Hael Husaini wins Anugerah Juara Lagu for hit song ‘Jampi’

Hael Husaini with his trophy for winning the Anugerah Juara Lagu. - Photo: The Star/M. Azhar Arif

Singer-songwriter Hael Husaini emerged victorious at the 32nd edition of the Anugerah Juara Lagu (AJL) event held at Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur on Feb 11. Hael won the coveted Song Of The Year award for Jampi, a pop track composed by Ezra Kong with lyrics by Hael himself.

“I’m grateful the song made it this far. Initially, the song was just an introduction of myself to the local music scene. I never imagined that it would have made it into a prestigious competition like AJL,” he said in an interview with mStar.

Jampi is 30-year-old Hael’s debut single as a solo artiste. The former Akademi Fantasia contestant made his debut in the local entertainment scene as one-half of pop duo Azhael with Azhar Osman in 2013.

Hael who has also composed songs for the likes of Siti Nordiana, Jaclyn Victor and Dayang Nurfaizah believes he still has a long way to go in the industry.

“I have to admit that I don’t see myself as a singer with great vocals. But I’m always trying to improve myself from time to time in hopes of becoming a better performer,” he added.

Composer Azmeer, who is one of 10 AJL jury members, revealed that the decision to crown Jampi as the winner was unanimous. There were 11 others songs in competition at the AJL finals namely Dayang Nurfaizah’s Separuh Mati Ku Bercinta, Khai Bahar’s Bayang and Wany Hasrita’s Menahan Rindu.

“Jampi is a song that is widely accepted by listeners everywhere. The popularity of the song certainly played a huge part in its winning factor as well as the melody, beautiful arrangement and excellent delivery,” Azmeer said.Hael and composer Kong received a trophy and RM50,000 cash prize for their win. Second place went to the Faizal Tahir-Mike Chan composition Sejati (performed by Azmi of Caliph Buskers) while Tergantung Sepi (performed by Haqiem Rusli) composed by Ibnu and Gouffran placed third.

Singers Syamel and Ernie Zakri won Best Vocal for their performance of Aku Cinta. Rapper Altimet took home the Best Performance trophy with his spirited Amboi performance.