AS a mother to five children aged between five and 20, popular singer Liza Hanim is "as protective as any mum can be".
This means, she makes sure that her hostel-bound children keep in contact with her regularly, especially when bullying seems rampant.
Liza, 45, was deeply moved by the tragic death of navy cadet Zulfarhan Osman Zulkarnain, who died at the hands of bullies who studied with him at Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) seven years ago.
HOSTELS
"So many terrible things are happening these days. But if my children choose to stay in hostels or even further their studies at UPNM, I cannot stop them," she said at the recent launch of her latest concert, 'Malam Amal Tabung Pahlawan 2024'.
The press conference was held at the Defence Ministry's Wisma Perwira ATM in Kuala Lumpur.
'Malam Tabung Amal Pahlawan' with the theme, 'Meraikan Bintang, Metamorfosis Hadapan', will be held at Dewan Perkasa, Wisma Perwira ATM from 8pm to 10.30pm on Sept 24.
Liza will join pop king Datuk Jamal Abdillah in serenading some 700 guests at the charity dinner, and they will perform 6 to 10 songs each including duets.
PASSION
Klang-born Liza said that her nine-year-old son Ibrahim Shahrin had "military inclinations" and hoped to further his studies at UPNM when of age.
"As a mother, I cannot dictate where my son will study, because I encourage him to pursue his passion.
"But no mother will want to see her child face danger, and I always pray that he will take all reasonable precautions to protect himself from vicious bullies," she said.
Liza said that in order to make sure Ibrahim was safe and sound, she planned to "keep in touch" with him regularly.
"I will call him every week at a specific day and time so that I can be certain that he is all right and getting along well with his schoolmates."
BE NICE
Her second eldest child, 15-year-old Qaireen Shahrin, is now studying at Maktab Rendah Sains Mara, Alor Gajah, Melaka.
"So far so good for Qaireen. I call her every week and from the looks of it she is getting along well with everyone of her schoolmates.
"She makes friends with everyone, and I have advised her that if they are not interested in being friends with her, she should just be nice to them but keep her distance from them."
Liza said that her policy of life was simple — be nice to others, and they will be nice to you.
"There are bound to be toxic people around us. To play safe, we just have to be polite to them so as not to offend them."
REUNION
When asked about her coming concert, Liza said that she was "truly looking forward" to it.
"This marks my reunion with Jamal after 20 years.
"We last sang together at Anugerah Skrin in the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur (WTCKL) in 2005," she said, adding that she and Jamal sang the 'Puteri Gunung Ledang' theme song 'Bagaikan Sakti' back then.
HEROES
Liza said that she was "still going through" her list of songs, to give her guests an evening to remember.
"My emphasis will be songs that instil patriotism and pay tribute to unsung heroes."
Liza has sung for soldiers "many times" in the past.
"When I was in my 20s I sang at the Port Dickson Army Camp.
"I was at first nervous but the soldiers loved my singing.
"They all gave me a standing ovation and that boosted my confidence greatly," said Liza.
KILAUAN EMAS
Liza had shared the stage with veteran singers Noraniza Idris and Datuk Jeffrydin who both encouraged her to overcome her shyness.
"And we were joined by the Armed Forces Band which has great musicians and great singers.
"Later, some of these singers took part in 'Kilauan Emas' on Astro and they were among the better contestants."
FRONTLINERS
Liza admitted that she loves entertaining the country's heroes.
"It is good to serenade them because they are the ones who sacrifice their lives for the good of the nation," she said.
DRAMA
When asked about her other projects, Liza said that she will soon release a new single for the soundtrack of a Suhan Movies drama series.
"It is titled 'Ternyata Sebuah Bahagia', and it will be out next month," she said, adding that the heartfelt ballad was written and composed by Omar K.
When asked about her plans to stage a concert in Singapore, Liza said that it was "still in the pipeline".
"If all goes well, I'll have it next year. It wasn't too long ago that I serenaded fans in the Lion City and they loved it," she said, adding that she also planned to have a concert in the Klang Valley next year.
AISHAH
The last time Liza sang in Singapore was with Datuk Aishah Ariffin in 2018.
In the same year, she also performed at Pesta Raya Singapura with Sarawakian singer Dayang Nurfaizah.
VETERANS
'Malam Tabung Amal Pahlawan' is organised by the Veteran Affairs Department and the Armed Forces Veterans' Foundation in aid of needy Armed Forces veterans.
It will be attended by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.