Sunday, November 23, 2008

Khadijah Ibrahim - an artiste with attitude

A SINGER-grandmother with attitude - that's what I think Khadijah Ibrahim is. And intellectual too, if you don't mind! The pin-up star of the '80s was at her best when she took the Malaysian Philharmonic Hall by storm for two nights this week.

What a show it was! She kept such a high tempo throughout her performance that it was difficult not to sing along, or clap one's hands and join the fun. It was a party with a message, one that we don't get often enough from our local singing artistes.

Kathy - the glam name that graced her album covers those days - did the stage show to mark her 30 years in showbusiness, her pearl anniversary. She did the show to raise funds for abused children, single mothers, the physically challenged, and the under-privileged.

The Sultan and Sultanah of Perak were the VVIPs on the second and last night. No one, I believed, came away disappointed. She sang, cajoled, stomped and teased the crowd for more than two hours, and no one was complaining.

When papa rock Ramli Sarip, her guest performer, appeared on stage and sang the everlasting Doa Buat Kekasih, Kathy had the crowd on their feet. The duet was simply awesome!

She was somewhat cynical too, I thought. But in a delightful way, I must add.

"Here I am, trying to raise funds for charity, and there weren't much support from corporates. My team and I did raise some money, but it was hardly enough to cover costs.

"But I had a chanced encounter with a young MP-Minister who, together with a friend of his, made a few calls. And that's how I can be here tonight," she told the packed audience.

Her rapport with the audience was amazing. It was refreshing to have a hit singer on stage dispensing wit and philosophy, and a genuine attitude to help make a difference for a better and a more caring society.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

YES! She was sensational! I suka dia! Hebat! Tak serupa penyanyi lain yang kosong atas...

Anonymous said...

One thing about the veteran singers in comparison to newer sets of singers which some have the been given datukship is they have brains or they wouldn't last this long and still be great..

Keturunan Jebat

Anonymous said...

Tok Mat,
Saya kagumi bakat anak-akan Pak Ibrahim -- Sofia, latiff dan Khatijah.
Mereka anak Melaka, banyak menabur jasa dalam dunia seni tetapi sedihnya jasa yang mereka tabur tdak mendapat perhatian terutama kerajaan Melaka pimpinan ALI RUSTAM. Yang hairan Sharuk Khan yang tak tahu pun di mana Melaka, dianugerahkan pingat tertinggi negeri.
For domestic tourism, ketiga-tiga anak Ibrahim telah berjaya "menjual" Melaka di seluruh negara melalui stage shows dan Fun fairs.
Harap-harap, Ali Rustam dan Tun Khalil, buka mata dan hati untuk anak-anak Pak Ibrahim tahun depan.

Rockybru said...

I met her at Shahrizat's hari raya open house. Taller than I thought. Classy. I heard she's running a restaurant. Patut try Tok Manis ...

mananbuyong said...

I envy you lot who are accessible to those performances..

Not only Khatijah's show, but also all the shows including such sensational Putri Gunong Ledang, P. Ramlee the musical, and others at the Istana budaya... Ahmad Jais etc..

Being away in the Kampung, and the exorbitant (to my purseline)entrance fees, I can only think of those shows as Bourgois (sorry if spelling out!)experiences..

Me, I came from the Pop Yeh yeh era. Pementasan in Long ago Slim River was either at the padang where you pay according to what you can drop into the tin (and $1.00 contribution was magnanimous to a teenager in the '60s), or at the enclosure of a noisy funfair..

I was also blessd with English education back then, so I know Elvis Presley, Cliff Richard and later The Beatles.. Yeah Yeah yeah.....!!!

Dancing was a favourite past time. And I love to chide my children for their inability/not allowed to do 'dansing'.. Ya, dansing dengan tangan peluk pinggang punya.. And I told them how my generation use to hold house parties (not my house though!... But there were parents then - of all the major races - who do not mind us having social parties at their homes, especially on b'days. U can attribute this to the practices exampled by the 'Tuans' in the estates.. But we kids do not drink liquor and ganja was unheard of, at least in house parties..

Well, Kathy may have entertained the selected, well heeled chosen few now. But then, P. Ramlee and Saloma nearly caused the zinc funfair wall collapsed because entertainment lovers from Kg Balun, kg Rasau,Kg Naran,Kg Bantang etc... wayback in the mid 60's..were having a ball!

Ramli Mohd Yunus said...

I agree with you Dato Mad, she is one of the few who is very pro and knows what performing is all about.

I do agree with her too..it is hard to raise fund without people like the `MP-Minister' she was relating about.

In most cases it all depend on who is at the other end when they hand over the mock cheque!!

Malaysia Prihatin??