KUALA LUMPUR: Popular singer Datuk Zainalabidin Mohamad said that he was physically and mentally abused during his childhood, and did not know he had parents.
"As a kid, I had a terrible time. Lots of physical and mental abuse, and I didn't even know that I had parents," he said in a recent interview on the Kool 101 radio documentary programme Lagenda Dalam Nota.
"Life was hell for me as a kid. I was beaten and bullied constantly."
Zainalabidin, who was moved to tears in the interview, also said that he made his way from his birthplace Johor Baru to Kuala Lumpur in 1979 with "almost nothing".
"As soon as I arrived in the big city, I worked very hard to improve my life. Gradually, things improved when my band Headwind became popular," he said.
Zainalabidin, 64, most recently entertained fans in Konsert Tiba Masa Datuk Zainalabidin at Istana Budaya, Jalan Tun Razak here, performing 19 of his greatest hits.
He was joined by some of his longtime collaborators, who included singer-actor Datuk Afdlin Shauki and his old friends from pop-rock band Headwind namely Zukifli Abu Kasim, Abdul Razak Salleh, Nicky Ooi and Muhayudin Ramly.
The concert marked the debut performance of Zainalabidin's latest single Tiba Masa, an anthem of national unity and peace.
Konsert Tiba Masa Datuk Zainalabidin was held in conjunction with Malaysia Day and presented by Bsync Live.