Like many young boys, as a child, Datuk Norman Abdul Halim had a certain respectful fear for his father.
The 48-year-old businessman and former member of KRU, one of Malaysia’s leading music groups in the 1990s and 2000s, recalls crying when his father would sit with him and his siblings to go through their homework.
“It’s not so much because he was scolding me, it was the thought that my father was not happy with my performance, ” contemplates Norman. “Because I looked up to my father. He’s a qualified engineer and he had a successful career.
“He was a loving father, he would make time for us, and he was very strict.”
The oldest of four siblings has come a long way from the days when he was afraid of disappointing his father.
Ending a successful run as one of Malaysia’s most iconic music groups, Norman and his younger brothers Yusry and Edry bid farewell to their stage careers as KRU two years ago in a massive 25th anniversary concert, held in Istana Budaya, Kuala Lumpur.
Needless to say, their 79-year-old father is nothing but proud of his children’s achievements.
Abdul Halim Kamal, now retired and a devoted grandfather to his 11 grandchildren, had certain expectations for his children when they were young.
Even though three out of four of them didn’t end up on the career paths laid out for them, he has nothing but pride in his heart.
“Norman was meant to become an accountant, Yusry an architect, Edry an engineer, but my daughter Halina did end up doing accounting, ” says Abdul Halim, laughing.
“I was surprised when the boys got an offer from EMI but I left it to them and they had my full support, ” he adds. “I didn’t stop them from pursuing their careers.”
Norman, Yusry and Edry started out as KRU in 1992, and the breakout group quickly garnered a solid fan base, going on to produce 13 studio albums, perform sold-out concerts and win numerous awards.
Fast forward 28 years later, the brothers famous for singing, songwriting, producing and acting have diversified their portfolios with other endeavours related to the media and entertainment industry and various other projects.
From artiste and event management to movie production, the brothers continue to be involved in the projects the group undertakes.
While also managing their existing projects, they are launching several new ones.
“We are migrating almost all of our business activities onto various digital platforms and working on developing a number of e-commerce solutions and trying to actually move towards going fully digital, ” says Norman.
“This is actually very exciting because in our group we have quite a diversified range of products and services. One of the projects that we’re working on includes the introduction of an audiobook or ebook streaming platform called bukoo, and an e-commerce marketplace with celebrity-driven products, called iLike.”
They have come a long way from when they started out as singers, songwriters and producers, and Norman never expected to grow to what they are today — businessmen with vast experience across industries, and fathers of collectively, seven children. (Norman and his wife Dr Shireen M Hashim have one, Yusry has two children with his wife, actress Lisa Surihani, and Edry has four children with Milia Mohammed).
Staying motivated in his career and with the livelihoods of so many depending on his leadership, Norman finds himself continuously motivated to aim high.
As a father of an eight-year-old girl, Nia, Norman draws from the values he was taught growing up, with an emphasis on trying new things.
“For anyone to be successful, they have to try new things and experience failures as well. When it comes to getting my daughter to try new things, explore, try new games, even try new foods, I hope through all this she will discover what she loves to do, and be passionate about it and not be forced to be someone she’s not, ” he explains.
“I guess that’s very much me. I had quite a colourful journey in my career as a singer-songwriter-producer. I have a diploma in accounting and never got a chance to pursue my degree, but when we were offered the contract with EMI I never looked back. I guess life has its own way of working out for you, and whatever you do now will create a direction for you in the future.”
With his daughter, he likes to be the “fun dad”, joking that he lets his wife (the group’s COO) do all the scolding.
“I like to encourage my daughter to be expressive and creative, to be a bit more of an extrovert. We do various things like sing songs, play football, and she is a very confident young girl.”
Praising his wife for being a wonderful mother, Norman talks about the special bond he has with his father-in-law, Datuk Mohamed Hashim.
“We’re very close. He’s a very successful businessman, and we enjoy talking about the day-to-day affairs of the country, local and international politics, and business, ” says Norman. “He is very independent, he likes to do things himself, much like my father. I would like to play a bigger role as a son for both of them, and when they need me to do anything, I’m more than happy to help. I feel that the mutual respect, the shared interests aside, he’s also a mentor to me, and advises me on how to run things. After all, he has run a few big organisations in the past. It’s very helpful because he went through a lot himself.
”And it’s good to actually have that kind of advisor at home, especially when we talk... we can talk over dinner.
Mohamed Hashim, who only has one child (Shireen), treats Norman like his own child.
“Honestly, since he came into the family, he’s like the son I never had, ” he relates, joking that their favourite shared pastime is talking about politics.
“He’s very hardworking, he’s a good father and husband, and he always thinks of his parents.”
Almost fully retired from his career and since retiring from his favourite sport, golf, Mohamed Hashim is enjoying his new full-time job, taking care of his only grandchild.
“With my granddaughter, I have more time to devote to her than when my daughter was growing up because I was working and had very limited time, ” he recalls. “Of course I spent as much time as possible with her, but not as much as with Nia because I’m very free now.”
“I try to instill the same values in her as I did with her mother... be hardworking, thrifty and so on, and I always tell her to ‘follow your mummy’, she works very hard and you must do the same thing, ” he adds.
Role reversals
Inevitably for most, our parents will eventually need taking care of.
Recently, Abdul Halim injured himself in the garden, and while he insists on continuing to do the things he always has, it has come to a point where his children have threatened to take away his tools.
With a laugh, he relates the incident, where he attempted to chop down a tree without realising how dangerous it was.
“That’s how accidents happen, ” he chuckles. “I forgot all the safety rules, but you know, I was trying out the machinery. It’s my hobby as I’m a mechanical engineer.”
His father is turning 80 this year, and Norman finds himself advising him a lot on his health and well-being.
“My father needs a lot of care now, but the thing about him is that he enjoys doing all sorts of chores and sometimes they can be very dangerous.
“But I think I understand what he’s going through. He wants to do things, but he is at an age where he doesn’t have that strength anymore. These days I tend to advise my father a lot more than my father would advise me.”
From doing homework after school to being scolded for bullying his brother Edry, their father-son relationship has evolved.
“I think he respects me as a leader as well, not only as the eldest sibling who tends to take a bit more initiative to get everybody to do things together, but maybe because of my role as a leader in the company.”
Says Abdul Halim of his son, “We are just like close friends. He does advise me to take things slow.”
Today, Norman’s parents are seeing the fruits of their labour, and the lessons they taught their children are also being passed down to all the grandchildren.“They are successful in their own right, we get along like friends, we joke around and go shopping together, ” says Abdul Halim.
”When the grandchildren come to me to read books to them, I oblige them, and I can see that the hardworking trait has been passed down to them, and they are all doing well in their lessons, ” he adds.
For Norman, having a positive mindset is what he hopes his daughter will bring with her into adulthood.
“I’d like her to have a positive mindset— just like me! So that in whatever challenges that you go through, there’s always a way out if you think hard and be creative about it.”
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