SHARIFAH AINI POWERS ON

by Hizreen Kamal  (New Straits Times: Tuesday, 3 November 2009)

For someone who had expressed her intention to retire from showbiz a while back, she sure seems busier than usual.  Apart from travelling abroad performing in front of an international audience, she also makes time to work on her 99th and 100th studio albums Warisan Melayu and Irama Terindah Malaysia.  Malaysia's First Lady of Song does not seem to be slowing down; at least not for the time being.  And as she celebrates her 40th anniversary in the music scene, several projects are being planned for her fans.

With her farewell concert slated for 2011, Sharifah Aini, or Kak Pah, as she is fondly known, is coming out with a series of performances in the name of charity under the Sharifah Aini & Friends banner.  This is a series of mini concerts where the evergreen singer will share the stage with a guest artiste.  Each show will be about 180 minutes long.  A total of 12 shows are being planned and there's talk about taking Sharifah Aini & Friends to Singapore for three additional shows

"This is my ongoing project which I am undertaking until my mega concert.  I am happy to do this ... it keeps me busy and sane," she said in an interview recently.  Kicking off the series of Sharifah Aini & Friends is the singer with the big soulful voice, Adibah Noor.  The performance is slated for Dec 4 at the grand ballroom of Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur.  Part of the proceeds for this event will go to Wheel Chair Tennis Malaysia, an organisation comprising wheelchair-bound players.

Following that, Anuar Zain will entertain the audience on Dec 11 at the same venue.  Part of the proceeds will go towards 15 tahfiz schools nationwide, under the Maahad Tahfiz Darul Huffazz-a tahfiz umbrella.   "The two charity dinners are my way of celebrating my 40th anniversary in the industry.  Only the show with Adibah Noor will see part of the proceeds go to Wheel Chair Tennis Malaysia, as from Anuar's show onwards, the tahfiz schools will be the beneficiaries.  God willing, I am looking at collecting at least RM1 million for these schools so that the students will be better cared for."

The bond between Kak Pah and tahfiz children is not new.  It is a bond that has lasted 15 years.  She has helped take care of 1,500 tahfiz children nationwide, but in all that time, she did it quietly.  "I now want to go big.  The time is right and by having Sharifah Aini & Friends, I will be able to collect more funds for the children.  The idea for the mini concerts came about after Kak Pah was told by the children and the schools' management that they do not get much help from the authorities."

After much discussion, Kak Pah committed herself to helping out.  "As a mother, looking at the faces of these children, you can't help but stretch out your hand to help them.  It's like looking at your own children and knowing that they need a lot of help it just drove me to make a difference.  I know I am an old bag and I don't know how long will I continue to live," she joked.   "So, this is my way of giving back to society.  It allows me to sleep better, knowing that I have done my part," she said.  While Kak Pah is happy to make a little profit, her main intention is to help the poor tahfiz children.

And what makes it even more special for her is that she's personally financing Sharifah Aini & Friends.  It is estimated that a mini concert with a 10-course Chinese dinner at a hotel for 500 people would cost RM150,000.  Be that as it may, Kak Pah only wants the best for her audience and fans, so that they will go home feeling satisfied after watching the show.  "An artiste does not sing for free and there are bills to pay.  While I am not rich, I think I can spare a bit of my earnings for a good cause," said Kak Pah, who is not afraid to be ambitious.  A bit wary of people lately, no thanks to her being cheated in the past, Kak Pah does not want this noble effort to be tarnished by such unscrupulous acts.  I've had enough of irresponsible parties taking me and other artistes for a ride.  So, to minimise problems, I've decided to take on this project on my own.

The series is organised by her company, Seri Dewi Production Sdn Bhd, and Lime Events Management.  At the same time, Kak Pah hopes to get as many sponsors to come in.  "I am a shy person.  If there are those who would like to come in as sponsors, my arms are wide open."

Apart from Adibah Noor and Anuar Zain, Anita Sarawak has also confirmed, in principle, to work with Kak Pah.  However, the date and venue have not been finalised.  With Anita, Kak Pah said, they will have to look at a bigger venue considering the big fan base that the former has.  "I am looking at a venue which can fit a maximum of 1,000 people.  No one has seen me performing with Anita.  So, it sure is going to be a novelty.  It's going to be fun!" she gushed.

Besides them, Kak Pah expressed her interest to work with other big names such as Jamal Abdillah and R&B queen Datuk Sheila Majid.  On suggestions of roping in Malaysia's Number One singer Datuk Siti Nurhaliza, looking calm, Kak Pah smiled and said Siti would probably have too many shows on her plate by now.  "But if it happens, it happens.  I am not going to say no.  It'll be wonderful as we both have our own fan base."

  The Shows 

  DATUK SHARIFAH AINI AND FRIENDS Adibah Noor

Date:  Dec 4, 2009
Time:  8.00 pm
Venue:  Grand Ballroom, Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur
Tickets:  RM6,500; RM4,500 and RM2,500 for a table of 10

  DATUK SHARIFAH AINI AND FRIENDS Anuar Zain

Date:  Dec 11, 2009
Time:  8.00 pm
Venue:  Grand Ballroom, Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur
Tickets:  RM10,000; RM5,500 and RM3,500 for a table of 10

For ticket enquiries, call Lime Events Management at 019-348 8054 / 012-933 2373; fax: 03-7805-1008 or e-mail: limeevent@gmail.com

Artikel lain yang berkaitan:

  Kak Pah Sasar RM1 Juta (Berita Minggu: B*Pop 20 Disember 2009)

  Saling Mengagumi (Berita Harian Khamis, 17 Disember 2009)

  Saya Sentiasa Mahu Bekerjasama (Harian Metro Isnin, 14 Disember 2009)

  Demi Anak Tahfiz (Berita Haria Jumaat, 6 November 2009)

  Kak Pah, Anuar Ziarah Bakal Hafiz (Berita Minggu: B*Pop 1 November 2009)

  Dakwah Cara Sharifah Aini (Berita Harian Jumaat, 23 Oktober 2009)

  Tak Serik Kena Kapur (Berita Minggu: B*Pop 18 Oktober 2009)