A budding singer from the stream flow of never-ending singing talents from Sabah, Jaidi Suli, is currently undergoing gruelling sessions of vocal recording with Greenland Entertainment. “It’s no bed of roses,” he quips,”but this is what I want to achieve at this point of my life. Recording sessions are tough, like a bootcamp and at times I do cry inside. I truly realize now that to deliver a song exceptionally well is no easy matter. It requires great efforts and perseverance. But my deep interest and love for singing sustain me.” Jaidi has his medium deep and appealingly slightly nasal voice to thank to that keeps his studio mentors’ faith in him.

It certainly looks like Jaidi is joining in the bandwagon with two other Jaidis that came way before him, Jaidi Ariffin and Jaidi Bading, who have long established themselves as successful and immensely popular recording artistes. Will the namesake guarantee the young Jaidi similar success? “I hope it helps,” Jaidi gushes in a light moment. “They are both my idols and I see why they are successful – they’ve got great vocals and very likeable songs under their belts. Who doesn’t know at least two of their songs? I get a healthy kind of pressure to do well in my first album so I wouldn’t be called the lesser of the Jaidis.”

At merely 22, this lad with a fresh boy-next-door look, is banking on two songs namely “Baya” and “Rangkai Do Koposion” as his tickets to become noticeable in the highly competitive local scene. “I personally favour these two songs and there are a few others who had heard them said the same thing too. And oh yes, there’s a duet number too I believe has great potential.” The duet, “Umbalan To” a beautiful collaboration between Jaidi and the delightful Miss Liwie Adent Pinus, comes across as sweetly and beautifully haunting. A poetic song like this has been missing from the local industry for a long time, thus its emergence will no doubt grab some attentions.

There is no timeline when Jaidi’s debut album will hit the market. Judging by the way things are going - Jaidi juggling between his other commitments and recording sessions - the mark is seen as late this year or early next year. We will certainly hear more of this chap in due time. Meanwhile, all the best to you Jaidi…

]]> http://www.greenlandfusion.com/2009/06/22/another-jaidi-getting-ready-to-make-an-entrance/feed/ http://www.greenlandfusion.com/2009/06/18/elvis-reaching-out-to-the-public/ http://www.greenlandfusion.com/2009/06/18/elvis-reaching-out-to-the-public/#comments Fri, 19 Jun 2009 03:26:23 +0000 GE-admin http://www.greenlandfusion.com/?p=307

Elvis has been entered into the local Dusun song chart on 31^st May 2009 aired and organized by RTM Sabah. The radio show is on at every Sunday night 9.30 p.m. on Sabah VFM channel. After one week in the chart, Elvis has climbed up to the No.5 spot. Another week later, he shot to No.3. Your kind votes for Elvis are truly, truly appreciated. You may continue to vote for him through SMS by typing JLD ELV and send to 32776. Cheers to everyone!

With the release of his debut audio-cd in May 2009, Elvis Saladan strapped himself for an unpredictable ride on a stage full of other singers that came before him. During the State Level Kaamatan Festival in Hongkod on the 30^th and 31^st May 2009, Elvis proved his worth as a vocalist. He was not just a looker but he has real talents too that appealed to the audience during the two-day period. Many praised his good performance and this is the point where acceptance begins to happen and grow. The Festival is truly a time where many of the notable and remarkable local singers make their appearances and Elvis is happy and proud to be among them this year. Elvis is aware that the local scene is highly competitive, what with all the powerfully melodious singers all around him; however Elvis is at a peaceful mode in knowing that there is a place for everybody. Elvis would like to thank every single one of you out there who has supported him through purchasing his audio-cd, through your kind words of encouragement and for your kind attendance at his stage performances.

A vocal jewel encrusted with sweetness, soul and depth as possessed by Masnie is truly a hard find. There exists a feel of an age and era long bygone to it, almost ancient-like which sweeps towards nostalgic emotions or “kalalangad” as expressed by the Dusuns. Our songstress still keeps herself active, though not all year round but occasionally in the local singing arena. But seen or not, she has carved out a space inside the heads of many in Sabah as the original songbird for such ethereal hits as Rumandawi (the biggest ever this has became legendary), Tinggur Bulawan, Kulasa, Poguungan and many more. Recently in May 23^rd 2009, she made a rare and special appearance in Ranau Community Centre during a statewide-scale Kaamatan function.

