HAVING recently been declared a national icon, pop queen Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza marked her first appearance in a concert as Biduanita Negara in a most unlikely destination.
The concert venue was Sunway Lagoon's popular Surf Beach, and the theme for the evening was Cuckootopia, a celebration of popular household appliances brand Cuckoo of which Siti is its most famous Malaysian brand ambassador.
Siti headlined 12 entertainers at the recent five-hour Cuckootopia Music Festival 2024 that also featured South Korean K-drama king Kim Soo-hyun who marked his first major visit to Malaysia.
The event to celebrate Cuckoo's 10th anniversary began at 6pm and drew a massive crowd of 20,000 despite the heavy rain.
When Kim, who is best known as the star of the 'Queen Of Tears' drama series, appeared at 10.50pm, he was met with roaring cheers and whistles.
SUPPORT
Kim, who returned as Cuckoo's brand ambassador after a decade, said that he was greatly moved by the support and love of his Malaysian fans and described his visit as "the start of many more to come".
Kim, who was joined on the big stage by Cuckoo International executive director K.C. Hoe, and the brand's Malaysian ambassadors Siti, Jaclyn Victor and Phei Yong, said: "It is great to be back, and thanks to the brand I'm able to experience Malaysian warmth and love for the first time."
Kim, 36, also said that he was currently filming a drama titled 'Knock-Off' for Disney+ and revealed that it would be a "very different" character from what he normally portrays.
The other stars for the evening were pop groups Dolla and 3P, rockers Bunkface, and solo artistes Siti Nordiana, Tomok, Firdhaus Farmizi, Joe Flizzow and Priscilla Abby.
DECADE
Siti, who was dressed in a stylish pink suit, and serenaded fans with five of her most popular songs including 'Bukan Cinta Biasa', 'Ku Mahu', 'Jerat Percintaan' and 'Purnama Merindu', said: "This is my return to Sunway Lagoon after more than a decade and I'm truly honoured to be part of this amazing concert.
"Best of all I am sharing the big stage with my fellow Cuckoo brand ambassadors who are all very talented stars."
The music festival was the main event in Cuckoo's year-long anniversary celebrations, and all of the artistes gave music lovers a night of show-stopping performances.
As soon as the doors of the venue opened at 6pm, guests were entertained with a pre-show performance that starred The Lima and Illa Sabry, contestants of the newest season of 'Gegar Vaganza'.
They sang a duet, 'Bintang Kehidupan', made popular by the late Indonesian pop queen Nike Ardilla, and were joined by rising star Umairah who delivered Ernie Zakri's 'Masing-Masing' and Datuk Sheila Majid's 'Sinaran'.
The main event opened at 8pm with electrifying performances by Dolla and 3P. Both groups stunned festival-goers with their dynamic dance moves, and 3P did an amazing job rapping in Chinese with Zogang, Hu Else, Wo De Ma Ya and Pa Sang Anthem.
Dolla comprising Sabrina Rusli, Tabitha Lam and Angel Chai looked stunning and hot as ever as they sang 'Classic' and 'Damelo', two of their most infectious songs.
MAGENTA
Dressed in a stylish red and black suit, Tomok sang his popular song of pain 'Meraung' before he introduced Siti Nordiana who looked elegant in a magenta outfit.
Together, they belted out 'Memori Mungkin Berulang', before Siti Nordiana sang 'Terus Mencintai', her popular love song which gave her fans ample sing-along opportunities.
Kuching-born Priscilla gave fans their first dose of Mandarin ballads, 'Don't Let Me Like You Too Much' and 'The Brightest Star In The Sky'.
The soul diva of the evening, Jaclyn, was dressed in a red hot outfit that matched Tomok's. Paying tribute to the late Whitney Houston, she sang 'When You Believe' from 'The Prince Of Egypt', followed by her fast, sing-along song 'Ikut Rentakku' and her 'Malaysian Idol' anthem 'Gemilang'.
BANGSA MALAYSIA
Malaysia's best known Malay singer who delivers Chinese ballads, Firdhaus, sang 'Gulf Of Alaska', 'Great To Meet' and 'Divorce In Ghana', and the show's co-hosts Natalie Chai and Nabil Ahmad praised him for cultivating a keen interest in Chinese songs during his childhood.
"I'm a strong believer in building bridges and fostering Bangsa Malaysia," he said.
Rock's sole representative for the evening, Bunkface, got everyone on their feet as they sang 'Malam Ini Kita Punya', 'Situasi' and 'Revolusi', while the biggest hip-hop act, Joe Flizzow, pushed excitement levels a notch higher with 'Havoc', 'Ciao' and 'Satu Malam Di Temasik'.
The show ended with a bang at 11pm, with Phei Yong, Jaclyn and Siti singing '#SAMASAMA', the theme song for Cuckoo. It was at this moment that superstar Kim made his grand entry on the big stage.