So I say thank you for the music, for giving it to me.....

I'm lucky... I have a job I love and someone pays me to do it.... my only regret is that I never have time to thank every single person on all the shows that I work.

You would think that after doing this for 24 years one it would be a walk in the park but I never fail to have an anxiety attack before ALL my shows... to make sure you get the concept and performers right... then you have to execute it like no one has ever seen before... it is a task that no one can do alone.

I am blessed to be working with some of the best people in the business. I remember when I was 18 years old I saw a t-shirt that read, "How do you fly like an eagle when you're surrounded by turkeys"... and this is something that is so true. Organizers sometimes think that they pay one consultant or professional and, "Viola!!" all problems are solved. It doesn't work that way, we all have to be eagles to be able to fly high... it only takes one turkey to kill all the eagles. That's why I believe in NO compromise because we all want the best therefore all the bases are covered.... from stage to sound and light to performers to musicians to logistics to seating to promotions to toilet cleaner... all the jobs are just as important as each other... no one is more important or less important. Diligence...Patience... Understanding... Teamwork... Conscientiousness... Passion.....is needed in all areas.... going the extra mile is what makes the difference between normal and excellence.

Therefore I salute all the teams I work with... it makes my work a joy... and just like anyone else we crave the acceptance and approval of the audience of our creative work. If they approve or have enjoyment... that is what we strive for... that is enough to fulfill our self satisfaction.

The other part of this puzzle is the actual performer. We provide the platform for them to do things they would never dream of.... fly in the air...sing with a orchestra.... perform with someone else... when they understanding that we do our best to enhance their performance they in turn give their best. After all when the curtains go up the show is in their hands. So yes, I salute them too for providing magical performances.

And then we have to remember that we all have to pace ourselves to peak on the night of the show... not during soundcheck.... not during full dress rehearsals.... but ON THE NIGHT.

Think about it.... a gorgeous stage lit up by nice lighting, enhance by video screens with exquisite musical arrangements being played by wonderful musicians being mixed perfectly by a sound engineer and a talented singer comfortable with hearing themselves on stage monitors... yes it takes THAT much to entertain an audience. What are the odds that you can get so many things right without professionals in all those jobs and in more that those areas..

Stage designer, Stage Contractor, Video screens, Equipment and operators, Lighting designer and Operator, Music Arranger, Sound Engineer, Monitor Engineer, Stage Hands, Stage Managers, Musical Instrument Supplier, Artiste.... and the list goes on....

Even when I step back and look at the bigger picture it never fails to scare me .... at the recent AIM awards we had 100 Dikir Baraters, 70 National Service Trainees, 200 Hujan and Meet Uncle Hussain Fans, 25 Musicians, 35 Dancers... 50 Artistes... but all it takes is to for one to Artiste choke up when they are nominated, or win an award or have a chance to perform on a stage they never dreamed of ...that's how much the recognition means to them AND this is what drives me (personally) to continue to strive to do my best... this is what makes you want to do it all over and over again....

So I say thank you for the music.... for giving it to me.....

P/S : This is dedicated to my dream team : Ady, Akira Yamauchi, Alvin Koh, Atie, Faizal Zulkifli, Gerard Yeo, Itcha, Jay Jeffrey, Jim Teh, Ju, Koi, Mas Ayie, Mas Yeos, Nanee Surya, Nicole Poo, Ramli M.S., Rich Hamid, Sharina and Steve Ho...

Originally posted on Facebook Notes on Monday, May 4, 2009 at 3:41am

There’s NO business like show business……….

It’s been 26 long years in the music business… but I have no complaints… you see like most people involved in it, it is a curse. The passion for the business consumes you, drags you in and holds you forever.

Music is magic…. You hear a tune and it triggers a flashback in your brain. Whether it was your schools days, you first boyfriend/girlfriend or the day you lost your job. We can help but turn to the soothing sounds (or the angst whatever your choice may be) of music. Music colors your life everywhere you turn.

I have only one grouse in that people nowadays take music for granted because it is so readily available. No one ever thinks what a movie would be without a soundtrack, what it would be like to be stuck in a traffic jam or driving long distance, and I wonder what those fashionable phones and mp3 players would be like without music.

The ironic thing is that in this day and age where music is everywhere, because it is so portable, and music can sell like no other medium can, we have forgotten about the creators for without them there is no music. Strangely enough music drives everyone’s advertising campaign telecommunication companies, mobile phone makers, television stations, movie soundtracks, but the creators still get the bad end of the deal.

People are in dire need of content to drive advertising dollar and vie for the consumer dollar. Most of the content is music or entertainment driven. PLEASE give music, it’s creators, it’s movers and it’s shakers what they are due.

We have lost two whole generations to piracy. First physical (cassettes and CDs) and now with downloads (internet). Kids today spend a lot of money on lifestyle otherwise people would not be spending millions advertising their newest deal on talktime, who makes the best ice blended, what the trendiest phone in town is, cars that can plug in mp3 players… but when it comes time to buy music to add value to the lifestyle everyone turns to downloads with absolutely no thought (and no conscience) to those who deserve the money.

In an affluent age, from which we are from, you would think people would purchase albums. “Album are expensive”, is the excuse… from people who drink RM10.00 coffee and change their mobile phone every 6 months.

An album does not only involve the artistes. Just read the album cover and it will tell you there were musicians, producers, composers, lyricist, arrangers, sound engineers, album cover designers and later on when the album is marketed it will involve video directors, sound and light companies, entertainment journalists, record company executives and countless other people that give their creative input and professional energy.


We cannot hope to change the mindset of a generation brought up with freebies and a total disregard of creative talent. But everything starts with you and me. When you feel you want to download a song, when your kid downloads and burns an illegal CD, when someone buys a pirate copy of a CD or cassette… think again…..turn off the radio, kill the sounds of the mp3 player you’re holding, turn the volume of the movie you’re watching down …. Life will NEVER be the same without MUSIC.

Meanwhile to the brave men and women that continue to work this industry with passion and hope, I salute you. They give their lives to entertain you and me …. There’s really is NO business like show business.