Shirazdeen Karim & Siti Nurhaliza

SHIRAZDEEN KARIM has always wanted to work with Malaysia’s Queen of Song Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza, who has won more than 200 awards and performed over 50 concerts in her 23 years in the music industry.

The executive producer at Shiraz Projects has been chasing Siti since 2007 to do a concert tour.

Now, his persistence has finally paid off as he is in the midst of organising for the songstress a four-nation concert tour, billed as the Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza On Tour.

Already confirmed are concerts at Istora Senayan in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Feb 21; Singapore Expo in Singapore on March 2; and Arena Axiata in Kuala Lumpur on March 16.

Still in negotiation is a stop at London’s Royal Albert Hall on April 21, which is hoped to be the tour’s grand finale. This will be the second time Siti is performing at this prestigious stage, since her first show there in 2005.

Shirazdeen announced this at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur recently.

The producer is taking every step to make sure this will be a concert to remember. He has boldly set a budget of more than RM10 million, making it possibly the highest budget for a tour for any Malaysian singer.

The performance will feature some 30 musicians, 12 dancers, and more than 24 songs. The talented Joseph Gonzales has been hired as the artistic director and will be aided by other well-known choreographers such as Joseph Gonzales, Imran, Naim Syahrazad, Fauzi Amiruddin, and Daila Abdul Samad.

Shirazdeen is also bringing in a bassist, drummer, guitarist as well as a vocal coach from America.

On the decision to hire international musicians to support a tour by one of Malaysia’s most famous artistes, Shirazdeen said it is not that he “does not trust” Malaysian musicians, but he wants to push the boundaries for this concert tour.

“We can learn something from these foreign musicians.”

He also plans to shoot a behind-the-scenes documentary of the tour under the direction of concert creative director Anusha Peterson. The documentary, They Call Me Siti, is planned for release in cinemas nationwide towards the end of the year.

Shirazdeen has no fear that he would not be able to recoup the RM10 million he is putting into this concert tour. He strongly believes Siti’s fans will flock to see the concert, and also the documentary when it hits the cinemas.

He recalls an interesting conversation he had with a taxi driver a few years ago when he was in Jakarta.

He said: “The taxi driver said if Malaysia and Indonesia ever go to war, there are two things Indonesia needs to save from Malaysia. First, it is Upin and Ipin, and second, is Siti Nurhaliza.”

Siti said she is overwhelmed by the preparation that Shiraz Projects has put into her upcoming concert tour.

“Even after 50 concerts, I still feel nervous about doing another concert,” said the singer, who turns 40 this year.

“But nervous is good. It pushes you to give your best. Overconfidence sometimes makes you a slacker.”

This concert tour will also mark her return to the stage after having given birth to her baby girl, Siti Aafiyah Khalid, on March 19 last year.

There were some who thought motherhood would put a stop to her singing career, but Siti intends to prove them wrong.

“So many singers who are mothers, like Celine Dion, have put on successful concerts and I want to do the same,” she said. “Motherhood has spurred me to be a more active singer.”

She added that she will be bringing her daughter along on the concert tour.

To prepare for the tour, Siti is building up her stamina with exercises, as well as undergoing extra dancing and vocal classes to enhance her skills. She also intends to bring her weight down to 60kg by the start of the tour.

Tickets for her concerts will range from RM155 to RM1,295 for venues in Malaysia, with an equivalent price range for international tour stops.

Those who purchase the RM1,295 tickets will not only receive some exciting merchandise, but also get a chance to meet Siti in person a day after the concert.

Out of 100 tickets in that price range, 10 selected ticket-holders will also get the chance to go behind the stage hours before the concert begins to see how the concert is put together and meet Siti in her dressing room.

For more, visit the websites for Shiraz Projects or MyTicket.Asia.

