Siti Fairuz quit the entertainment scene after getting married in 1990. She stopped singing completely.
“My children didn’t even know I was a singer,” said Fairuz, 53, when met recently at an event.
“It was only when they went to school and they were referred to as anak artist (child of an artiste) that they realised I had a singing career before they were born.”
The mother of five – the oldest is 27 years old while the youngest is 17 – is back in the limelight. She has just released the two-track EP Rindu, with songs titled Mengapa Tak Setia and Tiada Penghujung Sinar.
Although she never sang a note – “not even a lullaby to the children” – for more than two decades, Fairuz is thankful that her vocals remain the same.
Her voice has been described as sweet and melodious, with her most popular numbers being Usah Bertanya Lagi (1986) and Bila Rindu Ku Sebut Namamu (1987) which were composed by Datuk Dr Ahmad Nawab.
As it happens, her interest in singing was sparked again when she was invited by Ahmad for a show he did at Istana Budaya in 2008. The invite came a month after her divorce was finalised.
“Singing is part of who I am. I couldn’t get rid of it even if I tried. God gave me this voice, and I am grateful people have been welcoming of my comeback,” she said.
The singer now performs at corporate functions and weddings.
Fairuz said she learned to sing from listening to her idols like Sharifah Aini.
According to her, times are different now for the younger musicians who want to make it in the music business.
“In our time, we had to struggle just to get a platform to be heard. There was no clear support system or even a vocal teacher. Now, there is YouTube channel and talent shows like Akademi Fantasia to showcase one’s talent. These platforms make a huge difference,” she explained.
