"My mum says you've had a nose job.  Is it true?"  "I hear you're getting married to a foreign surgeon.  Please don't ... I can't bear the thought of you leaving the country!"  When Sharifah Aini said she'd answer any question (and she meant anything ...), she couldn't have anticipated the line of questioning that was in store.  And these are not the kind of questions that she'd normally have to deal with from the media.  Well, at least they wouldn't have been posed them to her quite so bluntly.

Aboard the luxury liner SuperStar Virgo – which hosted some 70 people including EMI personnel, the media as well as 25 ardent fans on a cruise to Singapore recently – Sharifah Aini played the perfect hostess.  She has never looked more relaxed.  And radiant.  The two-day trip last week was to celebrate the launch of Seribu Mawar, her 72nd album with EMI, on enhanced CD.  Very rarely would one see an artiste open up and risk embarrassment.  This Sharifah did, when she 'allowed' her fans to ask just about anything they wanted to know about her in a no-holds-barred session.

After the more formal Press conference, the fans - who were winners of a contest run by the various Malay newspapers and radio stations – were encouraged to throw the funniest, wittiest posers.  Alas, there weren't too many funny questions.  In fact, some were downright rude, but if she found any of the questions or opinions of her offensive, her smiling face certainly didn't reveal her true feelings.  Indeed, she handled each question thrown at her admirably.  To the female fan who asked her if she had a nose job, Sharifah, in mock indignation, quipped: "Please give my warmest regards to your mother.  Tell her that I'd love to meet her some time and when I do, I'll be sure to kiss her ... hard on the cheeks.  She'll know then if I've had a nose job ... trust me."

All the fans who were bold enough to pose questions were given a little token each.  But not before they proved that they were true blue fans of Sharifah.  Each of them had to render a Sharifah number.  Being the good sports they were, the fans didn't need further prodding from the emcee Azwan Ali.  To Sharifah's delight, they proceeded to sing, complete with showmanship et al.  At one point, her fans' antics proved too much for the singer that she fell off her chair twice as she laughed uncontrollably!  This sense of warmth and camaraderie was sustained throughout the trip.  At meal times (and there were many ...), Sharifah found herself being on the other side – the audience instead of the performer – as she was entertained by one particular fan to a string of her songs.  And there were moments when Sharifah herself was surprised that the young man knew even her less popular tunes.

On Thursday night, as the vessel cruised the Straits of Malacca, we were treated to an hour-long performance by the Queen of Song at The Lido.  The huge auditorium, which has a seating capacity of 934, might not have been filled but the enthusiasm of the 100-odd people there made up for the lack of quantity.  Sharifah was in top form, singing mainly songs from Seribu Mawar including the title track Nary (Ya Habeba), Resah Bersalam, Nour El-Ain as well as evergreens like Bunga Tanjung, Kau Tinggi Di Awan Biru, Kau Pergi Tanpa Pesan and three English numbers – Crazy, Blue Bayou and Have You Really Loved A Woman.  The following day saw Sharifah at a meet-the fans session at Singapore's Tower Records.  Going by the number of loyal fans who came to catch a glimpse of their idol, Sharifah's popularity clearly hasn't waned.  If anything, like vintage wine, she has matured beautifully.

Artikel lain yang berkaitan:

  Naik Kapal Mewah Dengan Sharifah Aini (URTV – 1 November 2000)

  Sharifah Aini Ada Kenangan Manis Di Atas Kapal Mewah (Media Hiburan – 21-27 Oktober 2000)

  Majlis Rai Sharifah Aini Meriah (Berita Minggu: Bi-Pop – 15 Oktober 2000)

  Sharifah Aini Takut Kahwin Lagi? (HAI – 15 Oktober 2000)

  Seribu Mawar Berkumandang Di Tengah Samudera (Mingguan Malaysia: Pancaindera – 15 Oktober 2000)

  Sharifah Aini Terus Bersinar (Harian Metro – Isnin, 9 Oktober 2000)

  Sharifah Aini Sambung Kontrak Dengan EMI (Utusan Malaysia – Isnin, 9 Oktober 2000)