Siti Nurhaliza's Concert

Headline: Siti At Her Best 
By Bissme S

It was  indeed a concert to remember. That is the best way to describe the performance Datuk Siti Nurhaliza delivered at Kuala Lumpur’s Stadium Negara last Saturday with her two-hour concert entitled Datuk Siti Nurhaliza and Friends.
However, things started off on a worrying note. For an artiste of
Siti’s reputation and renown, the opening act was tame, lame and
dull.
The concert kicked off with a young girl dancing confusingly onstage. The dancer was supposed to represent Siti as
a young girl who dreamt of becoming an entertainer. However, I think the concept didn’t work out as intended. Instead of enchanting everyone, this act made the crowd restless. We couldn’t wait for the dancing to stop and the music to begin.
Thankfully, Siti soon appeared and saved the day, with her
opening song Aku Cinta Padamu. From that point on, the concert
was a rollercoaster ride of pure entertainment, as the singer had
the crowd of over 7,000 eating out of the palm of her hand.
Siti performed more than 20 songs, in celebration of her 20
years in the music industry. She also invited well known singers
from both Malaysia and Indonesia to join her on stage for some
memorable duets.
Many of her fans were waiting anxiously for her collaboration
with Anggun, the renowned Paris based Indonesian singer.
Anggun had flown in to Kuala Lumpur just hours before the
concert. Hence, they barely had any time for rehearsals. Yet, they
managed to give a remarkeable performance.
Their first duet was on Anggun’s iconic hit, Snow on the Sahara. Then, they sung one of Siti’s popular songs, Bukan Cinta Biasa, which had the crowd cheering wildly and enthusiastically.
Sometimes, when you have a duet with two skilled singers,
things can go terribly wrong. They may try to upstage one
other. Thankfully, that did not happen here. Anggun and Siti
complemented each other perfectly. It was just two good friends having a good time on stage.
At an earlier press conference, Anggun told the media that
she was glad to be a part of the concert. 
“I am here because I am her fan and her friend,” she said.
Besides inviting some of the region’s most talented singers to join her on stage, Siti also proved her mastery in creating a spectacular show.
She performed her first set of songs unplugged, then brought on
a live band to accompany her for her next set, and then finished the
final half of the show backed up by a full orchestra.
For me personally, the best duet of the night was when Siti sang her hit Biarlah Rahsia with Indonesian singer Afghan. The combination of his raspy voice and her powerful vocals provided a unique and interesting flavour for the evening.
The other memorable duet was when Siti performed her other
hit, Bagaikan Sakti with singersongwriter Faizal Tahir. She sang
the original version of the song with the legendary M Nasir. Here,
Faizal managed to put his own personality into the song.
The other singers who participated in Siti’s concert included local artistes Joe Flizzow, SonaOne, Hafiz Suip, and Jacyln Victor, as well as Cakra Khan from Indonesia.
During Siti’s costume changes, the large screen in the stadium
would show pre- recorded interviews of Siti’s family, friends,
work colleagues, and teachers sharing personal stories  about her. The best moment came courtesy of her mother Siti Salmah Bachik, who sportingly hummed the tune of her daughter’s first hit, Cindai.
One of the highlights of the night was when Siti fulfilled her dream of performing with the late Whitney Houston, singing a duet
on one of Houston’s unreleased songs, Memories.
Houston’s image appeared on the screen, and her pre-recorded
vocals merged with Siti’s live singing.
Adam Kidron, CEO of Yonder Music, the organiser for Siti’s
concert, later said: “When I met Siti, I asked who were her
favourite singers. She cited P. Ramlee, Celine Dion and Whitney
Houston. Then, I remembered [Memories which] was never
featured in any of her albums.”
Siti was extremely happy and grateful that her concert went
smoothly. “Tonight, I can sleep with a smile,” she said.
No doubt, most of her die-hard fans at the concert went to bed
with smiles on their faces, too.

Siti Nurhaliza

The popular singer Siti Nurhaliza talks to theSun about putting a musical theatre production that will tell the story of her life to her fans out there. Read here for the full story.  

Headline: A Musical About Siti 
By Bissme S

Malaysian  diva Datuk Siti Nurhaliza, 36, will be telling the story of her life in a musical theatre production that is planned to be staged for eight days in November at Istana Budaya. Konsert Musical Fragment Datuk Siti Nurhaliza will focus on her childhood years, her success in music and her present-day life. The 36-year-old singer wants to do something special for her many loyal fans
who have been supporting her for the last 20 years, and she feels this musical will be the perfect gift.
“The musical will give my fans a glimpse of my life behind the glamorous stage persona,” she said of the three-hour production which is still in the planning stages.
It will also look at her controversial marriage to the man who stole her heart, Datuk Seri Khalid Muhammad Jiwa, better known as Datuk K. They were married in 2006. Siti is now looking for actresses to play her through the various stages of her life, as well as an actor to play her husband. She said the musical will likely have two different actresses playing her – a child actress to represent her in her childhood, and a younger actress to play her when she first started her career in music.
“I will make an appearance near the end of the musical,” Siti said. 
“Of course, I will sing too.”
She has a few names in mind but declines to reveal who they are for now. She said she will announce the cast when the time is right.
Besides music and dances, the musical will also have footage of her childhood and teenage years projected on a screen. Some of this footage has never been shown in public before.
More recently, on the music front, Siti has released her latest album,
Datuk Siti Nurhaliza Unplugged, which has 18 tracks featuring stripped down versions of her songs.
The recording of this album took place when she held a two hour, soldout concert called Datuk Siti Unplugged at Istana Budaya in April this year. During the show, she sang all her popular hit songs from her 20-year career.
“It was always my dream to perform an unplugged concert,” she said. 
“My concert was only held for one day and it played to a full house. Many of my fans did not even manage to get tickets to see my concert.”
That motivated her to release this album for the many fans who did not manage to catch her concert and also for those who want to hear her songs again.
Siti also lamented on the current state of the entertainment industry in Malaysia. She agrees with the many local singers who have complained that the Malaysian music industry is in a terrible shape. Yet, she believes there is still hope to revive the industry.
“We need corporate companies to support local singers whenever we have concerts here,” she said.
“When foreign artistes come here to perform, their concerts get a good response.
“We have many good singers, from Jaclyn Victor to Anuar Zain, who can pull in the crowd. Without strong sponsors, it is difficult for Malaysian singers to hold concerts.”
When asked if she has any other goals in life, Siti said: ”I would like to hold concerts outside Malaysia. I want to entertain my fans abroad.”
She hinted that perhaps a concert in London or Australia would be a good start.