“A Tribute To Sharifah Aini' Rekindles Memories Of Malaysia's Legendary Singer

By Marfika Adnan Haris Fadzilah

KUALA LUMPUR, June 8 (Bernama) -- More than a decade after her passing, the legacy of Malaysia’s beloved songstress, the late Sharifah Aini, returned to the stage at Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (DFP) here through the concert ‘A Tribute to Sharifah Aini’ on Saturday night, bringing together fans from various generations.

Recordings of the legendary singer’s voice opened the evening before the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO), led by conductor Ahmad Muriz Che Rose, performed an overture of ‘Burung Pungguk’, taking the audience on a nostalgic journey through the four-decade career of the iconic artiste.

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Singer Asmidar was the first to perform with ‘Seri Dewi Malam’, a symbolic choice as it was among the earliest songs that introduced Sharifah Aini as a recording artiste, transporting the audience back to the early days of the singer’s illustrious career.

Asmidar continued with a medley of ‘Di Pinggir Kayangan’, ‘Sayang Musalmah’ and ‘Gunung Banang’, which evoked memories of Sharifah Aini’s mastery of traditional Malaysian and asli music, genres that became closely associated with her identity as a singer.

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The atmosphere turned poignant when veteran singer Salamiah Hassan took the stage with ‘Tiada Maaf Bagimu’ and ‘Kenang Daku Dalam Doamu’. The 75-year-old singer’s powerful vocals and heartfelt delivery captivated the audience.

“It's an honour for me to stand on this prestigious stage alongside some of the finest musicians and pay tribute to a very dear friend,” Salamiah said, drawing thunderous applause from the crowd.

Singer Shiha Zikir added another emotional dimension to the concert with performances of ‘Mawar Putih Untuk Mama’ and a medley of ‘Cahayamu Cahayaku’, ‘Seribu Mawar’ and ‘Ingatan Manis Di Bulan September’. 

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The ‘Mula’ singer shared her close relationship with Sharifah Aini, whom she regarded as a mother figure since joining the reality television programme ‘Mentor’. She also said that she still feels the presence of the woman she affectionately called ‘Umi’ whenever she performs the late singer’s songs.

In the second segment, Asmidar returned with a medley of ‘Kekasih Pujaan’, ‘Di Malam Persandingan’, ‘Oh Di Mana’, ‘Yang Ditunggu Tak Tiba’ and ‘Surat Dari Seberang’. She also told the audience that she had only met Sharifah Aini three times during the singer’s lifetime

Salamiah once again charmed the audience when she spoke about her close friend’s romantic side, as well as how Sharifah Aini often invited friends to her home to enjoy her cooking and spend hours chatting into the early hours of the morning.

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“She was a very, very romantic person. She was full of empathy and devoted much of her time to helping orphaned children,” she said before performing a medley of ‘Forever And Ever’, ‘Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow’ and ‘I Have a Dream’.

Veteran singer Khadijah Ibrahim completed the nostalgic evening with renditions of ‘Hapuslah Air Matamu’, ‘Terbang Helang’, ‘Kau Tinggi Di Awan Biru’, ‘Rindu’ and ‘Kuda Ku Lari’. She also shared fond memories of her friendship with Sharifah Aini throughout their years in the entertainment industry.

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Khadijah also revealed the story behind ‘Ku Gembira Di Sampingmu’, a song originally offered to Sharifah Aini.

“The song was actually given to her first, but she said she didn’t want it. I told her, ‘Your loss,’ because it later became a huge hit,” she joked.

The more than two-hour concert reached its climax when all four singers came together on the stage to perform ‘Seiring Sejalan’ before the entire audience rose to their feet to give a standing ovation.

-- BERNAMA