THE man with the rapsy voice, Judika, easily enthralled the audience at his recent concert at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (DFP).
Hitting the high notes effortlessly, his clear vocals and unmistakable timbre reverberated through the hallowed hall of the renowned Kuala Lumpur venue.
Those who had seen this Indonesian Idol 2005 runner-up’s performances before in Malaysia would know that his rocking ballads are solid and touching.
This time the award-winning Indonesian artiste, whose full name is Judika Nalon Abadi Sihotang, had the backing of the prestigious Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra to give his hit songs a different dimension.
Led by conductor Ahmad Muriz Che Rose, the full orchestra that included a drummer, bassist, keyboardist and two guitar players, provided a softer touch to his moving tunes sung with clarity.
After an instrumental medley to warm the crowd that packed the hall, the 41-year-old former Mahadewa vocalist kicked off the concert with Apakah Ini Cinta.
He then belted out the hits from his six studio albums including Bukan Dia Tapi Aku, Setengah Mati Merindu, and his latest single, Cinta Karena Cinta.
EMOTIONAL JOURNEY
Looking dapper in a sharp dark suit (and much edgier in a stylish red ensemble post-intermission), Judika also had an easy-going rapport with the audience.
“Malaysian people really like sad songs, don’t they?” quipped Judika.
He added that: “It’s going to be an emotional journey.”
It was his first time performing live with a full orchestra but any prior worries quickly dissipated as the evening progressed without a hitch.
Judika was very grateful for the honour to perform with the MPO and expressed
his thanks to the orchestra and the audience several times during the concert for their support.
Acknowledging fans from other countries such as Singapore, Brunei and Indonesia who had come for the show, he joked: “The fans have enabled me to buy a car and a house, so thank you.”
It didn’t take much prodding from the star as the audience were game to passionately sing along to most of his songs that night.
During one song he even walked off the stage and made his way across his adoring audience, taking time to shake the wave of hands.
He even got them to sing happy birthday to his daughter Cleo, who turned 5 that night, after bringing his wife Duma Riris Silalahi, the girl and his son Judeo, who were all dressed in white, onstage.
Right after that, he triumphantly sang Mama Papa Larang to his beloved wife, which was inspired by the initial disapproval of her parents of him.
Throughout the concert he even kept a running joke going about his height, or rather lack of it. “God is fair. I might be short in stature but I have a high singing voice,” he said, drawing laughter from the audience.
VOCAL POWERHOUSE
One individual who had both was special guest artiste Jaclyn Victor, who came onstage clad in a classy black ensemble to sing her hit song, Gemilang.
She delivered the inspiring tune with grace and conviction despite earlier saying that she was nervous.
The local vocal powerhouse also performed a winning duet with Judika on Kisah Ku Inginkan, (originally sung by Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza with the Indonesian singer).
They shared good chemistry and Jaclyn even teased Judika to keep to his word of them working on a new duet in the future.
Some cover renditions that he performed were Calum Scott’s You’re The Reason, a medley from The Greatest Showman and another duet with Jaclyn in the form of Shallow by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper.
The impeccable MPO certainly gave Judika’s songs a more moving and subtle range making the concert, which showcased 15 or so songs, a unique experience.
His impressive vocal capabilities were further showcased when he belted out Bukan Rayuan Gombal and Malaikat.
He then ended the concert with mesmerising crowd favourites, Aku Yang Tersakiti and Jikalau Kau Cinta.
But the 1,800-strong audience, that included celebrities like Misha Omar, Lisa Surihani and Elvira Arul, naturally wanted more. Judika obliged with a two-song encore of Indonesian singing sensation Ruth Sahanaya’s Kaulah Segalanya and Suci Dalam Debu, the classic rock song by Malaysian band Iklim.
The two-night run of Judika’s live in KL concert with the MPO was organised by DFP and Kelab Sukan dan Rekreasi Petronas (KSRP).