Winnie K has released her fourth album, Kau Ada Di Mana

Winnie K loves Malay songs and her fourth album was first released in Indonesia recently. SHARIFAH ARFAH hears about her journey in the music world.

AN early start in singing, it is believed, is preferred for those intending to achieve stardom.

But after a placing within the top three in a regional singing contest and recording four albums, singer Winnie Kok aka Winnie K attests that it’s not as easy as it sounds.

“It does depend on luck as well. It’s not easy to be an artiste,” says the 28-year-old lass.

She has just released her fourth album Kau Ada Di Mana in Malay. It was released in Indonesia in March.
A collaboration between Malaysian and Indonesian composers, the album sees contributions from Malaysian composers Audi Mok, Cat Farish, Ajai, Ramli M.S., and Siew; while Dewiq and Yudis Dwikarono make up the Indonesian composers.

“I knew the Indonesian composers through a mutual friend there. They saw how passionate I was about singing, and that led to the recording deal signed with Trinity Optima, who also releases albums for Indonesian artistes such as Rossa and Ungu,” said Winnie.

Kau Ada Di Mana was released in Malaysia in June under the Warner Music label.

Her first single for airplay is a track after which the album was titled, followed by Kekasih Gelapku.

Jakarta is now her second home, her base for her promotional tours.

“I know it’s not easy for me to break into the Indonesian market where they have so many of their own singers trying to make a name, so I have to be diligent with my promotional activities,” she said.

It took three years to finalise her first Malay album to ensure that it met standards.

“It wasn’t easy selecting the songs to fit the concept I wanted - catchy, with easy-to-follow lyrics,” she said.

As a fan of Malay songs, Winnie doesn’t feel awkward singing in Malay.

“Since secondary school, I have loved Malay songs.” Her favourite artistes those days included KRU, Fauziah Latiff and Sheila Majid.

An exposure to Malay songs was also acquired while campaigning as an ambassador for Pepsi.

“I got to know Siti Nurhaliza and KRU back then, and I learned a lot about the local music scene from them,” said Winnie.

When did it all start? As early as when she was three years old, apparently.

“My mom said I sang every day at home,” Winnie said.

She took part in as many talent shows as she could fit into her days.

One of the turning points came in 1993, at 13, when she entered the Asia Bagus singing contest. She emerged runner-up in the grand championship final.

“After the win, many people recognised me,” Winnie said.

She was eventually offered a recording contract by PonyCanyon due to her sterling performance in Asia Bagus, but she had to decline.

“I felt I was too young, so I continued with my studies instead.”

She went on to graduate with a degree in Business Administration from Sunway University College, and did a six-month stint in TV presentation at Wesley College in Melbourne, Australia.

“I began to regret then not taking up the offer (by PonyCanyon). I wondered how I would have fared, with the exposure I may have had in Japan. I love singing, but I know that it’s not enough to just be a singer without something solid to fall back on.

“Many singers come and go, and it’s so easy for people to forget you when new stars arrive.”

New Straits Times

THE Kuala Lumpur Tango Club presents Montevideo Night, a tango showcase starring Uruguayan tango exponents Nazareno and Mariana at the Royal Selangor Golf Club in Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.

Jointly organised with the Embassy of Uruguay, Montevideo Night is a typical River Plate Milonga where guests will be able to join the Uruguayan duo on the dance floor.

Nazareno and Mariana are said to be among the finest tango dancers in the world and they are also reputable choreographers. They have been dancing partners since 1997, members of the corps de ballet of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Montevideo, Uruguayan Champions of the Stage Tango category and semi-finalists of the Tango Dance World Cup Championship on three occasions including 2008.

The duo participated as soloists in numerous prestigious shows around the world. This month too they will participate at the Fourth Pusan Tafisa World Sport for All Games, representing Uruguay.

They have developed their own original style with emphasis on traditional tango esthetics. In their classes they take traditional tango as a starting point, but give incentives for students to explore and seek identification with the dance.
They also emphasise connectivity between dance partners and improvised dance techniques.

The tango club runs weekly tango events around the city and provides dance enthusiasts with the opportunity to learn as well as enjoy the Latin American dance form.

The club also organises the Kuala Lumpur Tango Festival which features tango workshops in the Central Market.

