Monday May 16, 2005

One last hurrah

Salamiah Hassan returns to the music scene with her final album. AZHARIAH KAMIN catches up with the petite veteran singer who insists that music is still a big part of her life.

EIGHTEEN years ago Salamiah Hassan’s unforgettable ballad Menghitung Hari won the hearts of her fans and music listeners alike.

But her subsequent decision to stop releasing albums made her rare commodity in the mainstream. With occasional airplay of her popular hits on the local radio stations, fans had to make do.

Salamiah Hassan: ‘I have much to be thankful for in my career, which has spanned almost three-and-a-half decades.’ – Picture by Zubir Hj Yahya

Hence, a chance to catch the power-packed singer performing live at Planet Hollywood in Kuala Lumpur last Tuesday was a big treat. Salamiah was out to launch her latest album, which understandably had the fans excited as the media.

And for most who turned up on Tuesday, it was a mesmerising experience seeing her on stage performing a few songs taken from her latest album called Tirai Terakhir. The diminutive entertainer remains unchanged at 54.

Salamiah, a well-known evergreen singer from the 1970s and 1980s marked her long awaited return to the local music scene with the release of Tirai Terakhir, which also is her final album, according to the singer who also celebrated her birthday on Tuesday.

The album is produced by Salamiah’s younger brother, Hadi Hassan, who is fast making a name for himself as a producer, songwriter, having penned songs like Katakan for Nana of AF1 as well as Bukan Itu Bukan Ini for vocal group Sutera that became the theme song for TV series Astana Idaman.

Hadi’s company Eight Tones produced the album while Power Records is the distributor for Tirai Terakhir.

Tirai Terakhir is an eight track outing showcasing Salamiah at her finest, covering a blend of ballads with some new funky grooves that would appeal to the younger set. It features a fusion of world music, pop, R&B, dance and everything else that she had never done before.

“I know my time is running short and age is catching up with me,” said Salamiah in an interview after the launch.

“So I discussed it with Hadi and we decided that I should leave one last album behind for all the fans. I have much to be thankful for in my career, which has spanned almost three-and-a-half decades.

“This is the only way I know of thanking them, by giving them an album of my songs to enjoy and to remember me by,” said Salamiah, choked with tears.

“But since singing is my passion, fans can still expect me to be around. I will still continue doing private functions and live performance as long as God allows me to. I will always be around to entertain anyone, when I’m called upon to do so.”

Salamiah revealed that offers of dinner shows and private engagementshave been continuously pouring in.

“I love singing and that’s what keeps me going. It is a gift that has been bestowed on me and I will not let it go to waste,” added the pint-sized singer who used to be called Little Miss Dynamite by the media in her heyday.

“But to really put an album out, I have to say that this is my last album. But, if Datuk Ahmad Nawab calls me one day and says that he wants me to sing his song, then I’ll come running (just to record his song),” she said laughingly, gesturing to Ahmad Nawab who was present among the crowd.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’ll be very happy to sing one song or a duet with any artiste in their album but releasing an (album) of my own, I don’t think so. It took a lot time and hard work.”

In her colourful career, besides having three other albums, Salamiah has also recorded several EPs; among her numerous hit songs, the most famous are Gelombang penned by Kassim Masdor and Surat Terakhir by Datuk Ahmad Nawab.

Apart from Hadi, several new composers were also involved in Salamiah’s current album, including Sharon Paul, Pam Yuen and Ananth Manohar.

“I’m very honoured to work with my sister as she is very talented and even though it took a while to produce, I’m satisfied with the result,” said Hadi.

“As this is her last album I wanted to do something different. We took two years to complete the album. It was difficult to meet up with the rest of people who were involved in the album. For instance, I only saw my sister once a year (during Hari Raya),” he said candidly.

And for Salamiah herself, working with the younger generation of songwriters was really interesting.

“Working with younger people with their different approach and touch in making my album made me feel younger,” she said smiling.

“I hope Tirai Terakhir will be a blessed last album from me to my friends and fans alike.”

Salamiah Hassan’s Tirai Terakhir is available nationwide and distributed by Power Records.

eCentral

One last hurrah

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