IT took almost a year for singer Aina Abdul to plan for her debut concert tour.
The 30-year-old, award-winning artiste admits that planning and organising a concert is not an easy feat.
In fact, the singer with a powerful set of pipes admits that making this a reality is probably the most challenging task she's ever faced in her singing career so far.
"One thing I've learnt is how difficult it is to stage a concert, let alone organising a tour.
"I told my team that no matter how hard this year might be for us, with many of our proposals being rejected, Aina Abdul Entertainment had to make this concert a reality this year.
"We've planned for this for a long time and I have other things planned from next year onwards," shares Aina of her upcoming tour at the end of this year with tears welling in her eyes.
Titled 'Aina Abdul Imaji Tour' concert, it will be staged at three locations beginning with Universiti Malaysia Sarawak on Dec 14, followed by a performance at Zepp Kuala Lumpur (Dec 27), and finally, Universiti Utara Malaysia (Jan 11).
"I'm just so emotional right now, as I'm announcing this tour.
"After all the challenges my team and I had gone through, we're finally going to make it happen," she says with a smile.
Milestone moment
The talented singer, whose full name is Nurul Aina Abdul Ghani, is also a composer, songwriter and music producer.
She lets on that her dream of having a tour had never been driven by the need to compete with other performers, but just as a yardstick for her to measure her achievements in her chosen profession.
"This is just a gesture to prove to myself.
"Growing up, I saw all my idols in this industry, where they would come up with their own albums and even staged their own showcases and concerts.
"So, naturally, I want this too.
"But not to compete with anyone else. Just to prove to myself that I too could be like them and I want to be able to tell my future children and grandchildren about my musical journey," she explains enthusiastically.
According to Aina, the tour which is managed by Altus Prohouse is also part of her efforts to promote her debut studio album 'Imaji' (launched in October last year).
"Apart from providing entertainment, this tour is also part of my plan to reach out to my fans who are based outside of the capital city.
"With a tour like this, there is certainly a wider opportunity for me to reach out to people from various walks of life, including undergraduates, in different venues other than the Klang Valley," she elaborates.
Open to collaborate
For this concert tour, Aina has also forked out her own funds in order to prepare for the delivery of the best quality performance during the tour.
"This time we have a solid strategy. Previous experiences in staging concerts has taught us on how to be prudent.
"There are things which could be implemented with a minimal or lower cost.
"And now that I have a trusted adviser, which is my own brother, and he'll be looking after the finances."
Although she is ready to fund the concert herself, Aina says if there are interested parties who would like to be a part of the tour sponsors, her team would always be welcoming and would be happy to work something out.