KUALA LUMPUR: Hari Raya Aidilfitri is just around the corner, and this year, everybody is celebrating it indoors, because of the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO).
Nevertheless, new Raya songs are still being rolled out for the annual festival, and one of them is Lebaran Era, courtesy of radio station Era FM and record label 17Eleven Music.
Composed by Kadok, Pown Hasril, Karim Karam and Otromen, Lebaran Raya is an all-star celebration of the spirit of Hari Raya, and it is performed by 20 artistes.
They are Siti Nordiana, Khai Bahar, Farahdhiya, Achey, Amir Masdi, Neon Band, Dinda Permata, Ikhwan Fatanna, Syafiq Amdoi, Hakim Khan, Farisha Irish, Kamelia Syermain, Mimi Manan and Iza'an of I Can See Your Voice.
The cast is completed by Era's announcers Dina Nadzir, Ray, Radin, Danial, Munabella and Zahier.
Astro Malay radio branding content manager Nazri Noran said that Lebaran Era was the brainchild of 17Eleven Music.
"They suggested that we work together on a Raya song, where each artiste records his or her contribution to the song from home as a result of the CMCO.
"That is a lot easier than having to go to the studio, and in line with the Standard Operating Procedures set by the government," he said.
Pown said that the mildly upbeat song suited the Raya mood this year and took into consideration the restrictions that everyone faced.
"It's a Raya song with a difference, with an andante moderato tempo, suitable for current times and it captures Malaysians' happiness amidst the limitations that we face," he said.
He added that having the singers record from home was a new challenge. He completed the song in a month, and the major difficulty was to combine the diverse voices into a harmonious final product.
Siti Nordiana said that recording the song from home was a valuable experience. She said: "It was great to sing from home, my first time doing so, and it is just the right time to present a new Raya song for my fans."
Radin said that it was his second Raya song performed with his fellow Era announcers. They had performed a Raya song composed by Edry Abdul Halim of KRU a few years ago.
"We performed it dressed in baju Raya to get into the festive season mood," he said.
Lebaran Era is available on the YouTube channel Seventeen Eleven Music.