In the morning, she appeared at the outside stage accompanied by the Bamboo Orchestra from Kundasang churning out tunes of her past hits. Then in the late afternoon, she graced the stage inside the hall much to the delight and enthrallment of the audience with her latest tune “Taboi-Aboi”. Escorted by traditional dancers, her performance was dazzling, wowing and unforgettable. May we get to see more of her performances in the future because truly, how can we get enough of this living legend…

Jeslinah Mojinol, the sweet and petite singer from Kampung Tandahawon, Kota Marudu, is at the happiest time of her life right now even amidst her busy schedule as a full time employee and singer/songwriter. Her songs Nobungou Morobuat, Nosiou Ku Si Gasi and Kaparaat Ko Nopo Doho managed to make their ways into the hearts of local songs fans. In fact the songs became so popular that Jeslinah was pretty astounded at first. This has spurred her into more song writing. We probed further into her life…

You seemed determined to carry on with writing songs in the middle of your tight schedule…

Yes, because I have a goal, that, is to come up with my solo album in 2009. My first compilation album with Junis Korom, my brother Junih and my cousin Justine entitled “Mixed-Pop Sumayau” was a hit. The album came out about two years ago and until now, there is a still a demand for it. This has encouraged me a lot to come out on my own. But not totally though, as I would love Junis Korom to join me in. I have asked him and he seemed interested. It is my dearest hope that he will confirm with me soon.

Why Junis?

He’s a good singer. He even trained my vocal in our first album. I have a lot of trust in him in so many ways. We can make a strong team together in my next album.

Would you still do songs in your mother’s tongue, the Lingkabau dialect?

Yes. And perhaps some in Sonsogon dialect too. Part of my aims is to keep our dialect alive through songs because there aren’t many of us in the State. We are a minority ethnic group so there is a danger of losing the language. This is my small contribution and I feel strongly about it.

How do you manage to keep a happy balance in your daily life?

Stay positive, stay interested in what you do and smile always.

Message to your fans…

I love and appreciate you all for your sincere interest in our previous album. Thank you for your support and I would do my very best to come up with a good album next year. God bless…

A virtually unknown singer in the State, Jusie Sikin is over the moon nowadays as her song, Iningaan, has been nominated in the Murut Song Chart on 2 November 2008, exactly one week back from the time this article is written. The song chart program airs over the radio every Sunday at 8 p.m. What astounds her is that just after one week, her song shot to spot no.3! Jusie wishes to express her heart-filled gratitude to all the people who have voted her via sms.

“I couldn’t have gotten to that high spot so quickly if people had not kindly voted for me. For that, I’m indefinitely grateful,” Jusie said in an inter-South China Sea and Kota Kinabalu telephone interview as presently, Jusie resides in Kuala Lumpur. “I hope my voters will stay with me week after week. Who knows I will eventually hit the no.1 spot.”

Jusie, 19, composed the Iningaan song herself. The song can be found in the newly released cassette album “Rimbai Nu Murut - Tampusis-On” produced by Greenland Entertainment. The album features a group of artistes comprising of her siblings and a cousin (please refer to the category “Album Release“ of this site for detail write-up). She has been actively composing songs for several years now and her past creation has once clinched the champion trophy which was sung by a fellow Murut singer.

Jusie is happy and satisfied with the compilation album and hopes to be able to come up with another compilation album in year 2009. When asked if she would like to go solo, she says: “Yes, I’m interested. In fact, I’m now in the process of writing more songs. But maybe not too soon because I still want to combine effort with my siblings and cousin. However, as soon as I’m ready, I’ll give the solo album a go.”

To vote her song through sms, type CRK JUS (then send to 32776). The Song Chart program is called Carta Rimbai-Rimbai Kasihaan, starts at 8.pm. every Sunday and the channel is Siaran Murut Sabah Vfm.

The ethnic group of the Sungei people, literally translated as people of the river, are concentrated in certain districts in the Sandakan area such as Paitan, Beluran and Sugud. Their numbers are not as great as the Kadazan Dusuns that are dispersed throughout the state particularly around the west-coast region; hence, being smaller in numbers means higher risk in their ethnic tongue being slowly eroded by the ravage of time.

For this reason alone, Jus Apong, Kamri G. and Sabturia Tooh have unanimously decided that they must play a role in preserving their heritage as much as possible. They chose the artistic way of doing so, that is, through songs. Thus the birth of their new album, Warisan Sungei (Sungei Heritage), which features ten numbers, a hundred percent in the Sungei dialect. Others may do other things to contribute towards the preservation but this would be the group’s most favoured way as Sungei songs are few and far between but nonetheless, are very sweet to the ears indeed.

