DECADES ago, Hong Kong veteran singer-actress Jenny Tseng, who was beset by family tragedies, shared words of wisdom with fans — whenever life throws you lemons, make a delicious lemonade.
While veteran Malaysian singer Datuk Wan Norafizah Wan Ariffin, better known as Datuk Nora Ariffin has not met Tseng, she appears to have taken the Hong Kong artiste's advice well.
Nora, 51, who has been beset by three family tragedies over the last decade, showed 500 fans who attended her first solo concert at the Petaling Jaya Performing Arts Centre (PJPAC), One Utama Shopping Centre, Petaling Jaya recently, that life's bitter experiences can be made into a celebration.
SERENADE
The Kota Baru-born singer gave her fans, including popular artiste Ziana Zain and lyricist Ahmad Fedtri Yahya "pure gold" in her two-hour concert 'Hanya Satu: Datuk Nora Ariffin' (30 Years Journey).
'Hanya Satu' which began at 8.30pm saw maximum audience participation, and Nora serenaded guests with 18 of her hits.
The concert was a tribute to her composer husband Johan Nawawi who died of a heart ailment in 2017.
Starting the show with a bang, Nora who was dressed in a star-studded black dress, sang two upbeat numbers — 'Rentak Jantung' and 'Debaran — to open her show.
"I'm so happy to be here tonight, ladies and gentlemen," said Nora.
"I've been walking 3km daily over the last few months at the gym to be fit and strong."
OLD FRIEND
Nora belted out composer Saari Amris best-known song in her repertoire titled 'Sandiwara' which cautioned listeners to beware of insincere individuals.
She moved to heavier stuff in the form of 'Menyemai Cinta Bersamamu', Anugerah Industri Muzik 8's (AIM8) best song and her most challenging one.
"It's been pretty painful to rehearse this one, as all my fond memories as a wife and a mother came rushing through my head," said Nora.
'Materialistik', a fast number followed, and its disco feel showed that Nora could really have fun.
Nora then sang 'Dendam Dalam Diam', a cautionary tale about not being vengeful.
It was the best known of her songs composed by the late Datuk Adnan Abu Hassan or Abang Dee who discovered her.
"I'll always miss Abang Dee too. Like my husband, he was the greatest teacher I've had."
BREAKUP
The moment everyone was waiting for came when Nora invited everyone to sing along to 'Di Persimpangan Dilema', the monster hit which launched her career.
It told the poignant story of a woman who was "stuck in a dilemma following a breakup".
Her fans sang the entire chorus as soon as she pointed her microphone at them.
'Sabar' was the first duet of Nora and her daughter Puteri Dahlia Johan, and it came with a Middle Eastern melody that was catchy.
The second mother-daughter song for the evening quickly followed.
'Old Love' combined Malay and English and drove home the timeless message that "old is gold".
An exciting moment came, when Nora delivered 'Joget Kelantan', her most boisterous song.
Sung in a mix of standard and Kelantan Malay, it amplified her love of her home state and its cultural richness.
And as soon as she completed the song, Nora spoke a few lines of Kecek Kelate to roaring applause.
Another iconic song finally came, 'Desa Tercinta' which is a keroncong-style sing along.
"This song is based on my love of my grandparents' idyllic village life. I always have wonderful memories of them."
PHOTOS
'Naluri' kicked off Johan's tribute segment.
This tear-jerker featured photos of Nora and Johan, and revealed how deep their love was.
Nora also sang 'Jentayu', a motivational sing-along, based on the tale of a mythical bird that suffered injuries on the battlefield yet stood tall until the very end.
The poignant 'Pinta' saw Johan sing through a pre-recorded video made during his lifetime.
"We love you Nora," chanted her fans as she started to cry.
The singer brought her children Iman, Fatehah and Puteri Dahlia on stage to sing 'Selamanya Bahagia' with her.
The family's anthem of staying together forever, it was followed by a "farewell" song titled 'Renungan Terkahir', which closed the tribute segment.
UPBEAT
The melancholic phase turned upbeat with 'Samudera', the best known song written by Ahmad Fedtri Yahya for Nora.
An anthem about braving the mighty seas and soaring high in life, it was just what the singer believed in as an antidote to sadness.
Nora ended the show with a blast with 'Hanya Satu', her anthem of undying love for her fans.
"My next song 'Sudah Tertulis' will be out next year.
"And my next dream is a collaboration with the Malaysian Philarmonic Orchestra," she said.