DATUK Sheila Majid is hugely popular on both sides of the Straits of Malacca, but the country's number one jazz singer seldom collaborates with dance music specialists.
But this became history on the evening of June 14 at Zepp KL in Kuala Lumpur.
DISCO MASTERS
At 8.30pm that evening, Sheila teamed up for the first time with Indonesian disco music masters Merdi Simanjuntak and Fadli Aat, better known as Diskoria for a 90-minute jazz-meets-disco extravaganza.
While jazz and disco music do not always go together, Sheila and Diskoria proved that they could be a mesmerising combination that got music lovers dancing throughout the evening.
RUBY RED
Dressed in a ruby red jacket, black blouse and black trousers with her hair stylishly tied in ponytail fashion, Sheila had the 1,700-strong crowd of Malaysian and Indonesian fans dancing.
At the non-stop concert titled 'A Time Travel With Diskoria Featuring Datuk Sheila Majid', the diva emerged to a roaring applause half an hour after Merdi and Fadli opened the show with seven of their hit singles.
These dance numbers which got everyone "warming up" their dance moves, were 'Serenata Jiwa Lara', 'Pelangi Cinta', 'Balada Insan Muda' and covers of Chrisye's 'Galih Dan Ratna', Casey's 'Seribu Impian', Saleem's 'Juwita' and Glenn Fredly's 'Rame-Rame'.
PARTY TIME
As soon as Sheila emerged, many party-goers whistled and cheered.
Sheila said: "Happy evening ladies and gentlemen! This is really making my day.
"Tonight we are having a party like no other and I hope all of us will have a great time celebrating the best of dance music."
YOUNGER SELF
Promptly belting out her trade mark "opening song" 'Warna', Sheila looked very happy and moved effortlessly around the stage.
As she urged her fans to sing along, and they all did, it was very clear that Malaysian superstar was enjoying every moment of the concert.
"Great show everyone. Let's all get dancing, and be our younger selves again," said Sheila as she moved to her next song 'Dia'.
SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER
Admitting that she missed those days of "partying a lot", the jazz legend said that reliving the ""disco 1970s" was always a special trip down memory lane for her.
"We love you Ibu Sheila!" her Indonesian fans called out, many of whom came in retro outfits a la 'Saturday Night Fever'.
On their part, Sheila's Malaysian fans who appeared to prefer casual clothing waved placards bearing her name and chanted "Datuk Sheila Majid rocks!" and "Datuk Sheila Majid is the best!"
MONUMENT
Sheila ended her first segment with her "monument" of Malaysian-Indonesian friendship and brotherhood, 'Antara Anyer Dan Jakarta', and allowed everyone in the hall to fully sing its chorus while waving their hands.
All three Sheila songs had been given a more upbeat, dance-like rearrangement courtesy of Diskoria, but they still sounded great.
While purists may enjoy the original, jazz-oriented versions of Sheila's hits, the "disco touched" new versions were equally magnetic — a testament that great sounds emerge from star collaborations.
PUMP FANS
For the next half-hour, Merdi and Fadli continued to pump up the adrenaline with their energetic disco songs including 'Rasanya', Sakura', 'Khayalan', 'CHRISYE', 'Berharap', 'Cintaku Body2Body', 'Dekat Di Hati', Afgan's 'Panah Asmara', HIVI's 'Satu-Satunya', and ANDA's 'Tentang Seseorang'.
The final 15 minutes saw the return of Sheila, who delivered Diskoria's hit single 'Badai Telah Berlalu' made popular by Indonesian singer-actress Bunga Citra Lestari.
It was Sheila's first attempt at the song, and she did a great job interpreting it.
SOLID
Merdi said: "We are so honoured to share the stage with Sheila. She is simply magical."
Sheila ended the concert with a blast, getting everyone to sing her best known anthem of positivity, 'Sinaran'.
"We hope everybody had a great time tonight. It was so great celebrating Time Travel with you!" she said.
The show was jointly presented by My Deteksi, Sembang Kari Entertainment and Tourism Malaysia.