Music inspiring positive change

MUSIC has always been a big part of my life, but I never thought I would become an executive producer and performer to two officially released songs.

Last year, I performed at more than 20 events, including charity concerts of both small and large scale (an Abba tribute show being the largest), birthdays and weddings commemorated in restaurants and banquet halls, school concerts and a national day reception – Australia Day, where I accompanied a diplomat singing INXS, P. Ramlee and Gershwin.

The repertoire throughout the year was also varied, including Faure and Elgar on one hand and Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan on the other. I had the chance too of performing with local artistes including Datin Alyah and Wany Hasrita, the famed Solianos, as well as acclaimed pianists such as Churen Li and Caroline Fischer.

The most intense musical project of 2024 was Squash the Beef, a song commissioned by the Negri Sembilan Squash Association to commemorate its 25th anniversary.

I enlisted two Negri Sembilan talents – Waris and Suki Low – to inspire the next generation of squash players, with the lyrics talking not only about the sport itself but the aims of the association. The accompanying music video (now with nearly 200,000 views on YouTube) was shot with our players at squash facilities throughout the state.

The song’s opening musical phrase of a riff in D minor played by brass has become our players’ entrance music, while the song’s lyrics are immortalised on our t-shirts.

Performing a live version of Squash the Beef at our 25th Anniversary commemoration dinner was certainly a highlight of the year.

I thought all that would be a one-off, so I was surprised to be asked to become executive producer and performer for another song mere months later.

Suki asked me to join her and Alun Tradisi – a versatile Malay fusion band – to record a new Hari Raya song in aid of the Ideas Autism Centre.

I thought this would be a brilliant opportunity to educate the wider public on autism and the activities of our centres, particularly since we just opened in Port Dickson.

It was also a way to include the children in an exciting project through the music video, and so a day in Ramadan was devoted to capturing both the everyday timetable of therapies and sessions, as well as seasonal elements such as weaving ketupats, placing candle lamps and fireworks.

The fruits of that labour – aside from the intense editing and production in our partners’ professional studios – were happily exhibited at a buka puasa event earlier this week. Here’s to hoping that Anugerah Hati becomes a virally successful song this season!

Indeed, as the fasting month enters its final stretch, all the usual festive songs are being played through our radios and the speaker systems of commercial buildings.

Live troupes of traditional musicians and dancers have also filled the lobbies of shopping malls, which in the last six months have seen Deepavali, Christmas and Chinese New Year celebrations occur in quick succession.

For me, this was punctuated by a slew of performances in conjunction with the Yang di-Pertuan Besar’s birthday in January, where I once again joined Waris and Suki in performing Squash the Beef, but also Datuk Aishah, Datuk Jamal Abdillah, Hael Husaini and Atilia Haron in performing a range of Malay hits.

Last July, the Minister the Education appointed me patron of arts in Negri Sembilan schools, and I told her I would like to do something meaningful: the Projek Seni Noghori.

So before Ramadan at SMK Tunku Ampuan Najihah – also known as the Noghori Arts School – Datuk Zainal Abidin (of Hijau fame) explained the intention to educate children (and also crucially, their parents and pop teachers) of a career in the performing arts.

Present were the Negri Sembilan musicians I’ve already mentioned, plus Datuk Hattan, Ito of the Blues Gang and jazz pianist Michael Veerapen.

Students will be taught about all aspects of performing arts – including financing, production, audio engineering, stage design and marketing. Those who participate in a talent show titled Noghori Ado Bakat will receive mentorship from experienced practitioners, with winners at the district level advancing to a final round and the eventual champion being given opportunities to showcase their chosen art form.

Schools understandably did not have resources to embark on a huge project, so I’m also grateful to the private sector sponsors who have stepped in.

Tours of each district will take off after Hari Raya, and I hope will showcase Negri Sembilan as a state fiercely proud of its unique cultural identity and rich in talent, one that is keen to innovate and bring delight to audiences across the country and the world.

Tunku Zain Al-‘Abidin is Patron of the Arts in Negri Sembilan Schools. The views here expressed are the writer’s own.