HE is called Malaysia's "sifu" (master) of music for a reason. Datuk M. Nasir is simply the country's best-known musical maestro — a singer, songwriter, composer and music producer, who has become an "institution" in the music industry for 45 years.
The evergreen, profound and even philosophical songs he created over the decades have left a deep impact on every recording artiste who has worked with him, and almost every major singing sensation has benefited from his creativity.
But despite being a "titan" in Malaysian music, M. Nasir has admitted to being "just like everyone", as he had gone through personal struggles, painful experiences and challenges.
CHALLENGES
"All of this, however, has never dampened my creative spirit, and I always tell myself to continue to stand strong, facing every challenge and seeing it as an opportunity to create better music," said the Singapore-born artiste.
He added: "Whenever I have a difficult journey ahead, I do my best to navigate it, for I am one who loves challenges."
HEAVY-HEARTED
He revealed that there have been moments where he felt "heavy-hearted". However, such moments were bearable for him.
M. Nasir admitted that he was not a person who had extra-high expectations — even if people cracked a somewhat tasteless joke, he would still feel amused.
SACRIFICE
He believes that art is a reflection of a composer's innermost soul. It requires lots of sacrifice in terms of time, energy and intellect, besides facing pressure from within the music industry as well as responsibility to family, friends and fans.
Looking back at his career thus far, M. Nasir considers himself "lucky" because as a songwriter, he has been a prolific artiste and hit-maker.
"If I compare myself to Tan Sri P Ramlee, he only made 200 songs, while I made 3,000 songs.
"I mean, I had to make 3,000 songs to get to this level. The world has changed, it's become commercialised," he said.
LONGEVITY
When asked about the longevity of his career, he said that he strongly believes that he will continue to make music as long as he can.
"As long as I feel I can work and have a job, I will work hard. When I retire, it will be hard to stay away from work, and that makes me worried, too, because I love my work."
M. Nasir said that it was always difficult for him to answer the question of when he would call it a day in music.
"As long as I love music, as long as I love creating good songs, that is when I will keep making music."
P. RAMLEE
"For those who were born in the last two decades, they won't be another M. Nasir because they didn't go through those decades as I did.
"If I'm asked, will there be another M. Nasir in future, I'd say maybe not.
"It's the same when people ask, will there be another P. Ramlee? No, because he lived during challenging times which shaped him into the star that he became."
CIPTA
To mark his 45 years in music, he will entertain fans at Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, on Aug 10, in a special Datuk M.N45ir Cipta Concert.
The two-hour event, which will start at 8.30pm, is organised by Icon Entertainment.
REQUESTS
While it might not be possible to satisfy the requests of all of his fans, M. Nasir said that if the concert was well-attended, and if the audience had a great time and returned home with lots of fond memories, he would consider it a great success.
"My team and I always consider as many song requests as we can, and I do my best to ensure that most of these songs make it to the concert," he said.
MESSAGES
He said that the concert's theme Cipta did not merely highlight his role as a creator of songs.
"Cipta means 'create', and it is not so much about me as a creator of songs. To create is to make more than music, it is to make masterpieces that people will cherish and pass down to their children.
"To create is more than making music, it encompasses everything in life, especially the lessons that we learn and use to better our lives."