Recording of songs in this dialect was first blazed by Junis Korom in 1995 through one of his several compilation albums. Junis is only 1/8 Sungei and he comes not from the heartland of the Sungei people but from a little nook of the State where it is believed to be a place where the Sungei people originates. However, from Junis’ effort, it has grabbed the attention of the other Sungei people and burned their enthusiasm to pen songs in Sungei. And most recently in 2006, again Junis together with three of his relatives released an album that contained several Sungei songs and this has sparked greater interest in the heart of Jus, Kamri and Sabturiah to release their own album totally flavoured by the Sungei dialect.

You all are from Sugud, Sandakan, and Junis is from Kota Marudu. How’s the connection there?

Jus Says: “In Kota Marudu in the village of Tandahawon, Marak-Parak, and a few other remote villages near them are where our people are said to have come from. A great number of us have migrated to the areas of Sandakan many decades ago. In the Kota Marudu area, the Sungei people are known as Lingkabau. But really, we are one and the same; the prove is through our language which are extremely similar. But you know what, the tongue in Kota Marudu is purer and I’d say, more original. They have preserved the tongue much more and I believe this is because they stay back in that hidden area and that means no intrusion from other dialects into the language. Now, we in the Sandakan area have our version and this we’ve got to care from loss in the future.”

So, your collaboration with Junis in producing this album is a match made in heaven?

Kamri says: “Definitely a good match. Who can understand us more than someone from our own stock. Junis and his relatives were an inspiration. Junis could catch what we meant precisely and he is able to grasp the meaning of our songs. So that helped him a lot when he does the mixing for our songs. Junis complimented us for coming up with good songs and what he said was important to boost up our spirits when we did the recordings.”

When is the album going to hit the market?

Sabturiah says: “Some time end of November 2008. We hope the general public will like it, not just our community. I supposed it is possible to like a song even if you don’t understand what it means if the melody and the way a singer sings it are good. We hope something like this would happen.”

Will this be the only album in Sungei dialect from your group of singers?

Jus says: “No, this is just the beginning. We hope that this album will be followed by an mtv-karaoke. We named this album as Volume 1, so Volume 2 should certainly follow in the future.”

Jus, Kamri and Sabturia wish to thank everyone who will support their soon to be released album and hope that everyone will enjoy their songs, unique and interesting in that wonderful Sungei Dialect.

Butod never considers himself a singer but it was the thing called love that leads his feet to the studio of Greenland Entertainment to record two singles, namely, Imelda and Tupus Auh Milo Sansagan (Love Cannot Be Forced). These two songs were personally penned by Butod himself and they were pure inspiration coming from the heart of Julius Ebin, the real person behind Butod.

Butod has always been a great fan of local songs and know most of the hits that came out over the years. In contrast, Butod’s line of work has nothing to do with entertainment. He has always been the man behind the scene in the field of computer programming. Singing is his number two passion, he claims. Keeping up with the latest computer technology and know-how is his main interest and bread and butter.

Your songs are good enough to be recorded by a professional singer…

“Thank you very much. I enjoy singing it myself because I wrote it especially for my sumandak whose name is on the song. I hope she will like it too. I must say that Jude Gabriel did a great job on the music because at first it was rather plain although it was already beautiful but Jude exploited the song’s full potential. That’s how good he is. When I recorded it, there were a few singers around me and they took turns to sing it out to me. They blew me away by their talents. Well, they are singers, after all.

But you took the song to a level of your own that makes it so wonderful too

“Junis Korom from the studio says that my vocal is okay and fits in the song quite well. Junis did a part of training my vocal as he has done to so many other local artistes. I feel honoured. Thank you Junis and thank you Jude. Junis also says that he truly likes both my songs. I guess this is a good sign for me to move up another step.”

Would you consider recording a full album in the future?

“Yes, if my two songs suddenly becomes acceptable by the public! But really, I have still a long way to go. Time will tell. Thanks for asking.”

Butod wishes to thank everyone who had listen to his songs and to Imelda, he sends his never-ending love….

The unmistaken resemblance between father and son is so strong that people’s yearnings for the presence of John Gaisah are somewhat filled and healed by a look at Aldro John Gaisah, 27, the only son of the legendary late singer. Aldro stays true to his singing root, and today Aldro is a household name in Sabah. His first solo album was a huge success and his vcd mtv-karaoke based on the same album that followed shared the same plateau of achievement.

