concert, adding the doctor examined her and gave her the last injection at 6 pm last Sunday just before the concert.

“That was the best I could give and I hope my fans were satisfied. I really wanted to talk to them because I enjoy interacting with them. But this laryngitis held me back.

“I don’t know where I found the strength to continue with the concert. I simply stayed calm and prayed that everything would go smoothly.”

Ernie said she could not bear to disappoint her fans, especially knowing that some had travelled from far away just to see her perform. She said she would not have been able to forgive herself if she had cancelled the concert.

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She also admitted that coming down with a throat infection a week before her debut concert was one of the biggest challenges of her career but her husband, singer Syamel, was there to support her.

“I couldn’t have gotten through this difficult time without Syamel. He understood my condition as a singer and was always there to support me, especially when I felt mentally exhausted,” said Ernie, who performed 22 songs that night.

Concert organiser Sufi Rashid of Sah Entertainment expressed satisfaction with Ernie’s performance and praised her professionalism.

“Ernie is an artiste with minimal demands and is very professional. She was unwell, so we left the decision entirely to her (whether to proceed with the concert). We also respect her decision not to interact with fans,” he said.

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The ‘Aura’ concert was enlivened by the presence of guest artiste from Indonesia Ade Govinda who joined Ernie to perform their hit songs ‘Hal Hebat’ and ‘Masing-Masing’.

The atmosphere became even more exciting when Sabronzo from the group DOLLA surprised the audience by performing the song ‘LUV’ with Ernie. The highlight of the night was when Syamel appeared on stage to sing a duet with his wife, performing ‘Die With A Smile’, originally sung by Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga, as well as ‘Aku Cinta’.

Accompanied by musical arrangements by music director Genervie Kam, Ernie’s performance that night took the audience on an emotional journey, leaving a profound impact with songs such as ‘Aura’, ‘Boneka’, ‘Gundah’, ‘Astana’ and ‘Ku Bersuara’.

-- BERNAMA