Local singer Shila Amzah is recognised as the first Malay artiste to achieve fame in Chinese-speaking countries. Photo: Shila Amzah/Instagram
Local singer Shila Amzah achieved huge success in China after finishing third in the 2014 I Am A Singer competition.
Her remarkable vocal talent captivated fans throughout the show, boosting her followers on Weibo from a thousand to over 2 million.
Despite her popularity in the reality singing contest, Shila’s performances have since been removed from the broadcaster Hunan TV’s channel.
After much speculation, the reason behind this issue has finally come to light.
According to China Press, an eight-minute audio recording supposedly of Shila discussing her career in China recently surfaced on Weibo.
In the clip, the singer revealed that she was blacklisted by Hunan TV after her former manager negotiated several collaborations with the broadcaster without her knowledge.
The Patah Seribu hitmaker said her former manager failed to inform her about scheduled events with Hunan TV, leading to accusations of a contract breach and her subsequent blacklisting.
“My former manager caused a huge stir with this matter. The directors at Hunan TV scolded me because they had scheduled several events, but I was unaware of them,” the 33-year-old said as reported by China Press.
Shila shared that she initially planned on addressing the matter but decided against it due to a lack of confidence.
“Watching my old I Am A Singer videos upsets me,” she said, adding that she almost gave up due to the challenges she faced, many of which were caused by her former manager’s actions.
Despite the challenges, Shila, who's married to social media influencer Ubai Mz, assured fans that she's in a better place emotionally and is taking good care of herself.
The mother-of-two also mentioned that her new manager is already looking for opportunities for her to make a comeback in mainland China.
In fact, Shila is in the midst of working on some new songs and albums, including a Chinese one.
“I have new goals and dreams, and I hope everyone will continue supporting me. No matter how hard it gets, I believe there will be better days ahead,” she said.