“I try not to sound too much like my father, although he was renowned for his thunderously strong vocal and impossible high pitch, because I crave to stand on my own turf,” Aldro shares his passing thought amicably. “But it’s inevitable. I kept being compared to him all the time. I have a very big shoe to fill.” Aldro does have his own sound, but, as it goes, it’s in the blood so like it or not, he does somewhat sound like his old man. In particular when Aldro sings Daddy’s songs, the similarity is so astounding that it can be described as haunting. “I guess I can’t help it, you surely inherited certain things,” says Aldro. “I absolutely am a great fan of his but to get where he had been would be a formidable task for me.”

All said, Aldro no doubt stands in his own league as he commands a large following that spread throughout the state. Almost any local music fan would know his string of hits especially the hip-hop “Superstar” and the sad ballad “Onu Kinoukosan Nu Doho”.

What is your memory of your father?

“Practically none. When he passed on, I was just a month’s old. After work on that fateful night, my mom and him were supposed to celebrate my full moon. But fate had a different story. He met with an accident on the way home. He was so young when it happened, only 26. I learned a lot about him from my mother, my uncles and aunties and people who had known him or seen him perform live. One of his fans told me that his stage presence was commanding and dynamic and his voice could fill up and shake the entire auditorium.” Indeed, John Gaisah remains one of the greatest Sabahan singer whose vocal and talent have found no true match till today.

Your next album, Aldro…

“I am in the midst of gathering materials and I have already got a couple that I feel strongly about. There is one ballad composed by the local composer, Junis Korom, that is so heart-tugging that I can’t thank him enough for penning the song especially for me. I am so honoured to be the one to record it. Wait till you hear it. There are other songs which I have composed myself and I’m quite happy about them too. My target is next year for this album’s release. My latest release was a duet number with Juliana Jbren Korom in her first solo album that came out in May 2008.”

Nowadays?

“I am actively singing at functions, big and small. I simply love singing and entertaining folks. I must say that not a day passes by without a song escaping my mouth..”

To all the fans…

“You have been great to me and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for all your support and love. How can I continue on this path if not because of all of you? May God bless you all.”

Keep a watch out on Aldro’s next album by year 2009, it’s a bomb in the making ready to shatter the local song chart.

Everywhere he goes people warms up quickly to his friendly and humble mannerism. Jounar Motuya, a famous name among the Dusun music followers, is a rare breed of individual. No one seems to say a bad thing about him except praises and what a fun-loving man he is. Jounar is easy to work with and he is an expert at the keyboard that he could easily accompany a singer who sings a song that he has not heard of but his fingers catches up very quickly. “Ya, no problem, I can do it,” is his typical response when someone comes up with a never-heard-of song to him. His laughter and jovialness certainly eases up one’s tension and that helps a lot when a singer seems all nerves and jittery.

Speaking in a raspy voice due to over-singing (he gets invited a lot to perform), Jounar lets out what has been in his heart and mind all these while, that is, to talk a bit of what he has accomplished in the past. He’s not one to talk much about himself, but he looks at this time as a way to take stock of what has happened and recap some things for future endeavours.

The First Album

It was a compilation album produced way back in 1994 and this one spun out the unforgettable hit “Mirinda Susah Dilepaskan”. This was, no doubt, a major starting point for Jounar in the home music industry. He became well-known as everyone seemed to know how to tune up this Mirinda song. Resulting from the success of the first compilation album, Jounar became confident enough to record a full solo album a year later in 1995. A string of hits came along notably “Kakal Ku Poingupus Dika”, “Torimo Noh Pilih Molohing Nu”, “Sumandak Kontrek Main Tender” and a few others.

Several more albums peppered the ensuing years and then in year 2005, Jounar decided to make an album that gathers all his past hits. Thus, the birth of “Sinding-Sinding Ningwoguan mantad di Jounar Motuya.” “I re-recorded all the vocals in Greenland Entertainment Studio and the studio was very pleased with the new music and vocal arrangements. They said that those newly-recorded songs were many notches up better than what I did originally. I have to agree with the young talents in the studio because, yes, they did a great job and they did make me sound better,” Jounar said in his signature cracky, raspy voice. “I feel very privileged to work with the people in the studio because they know what they are talking about as they had been accomplished singers themselves. They helped me to get back some of the good tones hidden in me that the years had somehow buried somewhere in my mind and throat. I was quite amazed how the good stuff can resurface with the aid of the right people. But you’ve got to want it to come out yourself or they would remain hidden, that was what the guys in the studio said.” Jounar penned most of his songs using his hollow guitar, another instrument he is wonderfully good at.

