Mikeru On Malaysian Music Today

Reshmonu (born Hiresh Haridas, Malayalam: ഹിരെഷ് ഹരിദസ്; born 26 May 1976 in Melaka) is a singer-songwriter from Malaysia who does mostly-English songs. He is known for songs such as "Walk Away", "Cintaku Pergi", "Hey Waley" and "Superfine", as well as for his hairstyles. Of Malayalee descent, he became a father in 2005.


Reshmonu
Birth name Hiresh Haridas
Born May 26, 1976 (1976-05-26) (age 33)
Origin Melaka, Malaysia
Genres R&B, soul, hip hop
Occupations Singer-songwriter

They enjoy the simple pleasures in life and believe in sharing those little moments of joy in their music.

Who would have thought that a little episode like stealing time from their performing schedule to eat Hainanese chicken rice in Bukit Bintang could fuel Nidji to continue to rock and electrify their legion of fans.

As frontman Giring Ganesha puts it : "We don't have this chicken rice in Jakarta and we make it a point to have it when we're here."

Although an hour later, the band was rocking to some 500 fans gathered to witness the electrifying performance at Dragonfly KL last Wednesday.

Nidji could very well be one of Indonesia's top ranking bands after the launch of their third album, Let's Play struck a chord with many fans.

Already the album has spawned Sang Mantan, which notched up another hit for the band amongst Malaysian fans.

After the extremely popular Hapus Aku, Laskar Pelangi and Shadow – which served as the promo tune in Asia for the popular series Heroes, Nidji seems set to continue their chart-blazing track record.

"Let's Play is definitely the album that has taken us the longest to record, but it’s a labour of love not just for the fans, but also for ourselves," said Giring.

They call it a heartbreak album because of the "lost love" theme.

"It's honest, within the confines of simplicity of the poetic stories we have to offer," explained Giring, saying that they set out to come up with an album that was, "something enjoyable and easy to listen to for fans." We've heard that one before, much too often.

Giring, however, explains that much of what came together in the album was personal.

"Dosakah Aku was the result of my relationship which drew much controversy back home, and all the songs apart from it was something that we all related to, and knew fans could, too."

With that kind of honesty in their work, is it surprising that Nidji has taken the brand of pop rock to another level?

Interestingly, Giring reveals that Nidji is inspired by Malaysian acts like Slam and Search.

"Inspiration pops out anytime, especially when you least expect it."

Take, for example, the inspiring Laskar Pelangi, based on the hugely successful debut novel by Indonesian writer Andrea Hirata which is also a soundtrack of the movie adaptation of the same name.

"I was going through a period in my life where I was at my lowest," said Giring.

"I came across the book, read it, and it inspired me so much I thought that if there was a movie, I wanted to do a song to inspire others as the story did for me.

"Without knowing, a movie was being made based on it, and the producers approached us to work on the soundtrack."

And thus came about the theme song – also titled Laskar Pelangi, which translated means Rainbow Soldiers.

Needless to say, it became a massive hit. Such is the power of music, and Nidji's belief in the hope it inspires.

Nidji continues to spread their kaleidoscopic message of hope and inspiration through their tunes.

Which is fitting, perhaps, as Nidji got their name from the Japanese word 'Niji' which means rainbow. The band's talented and spirited line-up in Muhammad Andro Regantoro (bass), Muhammad Ramadista Akbar (lead guitar),

Andi Ariel Harsya (rhythm guitar), Muhammad Adri Prakarsa (drums) and Randy Danistha (keyboard) also played their part in bringing to life the songs on stage.


Beginning with Biarlah from their second album Top Up, they breezed through all the necessary hits with much panache and 'rockability'.

Giring was his usual affable self, and was even able to joke about Sang Mantan (which means the ex), saying,

"If you have been hurt by an ex, you only need to download this song and let them hear it if they call you," to much laughter and cheering.

Their performance lacked nothing and received support from audiences and even from bands like Hujan and Bunkface.

An encore was demanded and the band obliged by singing Heaven. Universal label mates 6ixth Sense and

Aizat warmed up the stage for Nidji, apart from newcomers Anna Raffali, Shah and Klangit.

Let's Play is now available in music stores nationwide.

Bunkface is a four-piece Malaysian rock band from Klang, Selangor, formed in 2005. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Sam, bass guitarist and backup vocalist Youk, lead guitarist Paan, and drummer Ejam Coda. Popular songs by Bunkface include Bunk Anthem, Situasi, Silly Lily, High School Rocker, Tired Misson, Revolusi, Fine, Land Of Hope, Last Minute, Hyper Killer, Our Way, Prom Queen, and most recently, Through My Window.










Shamsul Annuar (Sam) – lead vocals, guitar















Muhammad Farouk Jaafar (Youk) – backing vocals, bass















Ahmad Farhan Hashim (Paan) – lead guitar, backing vocals

Mikeru On Korean Music Today

Present : Estella Band collection photo ^^

Dato' Siti Nurhaliza binti Tarudin DIMP, JSM, SAP, PMP, AAP (born January 11, 1979) is a Malaysian pop singer-songwriter. To date, she has garnered more than 200 local awards as well as international awards. She is also dubbed as The Voice Of Asia, when Alicia Keys first introduced her with the title during MTV Asia Awards 2005 in Bangkok, Thailand due to her soprano vocal prowess and greatest achievements locally and internationally.