Uruguay’s contribution to the genre is important and numerous. The best known tango forms such as La Cumparsita and Madreselvas are Uruguayan, as are the dance’s composers and orchestra conductors such as Gerardo Mattos Rodriguez and Francisco Canaro, singers such as Carlos Gardel and Julio Sosa, poets such as Horacio Ferrer and dancers such as the legendary Lola Candales.

The famous tango La Morocha is dedicated to Candales as well as Margarita Verdier, another legendary dancer of Tiempos Viejos fame.

Entry RM100. Time: 8.30pm. Call 012-315-1008 or 012-662-8022 or visit tangomalaysia.com/pages/N&M.html.

New Straits Times

Norman hopes that solutions apart from 90:10 will be found to overcome the dilemma faced by the local music industry.

The proposal by Karyawan to limit foreign music airplay over local radio in favour of music by local artistes has stirred others involved in the industry to ‘air’ their views. RADIN SRI GHAZALI writes.

THE hullabaloo over 90:10 has not subsided even after weeks of debate.

90:10 is the ratio favouring local against foreign music to be played over radio stations. The proposal was initiated by the Artistes Association of Malaysia (Persatuan Karyawan Malaysia) as a way to curb radio stations from playing Indonesian songs.

In pursuit of affirmative action, the artiste organisation headed by Freddie Fernandez alongside M. Nasir and Aznan Aliyas handed in a memorandum to the Ministry of Energy, Water, and Communications recently.

The matter has seen mixed reactions from various parties, including the Recording Industry Association of Malaysia (RIM).
“We do not support nor are we against Karyawan in this matter. We are neutral,” stressed RIM vice president Norman Abdul Halim in an interview recently.

“We opt to be more professional and rational in addressing the problem. RIM has our own way of tackling this issue,” he said.

RIM is taking the role of mediator and is open to dialogue with the parties who are involved directly.

“We are in talks to meet with Macro (Malaysian Association of Commercial Radio Operators) with regards to the issue. We want to know its standpoint on the ratio,” he said.

“We need to understand the impact of the ratio from their point of view. This relates to the business of these radio stations. They have to play the current and best music to generate profits and sustain ratings. Imposition of this quota would harm their business and be unfair to them,” he said.

Besides harming the radio stations, the action will also take rights away from the listeners.

“We are also being unfair to the listeners. This is an open market, and the people deserve the best,” he said.

“Malaysian society is known to be open-minded. We can accept any form of music and that means encouraging foreign musicians. This shows our level of maturity in appreciating music from all corners of the world,” he added.

Norman also feels that by imposing the 90:10 quota, problems within the industry would not be solved.

“We have to scrap the whole attitude of budaya tongkat (culture of dependency). We can’t always help our local artistes by neglecting the core problem of the industry. We need to improve on our own products (songs and compositions) to meet challenges from foreign acts,” said Norman.

The quota also created a massive stir among composers and singers from Indonesia.

Most of them labelled the proposal as a means of covering up the inconsistency of the quality of music among Malaysian artistes.

Among the artistes who have stated their frustration are Rossa and Saipul Jamil, and rock bands such as Sheila On Seven and Slank.

“Such action would definitely bring repercussions and have Indonesian singers lashing out. In fact, this will make our efforts of penetrating into the Indonesian market even harder,” Norman said.

Norman believes that there are other remedies to mend the current situation.

“Take collaborations, for instance. This is a great way for us to work together and get our music exposed to the other parts of the region. It is a promising situation,” he said, taking his younger brother, Yusry’s latest collaboration with Indonesian famed composer, Melly, as an example.

“Another example is Dafi. He has been receiving a lot of support from fans there after his duet with Gita Gutawa through Dua Hati Menjadi Satu. We will soon be promoting his album there,” he said.

“What Anuar Zain did for his latest album was also a smart move. It was a good move for him, working with Indonesian composers, as it broadened his musical reach into Indonesia. Such actions will pave the way for more regional success,” he said.

Besides collaborations, Norman also highlighted other ways local musicians could generate more income.

“Our industry is generating millions of ringgit by having digital downloading, release of singles and public performances. These are the other revenues that we can fully utilise and benefit from,” he added.

New Straits Times