Nowadays…

“I love this industry so much that’s why I’m still going strong and I intend to stay that way for as long as I can. But it all depends on demands, like all other things. As long as people still want me to entertain them, I will be there.” Jounar has been in constant demands all these years as he received a never-ending stream of invitations to perform in weddings, birthday celebrations, in cafés and festivals. Talking about good luck that springs forth from a good talent.

His Wish

“My number one wish right now is to produce a MTV-Karaoke of my collection of hits. As I travel around a lot to entertain, many of my fans asked the same question of when is my own karaoke coming out? All I can tell them is to be patient and they would surely know it when it’s in the market. I’m looking for funding as you know, the cost to make karaoke now is sky-high. But I will seize the opportunity as soon as I see one.”

Jounar’s Hopes

“I want to see the local industry to keep growing and never stopped growing. Already now, there are numerous new faces with fabulous talents putting out great, great songs. I also would love to see all artistes to be more cooperative towards each other, to help each other move up rung after rung. Please avoid jealousy and gullibility at any level, they are so destructive.”

“I am happy to be where I am at the moment and I am happy to be counted among the artistes in Greenland Entertainment. I wish everyone the best in all that you do and for my fans, God bless you for standing by me all these years.”

Julia Moduli entered the world of Sabah’s entertainment as a bopping teenager a good fifteen years ago. Powered by a burning ambition and a strong, energetic vocal, she burst into the scene ready to take the world by storm. Her Dusun single “Langadku Sogigisom” became an instant hit and some still remember her today because of that one song. She stayed on the scene a few more years while spinning more hits from her two compilation albums, Mega Dusun and Mega Sumazau, and then she faded away…

Out of Sight, Out of Mind…

Is the maxim true for Julia? To a certain degree, yes, she says. “The masses of local songs listeners in Sabah may have forgotten me and some may not have a clue of who I am, as a local singer,” Julia quips. “I’m partly responsible for this for not injecting at least a song or two within a year that would keep me fresh and alive in people’s mind. But you know, life can be tough. There are endless things to attend to and that slowly dimmed my involvement and activity in the local music arena. But my interest in singing never die off – no, never. I religiously follow the development of what’s going on, who’s the new face and what’s hot at the moment. After all, I was once part of it and it’s impossible to be divorced from it. Isn’t that what being passionate is all about? I must add that the development of local songs and the singers who are current are very impressive.”

On her personal life, Julia has been through some very bitter episodes but prefers not to dwell upon them. “They are better off forgotten; just learn the hard-earned lesson from those glooms.” What stays on in her mind till these days, though, are the times she got to perform with popular artistes like Iwan and a few other big names a few years back in the state capital.

So What’s Going On With Julia Today?

“Work and some small time business are what keeping me occupied to the fullest nowadays,” came her quick reply, “and it has nothing to do with entertainment. It’s a reality check for me. Of course I would like to eke out a living out of singing but that’s not possible for me due to many reasons, so I have to find other avenues to keep afloat.” On top of that Julia cherishes married life and motherhood, referring her three-year old daughter as the jewel of her eyes. “She came to the world and fills my life to the brim. Being a mother is my top-most priority and that is another reason singing has to take a back seat.”

Julia opines that in order to sustain survival as a singer, one has to cover many aspects of the industry. “Great songs are a good beginning, songs that are catchy and easy to like. In fact, that is a must. Then it’s promotion and that means you must be mobile and visible, making your presence regular in the public’s eyes. The PR thing is important too. On the flipside, egoism and arrogance would destroy your image and eventually your marketability. I’ve seen this happened several times,” Julia says with a tinge of “seen that, been there before” in her eyes. Julia has also appeared as a guest actor in a locally-produced telemovie “Sulima”, an experience she described as enjoyable and would do it again if there is an opportunity.

Her Plans

“I definitely want to make a comeback, with a full album. I sorely miss being in a recording studio and going through all the motions in making a song perfect. My heart still beats in rhythm with these activities so the pull is very strong. I have a feeling that my solo album will become a reality.” The other popular Moduli, Julia’s brother John, has always been her source of inspiration. They made a duet number “Salam Do Pitongkiadan” several years back and that too became a hit.

Julia is now in the midst of compiling new songs for her solo album project and she might also include some of her past hits in this album. So then, when? “Realistically, by end of next year and my choice of studio is still, well, in the process of selecting too. I would like to collaborate with people who can bring out the best in Julia Moduli and I’ll go straight to their studio if I feel they can help me deliver well.”

Julia ends her chat with a message of love and peace to all who have supported her throughout her singing career in the past and hopes that they will welcome her back with open arms with the release of her up-coming new album.