Sekumpulan Orang Gila and Shila Amzah won Best Song at Anugerah Juara Lagu 36, while Marsha Londoh was runner-up
OVER the last few years, Anugerah Juara Lagu (AJL) has had "big dress, big voice" Aina Abdul and baby-faced Haqiem Rusli cemented as its fixture.
They still rule in AJL36, but this time around, they have to play second-fiddle to "comeback kids" Shila Amzah and Marsha Milan Londoh.
Pelukan Angkasa, a passionate, dark yet liberating song about optimism amidst forbidden love, saw One In A Million 2 runner-up Shila teaming with rock group Sekumpulan Orang Gila (SOG).
This "out of the ordinary" song, written by theatre actress Fazleena Hishamuddin and composed by Raja Nazrin Shah of SOG, wowed the 10 judges led by Datuk Mokhzani Ismail, not to mention the 200-strong audience at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur (WTCKL) last Sunday.
The song's content, coupled with the power-packed performance by SOG and Shila — who wore matching black outfits and surrounded by dark, distant galaxies — earned them the Best Song prize of RM100,000.
DELIVERED WITH PASSION
Another poignant song Cinta, delivered with passion by Marsha and written and composed by husband-and-wife team Akim Ahmad and Stacy Anam, won the second Best Song prize of RM50,000.
Marsha, 37, also took home the Best Performance prize of RM18,000. Haqiem's song Mimpi, which he co-wrote and co-composed with Datuk A. Aida, finished third and earned them RM30,000.
Aina narrowly beat Marsha for Best Vocals, and earned RM12,000 for a powerful rendition of her self-penned and self-composed Sepi. She also shared RM5,000 with Khai Bahar for Nafas Cinta, which saw fans voting them as Popular Singers.
TOUCHING STORY
The songs in AJL36 included Purnama performed by Naim Daniel, and composed by Amar Razqa and Naim himself.
Others were Lara, sung and composed by Naim, Hael Husaini and Haqiem; Boneka, sung by Syamel Fodzly and composed by Omar K., Iqie Hugh and Firdaus Rahmat; Angkara, sung by Siti Nordiana and composed by Siti herself with Sharon Paul and Fedtri Yahya; Intan Payung, sung by Noraniza Idris with Bunga Isme and composed by Luca Sickta and Amar Razqa; Aewo, sung by Shiha Zikir with Noki, which was composed by Noki and Ezra Kong; and, Salahku by Yonnyboii.
Naim kicked off the three-hour concert with Purnama, which told a touching story of a man who loses his wife in a car accident and deeply mourns her loss on his hospital bed.
He performed on a "floating" bed and was dressed in plain white shirt and trousers, as if he were a patient.
The large screen behind him featured scenes from his music video, in which he watches in horror as his wife is knocked down by a speeding car.
FLORAL DRESS
Aina and Khai came next with their romantic duet, and fans gave them a standing ovation for excellent chemistry. Aina additionally wowed fans with her huge, floral dress.
A youthful Syamel Fodzly was the surprise artiste for the evening. He was not expected to sing Boneka, but did so with gusto while standing in for his wife, Ernie Zakri, who is on maternity leave.
Sporting a Harry Styles look, Syamel displayed nimble disco steps on stage, and urged audiences to sing along with him. The stage was surrounded by flaming torches, and a large Hollywood-style sign spelling out the song towered above him.
HIGH NOTES
Marsha, who graced the stage in a long, silver dress, hit the high notes effortlessly perfect as she sang Cinta. After 16 years of hard work, her voice sounded a lot more mature and soulful.
Irama Malaysia queen Noraniza and hijabsta hip-hopper Bunga proved an entertaining team in Intan Payung. Noraniza's power-packed traditional pop and Bunga's funky rapping blended harmoniously to create a sweet and enchanting song with castles, trees, flowers and rolling hills as its backdrop.
Siti Nordiana delivered a poignant Angkara with her sweet, yet powerful voice. Dressed in a golden outfit that shined on stage, she bore an uncanny resemblance to Star Wars' Princess Leia as she stood amid scenes of planets and stars.
Sadly, this was not her best performance, as it was a lot more subdued than usual.
SWORD AND SORCERY
Shiha and Noki had a "sword and sorcery" theme in their duet Aewo. She was dressed in a black cloak, supposedly a sorceress, while he donned a sleeveless warrior outfit reminiscent of He-Man.
