KUALA LUMPUR: Thirteen years may be a long wait to many recording artistes, but singer, reality talent show critic and music educationist Syafinaz Selamat is in no hurry to release new music material.
One who believes that good music is worth the wait, she however has great news for fans who miss her powerful, soulful vocals.
Either at year end, or early next year, the 43-year-old artiste will be releasing her sophomore studio album, 13 years after her debut which was titled Syyhh...
“It’ll have some of the country’s top music producers whom I look up to. There’s Jenny Chin, Mac Chew and Aubrey Suwito.
“Besides English and Bahasa Malaysia songs, it’ll also contain folk and operatic songs in Italian and German, and that’s a first for me,” she told the New Straits Times yesterday.
Syafinaz has been a music lecturer since 1996, at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) in Shah Alam and the National Arts, Culture and Heritage Academy (Aswara) in Jalan Tun Ismail here.
“I love my job as I get impart knowledge to musicians and entertainers of the future. The arts and culture play an important role in nation-building and arts educationists help make that happen.”
On another note, Syafinaz is grateful to reigning Anugerah Bintang Popular Berita Harian 2014 Most Popular Artiste Shaheizy Sam Abdul Samad for helping her create one of her early hits from her debut album Syyhh...
Shaheizy who is best known for his versatility in acting and the films Adnan Sempit, Bohsia: Jangan Pilih Jalan Hitam, Manisnya Cinta Di Cappadocia and 8 Jam, was featured in Syafinaz’s song Rindumu Rinduku.
“He provided the rapping bit of the song, and it was great fun to blend my vocals with his natural hip-hop beats,” said Syafinaz.
At the time, Shaheizy was joined by actor-director Syed Hussein Syed Mustafa (Sein Qudsi), Haziman Khan and Haziman Ramli as the hip-hop quartet MOB.
Syyhh... was a tribute to the music of veteran composer Datuk Ahmad Nawab and produced by Media Prima Television Networks Chief Executive Officer Ahmad Izham Omar.
Rindumu Rinduku climbed the charts of major radio stations in 2001.
Syafinaz considers Shaheizy as one of her favourite Malaysian actors, because he is versatile, disciplined, honest and humble.
“I’ve seen him sing in some of his movies, he's got a good singing voice,” said Syafinaz who shares with Shaheizy a common hometown, Batu Pahat in Johor.
Syafinaz would love to collaborate with Shaheizy again in a duet one day. “He’s truly a role model to aspiring entertainers be they actors or singers.”
The former One In A Million (OIAM) judge is also a fan of Il Divo, the world famous operatic pop quartet which was formed by American Idol judge Simon Cowell.
Describing them as down-to-earth gentlemen who “set the stage on fire” each time they perform, she said: “They mesmerise me all the time. It’ll be a great honour if I could meet them, or even be their opening act.”