KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Siti Nurhaliza proved that she still has what it takes to be a top singer when she received the highest number of nominations for this year's Anugerah Industri Muzik (AIM 22).
Malaysia's No. 1 songstress has a total of seven nominations in six categories, namely Best Vocal Performance In A Song (Female), Best Engineered Album, Best Nasyid Song, Best Pop Song, Best Musical Arrangement In A Song (two nominations) and Album Of The Year.
"This is 'rezeki' (blessing). Everyone deserves to be recognised for their hard work," the singer gushed at the press conference where the Top 5 AIM finalists were revealed at Parkroyal Kuala Lumpur today.
"When we work on an album, we only want the best. The platform that recognises the best of the best in album production is AIM.
"I look forward to this ceremony every year because I believe that every individual who had worked on my music with me is the best in their respective field."
Siti's Menatap Dalam Mimpi is nominated for Best Pop Song and Best Musical Arrangement In A Song. It holds a special place in Siti's heart as it is a number penned as a tribute to her late father Tarudin Ismail.
"The recording process was so challenging because I was swept by emotions. Aubrey (Suwito, the composer) gave me a lot of input and I'm proud of how it had turned out," she added.
Speaking on her fellow nominees in the Best Vocal Performance In A Song category, whom include Dayang Nurfaizah, Najwa Mahiaddin and Jaclyn Victor, she said it was an honour to compete with them.
"It will depend on how we perform our respective songs, and how the jury evaluates them. We've given our best, so now we have to leave it to the professionals."
Trailing behind is award-winning singer-songwriter Faizal Tahir who has five nominations including for Best Vocal Performance In A Song (Male) for Sejati and Best Pop Song for Assalamualaikum.
Rapper SonaOne has four nominations including two songs in the Best Hip-Hop Song category, namely Confirm Ah and Hakeleh.
The complete list of nominees in the local music awards show, now in its 22th edition, is available on www.aim.org.my
AIM 22 will be held on Dec 18 at Dewan Merdeka, Putra World Trade Centre, and will be telecast live on Astro Ria (Astro Channel 104/123).
Showcase AIM 22 will take place on Nov 6 at 3pm at Hard Rock Cafe Kuala Lumpur and it will feature artistes including Akim & The Majistret, Black, Hazama, Najwa Mahiaddin, Projector Band and De Fam.