She rose to fame as a multiple-platinum selling artist, since her winning of Bintang HMI 1995 when she was only 16 where she was given offers in form of singing contract from four different international recording companies. Her first single, Jerat Percintaan from her debut album won the tenth Anugerah Juara Lagu and another two awards for Best Performance and Best Ballad.

Siti Nurhaliza
Birth name Siti Nurhaliza binti Tarudin
Born January 11, 1979 (1979-01-11) (age 31)
Kuala Lipis, Pahang, Malaysia
Genres Irama Malaysia, Pop, Soft rock, Pop rock, R&B, Dance-pop
Occupations Singer, Songwriter, Record producer, Businesswoman, Actress
Instruments Voice

The thousands of screaming fans at Stadium Putra Bukit Jalil on Sunday night saw solid performances from some the country’s youngest artistes.


As predicted by NST, the evening belonged to Aizat. He captured hearts with Pergi, a song composed by Pete Teo, and translated by Amran Omar.


Accompanied by a classical Indian singer and an erhu player, the boy wonder did no wrong in a farewell serenade to famed director, Yasmin Ahmad, who passed away last year. Aizat’s song also reveres other Malaysian legends including political figures Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Tan Cheng Lock Tan Sri P. Ramlee and Datuk Sudirman Arshad.


The 21-year-old from Johor continued to work his magic with an adorable performance of his self-composed Kau Aku. The singer relived his childhood days and even had a mini version of himself strumming the guitar on the stage surrounded by schoolchildren.


Faizal Tahir will always be Faizal Tahir, even with crutches. Bercinta was the singer’s third entry in AJL. The 31-year-old did not let his futsal injury hamper his performance. He brought drama, as usual, by “stumbling off” the stage at the end of his show. Sadly, his vocals were not as powerful. Still, kudos to the chap for going against doctor’s orders and giving us solid entertainment.


Yuna proved that you don’t need to hit the high notes in order to have impact. Dan Sebenarnya was soothing and she also sparkled on the guitar.


Misha Omar and Alyah were her close contenders. Without a doubt both sang well. Misha’s performance in Cinta Adam dan Hawa looked a strong candidate in bagging Best Vocal, yet sadly things didn’t fall through as winner of reality show Mentor’s Black nabbed it with his insanely high vocals in Aku Rindu Sayang Kamu.


Bands Bunkface and Hujan were also memorable.


Honestly, there weren’t any high expectations of Bunkface to bag any award but its performance of Situasi was indeed entertaining. Two children went on stage to accompany Sam, the lead singer of the band, for the youth anthem of 2009. In fact, the entire stadium was singing along to the chorus.


The only female winner... Yuna won second place with Dan Sebenarnya with a composed performance.

Hujan pushed the envelope further than usual, with a jazzy interpretation of Aku Skandal that slowly morphed into their usual rock style.


Despite Noh’s hardly there vocals, Hujan’s mosh-pitters became the core of the performance.


The mosh-pit was well choreographed. From their Mexican wave to the head bangings, they did their bit for Hujan’s memorable entry to AJL.


Forgettable performances were inevitable at this year’s AJL too. Hafiz’s Masih Jelas was such a disappointment. Many had high hopes that the lad from Kuching would deliver his finest. The singer was short on creativity and hardly blew anyone away with his vocals.


Akim’s Bengang was a downer. The so-called dark horse of the show became a theatrical act a la a modern rock version of Phantom of the Opera. He even looked like an anime character.


What about Tomok? The reliving of Bollywood’s Mohabbatein with a special appearance by actress Diana Danielle was so yesterday. It was a self-indulgent performance and the once frontman of New Boyz hardly did anything spectacular. As far as guest artistes were concerned, the opening act was a classic.


Datuk Siti Nurhaliza sang AJL 23rd's winning composition, Lagu Untukmu with Lan, ex-frontman of Meet Uncle Hussain. There were goosebumps all over when both singers sang the high notes. As for the hosts, Cheryl Samad and Ally Iskandar did fairly well but Faizal Ismail was a bit too bitter throughout with his sarcastic remarks. Were those really in the script? The night also saw a strong jury headed by famed composer Fauzi Marzuki.


He was assisted by Siti, Zainal Abidin, Hazami, Dr Wan Zawawi, Dr Syed Ahmad Faizal Al Attas, Fatimah Abu Bakar and Group Chief Executive Officer of Media Prima’s Television Networks Datuk Seri Farid Ridzuan. The theme Music Unfolds captured the transmission of music in the industry.


From good old Pop Yeh Yeh of Jefrydin to disco fever with Jay Jay, the concept was executed almost perfectly. Sadly, there were some technical glitches during Jefrydin’s performance.


As Search took the stage with Pawana and Fantasia Bulan Madu, the audience went crazy.


Amy donned a long wig that strongly resembled the days when he used to have one. The strong performance had everyone on their feet.


Overall, was the RM2 million spent worth it? Yes. Brilliant lighting, great visual aids, an impressive elevated stage and great props all point to a job well done by AJL production team headed by Ahmad Shaifullnizam.


What about the new no-category concept? It worked well as performers were given the creative freedom to rearrange their songs outside of their original genres. It gave more colour and variety to their performances and AJL ought to give the format another shot in the coming year.