Drummers pounded on their large drums, dancers in red and black hoods pranced around them, and computer-generated images of large, red flames appeared in a chamber below Shiha's platform.
FIRE AND ICE
Haqiem performed Mimpi dressed in his trademark sunglasses, a white suit and flowing cape. The song was accompanied by eight musicians on violins and double bass, and the big screen showed alternate scenes of fire and ice.
Yonnyboii's Salahku transformed the stage into a huge Egyptian temple. He emerged from one of its arches with ginger hair, a black cape and colourful suit, and two dancers in black hot on his heels.
The dancers tugged at his cape, attached two stylish carpets to it, and had him harnessed to cables and lifted into the air. All this, while Yonnyboii kept singing until he tilted his head as if knocked out.
LADY IN GOLD
Aina became the second "lady in gold" for the evening, this time around with a much bigger dress than Siti Nordiana's. She "gave her all" with Sepi and even brought gold dust raining down in the large screen graphics, which earned her a standing ovation.
The last act, Lara, saw Haqiem, Hael and Naim singing on an electric blue "pool" dressed in reddish brown suits and ties.
The backdrop altered from hot, burning volcanoes to freezing cold Arctic and Antarctic lands, while special effects made the "water" beneath their feet flow from side to side.
TOTAL PACKAGE
Mokhzani, whose jury included prominent musicians, composers, producers and educationists like L.Y., Datuk Syafinaz Selamat, Datuk Acis, Mike Chan, Helen Yap, Altimet, Edrie Hashim, Faizal Tahir and Datuk Habsah Hassan, said AJL36 had "raised the bar higher" for future performers.
He said the winning song was a "total package" with a theme that was original and excellent chemistry between the artistes.
"SOG and Shila created magic with their maiden collaboration. They really swept us off our feet," he said, adding that Pelukan Angkasa had combined traditional and modern sounds.
Mokhzani said the judges looked at every aspect of the performances before rewarding Aina and Marsha with Best Vocals and Best Performance, respectively.
"Every year, we strive to look for something new within the 12 competing songs.
"The lyrics and message are very relevant, and the harmonious performance of the artistes nailed it," he said.
CELEBRATING MALAYSIA
Raja Nazrin said SOG was honoured to mark its first AJL win.
"We love making music that is out of the box, and celebrating Bangsa Malaysia with our songs. As for recruiting Shila, we have always been big fans of her, and what she achieved in China over the last decade," he said.
Shila said that while she was "more pop than rock", it was good to "rock the stage" with a popular band once in a while.
"I never imagined that I would achieve this, and I want to thank SOG for giving me the opportunity to perform their magical, new song," she said.
PERSEVERANCE PAYS OFF
Marsha said she had a bad cough, and was still recovering from Covid-19 that she contracted two months ago.
"My song also disappeared from the computer system, and Stacy and Akim had to rearrange it," she said.
"I'm delighted to have finally struck gold in AJL after almost two decades of pushing myself."
THEME SONG
Aida said Mimpi had become a phenomenon since it was chosen as the theme song for her drama series Bidadari Salju last year.
"It is a blessing for it to reach AJL36 and Haqiem did a fantastic job on stage," she said.
Aina said while delivering a good performance came first, it was always "sweet" to wear fancy dresses at AJL.
"I love to make my concerts memorable, not just in singing, but also dressing. Having oversized costumes will make fans remember my songs better!" she said.
RED CARPET
AJL36, broadcast live on TV3 at 9pm, was co-hosted by Nabila Huda Suhaimi and Alif Satar, with Sissy Imann and Sean Lee handling the red carpet segment, which was broadcast live on TV9 at 8.30pm.
The show opened with a medley of performances by Datuk Jamal Abdillah, Mas Idayu, Ayda Jebat, Cassia and Dayang Nurfaizah, while Wings concluded the show with a "rockestra" segment that featured Datuk Ramli M.S. of Gegar Vaganza fame as music director.
While Wings charismatic singer Datuk Awie, Jamal and Dayang wowed the audience with timeless songs, the same could not be said for Mas Idayu, Ayda and Cassia, who all lacked "oomph".
Perhaps they were under the weather and hoping that artistes will stay fit and healthy in the run-up to major concerts.
Since its inception in 1986, AJL has honoured the year's best songs, composers, lyricists and vocalists based on the weekly chart show Muzik Muzik.