I came back to Singapore for less than 48 hours to record the audio for the two songs that I’d be singing for on this new 2M’s Malay children’s program. I had to sing “Sopan Santun” and also “Kata Nasihat”. The kids better like it! The first episode airs on 28th April on Channel Suria. Thanks to Mayuni Omar for the quick fix!

You can check out more pictures and info @ their Facebook FanPage
or my Singapore manager’s blog

When her first album came out, I was at the start of my CD buying days. I had the Indonesian one, the English one, and the French one, and I lost one of them, and I bought it all over again. And I learnt about David Bowie because of her ‘Life On Mars’ cover. I also started digging Sting and Robert Plant around the same time so she came into my life just at the right time. World music made popular, I thought. And I kept watching the YouTube clip of her singing Miss Piggy how to say ‘Aku Cinta Padamu’ on the French Muppet Show. Oh yes, Sheikh and I would look out for all of her new videos and her new songs and went quite crazy over her ‘Etre Un Femme’ Arabic-hiphop-ditty. Loved that one. So about 10 years later, in which she denies publicly how long ago her first album was, I got to meet her and sing with her. After the show, she kissed me on the cheek and said ‘Suara nya bagus‘, and as usual, I froze and did not know what to reply and just walked away blushing.

Anggun is signed to Metadome just as I am. Together with Afgan, Nurul, Liyana Jasmay, 6ixth Sense, Nitrus and my favourite, The Fabulous Catz.

You are right! It is Maiya Rahman. She came with Hyrul Anuar and manager/chaperone, Alex to record her song with me. Arranged by my trusted Khairafik Khairudin at his Taman Tun Dr Ismail studio, Maiya recorded a piece I composed, and co-wrote with Sulu Sarawak called “Pengganti”. It will be out in her mini-album out next not too long from now. Keep’a look-out, and make sure you get yourself a copy when it comes out!

Rain or shine, or windy.

Also See:
On Appearing at HotFM’s Big Jam Part 1
On Appearing at HotFM’s Big Jam Part 2

It’s a bad picture, but it’s a good piece.

My 2nd single “Jika Engkau Pergi” off my upcoming album “Punca Dan Tindakan” made it to become the theme song of yet another TV3 drama, this time, ‘Yusuff’, an epic tale of family fueds and revenge, loosely based on the story of Nabi Yusuf a.s. When the song was written about 3 years ago, with no lyrics yet, it did occur to me that it sounds quite like a James Bond theme. But like most songs that sound like another song, it’s just .. well, music. It works that way.

Over the past week, somebody had passed me a link to Cari.com.my, a popular gossip forum amongst Malaysians who discuss random topics from the fate of long forgotten artistes to the dress-sense of the young and upcoming. Those who fall in between these hot topics are rumours of romance between celebrities, and wedding pics, the typical stuff. And then, there’s a thread discussing how unoriginal I am to have used a particular James Bond theme for my new song. I’m not defending myself here but while you believe that you’re constructively helping build a better scene by picking out those who make mistakes, you’re also deconstructing it by sitting infront of your desks all day and condemning everybody you do not even know. With that, automatically showing your true colours and how productive you and your contemporaries are.

And then! A fan whose daily doings sometime seem to revole around me and my friends pasted that particular James Bond theme song on her site and shared it with all. The fan even had the cheek to agree with my notion about Malay folks and forums. I was hoping for some defense on my part, but no, you broke me down as well, just like the rest. So I guess that proves, there’s really nobody left to trust or rely on, not even fans.

For your information, my entire new album is based on James Bond themes and minor chord music based on Malay instrumentation and arrangement from the 50s right up to the 80s, and ‘Jika Engkau Pergi’ is the contradicting response to Jamal Abdillah’s ‘Kekasih Awal Dan Akhir’. So if its any plagiarism, it should be against Fauzi Marzuki and S.Amin Shahab’s work, and not Garbage’s. But please, don’t even start. It’s called art, and as the writer for my own songs, I get to do this. So please eat your heart out trying to pick out every single influence and reference that I carefully picked out for each song. There’s some Zainal Abidin in there, some Ahmad Jais in there, some more James Bond themes, and more stuff for Cari.com.my to talk about. So while you discuss this amongst other people who like to think that all the other well-known composers/songwriters do not refer to their own favourite music and incorporate their influences within their work, please do buy my ringtone. It’s only fair. For everybody else who don’t have a problem with me being ’sengau’ or singing odes to otai junkies, please continue loving me unconditionally.

In the meanwhile, please check out this song and see if you’ve heard Ari or Bunga sing it.

Crazy – Aerosmith

Also View:
Jika Engkau Pergi Part 1 – Lyrics
Jika Engkau Pergi Part 2 – RBT

Singaporeans, guess who this is?

POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
DITANGGUH UNTUK SEMENTARA WAKTU

-cara:

1) Rakamkan video anda menyanyikan “Selamat Ulang Tahun Sayang” (verse penuh atau chorus penuh)

2) Upload ke Youtube, bertajuk “Imran Ajmain’s Music Video Contest”

3) Letak tags sebagai: “Imran Ajmain”, “Selamat Ulang Tahun Sayang”

4) Hantarkan URL dengan Nama, IC, Mobile No kepada aku@Imranajmain.com

5) Anda akan menerima maklum balas … ” Video anda telah diterima “

6) Imran akan memilih top 3 dan siapa yang bakal menang.

7) Pemenang akan muncul dalam  ‘Selamat Ulang Tahun Sayang’ video muzik rakaman awal April nanti!

Kriteria :

1) Terbuka kepada semua umur, jantina dan warga Malaysia sahaja.

2) Menyanyi sebagai solo dengan versi anda yang tersendiri.

4) Kesalahan tajuk atau Kesalahan Tag Youtube video akan dianggap tidak sah.

5) Peserta mesti  menggunakan ‘Selamat Ulang Tahun Sayang’ sebagai Ringbacktone untuk layak bertanding.

Untuk muat turun ‘SUTS’ sebagai Ringbacktone:

Maxis: Press *131*111417# & press CALL/SEND

Digi: SMS CT BUY 53011 JB & send to 2000

Celcom: SMS CMT 56728 & send to 22990

Also view:

On Selamat Ulang Tahun Sayang Part 1

On Selamat Ulang Tahun Sayang Part 2

On Selamat Ulang Tahun Sayang Part 3

On Selamat Ulang Tahun Sayang Part 4 (Lyrics)

On Selamat Ulang Tahun Sayang Part 5 (YouTube Teaser)

On Selamat Ulang Tahun Sayang Part 6 (Ringtone Codes)

On Selamat Ulang Tahun Sayang Part 7 (Note to Fans)

On Selamat Ulang Tahun Sayang Part 8 (YouTube Video)

My Singapore team has expanded. As of January 2009, I’ve started a financial management programme in which I signed up as a client first. Now, I’m using this knowledge to mobilize other Singaporean Malay folks to do the same and earn an extra income. Actually, its a lot of extra income, if you ask me!

On the 18th April 2009, I will be back in Singapore to do a small gathering meant for 100 people. I will be introducing something brand new in business, I’ll be singing some of my new songs, and also just chit-chatting about entrepreneurship.  (Oh ya, celebrating my birthday in advance too!) If you’d like to attend, please send your RSVP with details (Name, HP, email) to aku@imranajmain.com and you will receive personal invites. Limited to 100 only. Details will only be revealed to the first 100.

Admission will be free and its open to all Singaporeans, however those with an interest to start or boost their businesses in online shopping, F&B and entertainment would be a plus.