Datuk Shake Diet and exercise key to his health

PETALING JAYA: Age is no barrier for the young at heart. That is the feeling of Datuk Shake, a popular singer in the 70s currently residing in Paris. 

The fifty-something-year-old singer, who was here to entertain his fans at a Mother’s Day event at Seri Pacific Hotel yesterday, admitted that he did not like to talk about his age.  

“I feel young forever, old age seems like you want to retire...” 

The singer, famous for his songs Ummi, Pulanglah, Kau Bungaku and Anugerah Dari Kegagalan has no problem taking care of himself by eating a healthy diet and exercising in the gym. 

However, he was not shy about talking about his five grandchildren. 

Still shakin’: Datuk Shake entertaining fans at a Mother’s Day event at a hotel inPetaling Jaya yesterday.

“Having each grandchild was a beautiful moment. It’s like having a child. The feeling is almost the same. Children brighten up our lives,” the Johor-born artiste said. 

Datuk Shake comes from a big family that includes five brothers and seven sisters. He is also Sports Minister Datuk Azalina Othman Said’s uncle.  

He is the third amongst his siblings and Azalina’s mother, Salmah Ahmad, is Datuk Shake’s elder sister. 

Datuk Shake left for England to expand his career, tutored under famous classical vocal teacher John Dolby in the 70s and was later introduced to a French recoding company. 

His first hit, You Know I Love You in French, reached gold and platinum status and was a best seller in many European countries.  

That was also the time that the name Datuk Shake was coined as the French found it hard to pronounce his given name, Datuk Sheikh Abdullah Ahmad. 

The ‘low-profile’ singer is proud of his mother tongue although he had received an award L’art et de Lettre (In the Honour of Arts and Letters) for introducing the French language in English speaking countries. 

“I love my language. It’s my language. Where I am I will show them what my language is,” he said. 

When asked whether he would come back to Malaysia to stay here, Datuk Shake said he has many responsibilities now with his music career and also an apparel business. 

“It’s not that I don’t miss my home, just that I’m tied with my responsibilities. My main priorities are now my wife (Datin Milena) and my children.