In our interview with the lovely and talented Asmidar, the singer shared what fans can look forward to for her intimate “ASMIDARISME NEOTRAD: THE CIRCLE” showcase and we had the privilege to see what she had in store for everyone! The event took place on Saturday (13th July) at RCDBIG STUDIO, Plaza Alam Sentral Shah Alam and it was an evening full of fun, laughter and of course, music.
Divided into three segments; ‘BORN’, ‘GROWTH’ and ‘WISDOM’, the vocalist took everyone on a journey of her life and what makes her world go round, hence the title “THE CIRCLE”. We learned about not only songs that have special meaning to her but those who have inspired her throughout her career. Here are our favourite moments from each segment:
SEGMENT 1: ‘BORN’
Asmidar started the show with a very chilling opening, singing an acapella version of “Suriram”. As the curtain fell to reveal the singer dressed in white, she carried on with the emotional ballad “Kasihnya Ibu” while an artist began painting her dress with vibrant colours. The act symbolised how she was be moulded into an artist at a very young age, learning music from her parents and started singing professionally at 8 years old.
One of the highlights of this segment was when she dedicated a song to the late Saloma, singing “Mengapa Dirindu”, originally sung by the legendary performer. Asmidar received a standing ovation from the audience when she performed a medley of “Tari Taulang Tiga”, “Laksmana Raja Dilaut” and “Zapin Budi”, joined by talented young traditional dancers.
SEGMENT 2: ‘GROWTH’
Right after the 1st intermission, the entertainer had everyone dancing and clapping along when she sang a disco medley of “Dendangan Lagu”, “Kau Di Sayang” and “Oh Dimana”. After an energetic first half of the segment, Asmidar slowed things down with the haunting “Burung Pungguk”, singing on stage with a single blue spotlight shun on her.
The song perfectly captured the essence of the ‘GROWTH’ segment as she interpreted the lyrics as her longing to no longer be afraid of being free to be herself as a person and an artist. Dedicating another song to another legend, the vocalist performed M. Nasir’s “Srikandi Cintaku” from his 1999 album of the same name. She ended the segment with “Sekuntum Bunga Di Tepi Danau”, the first song she recorded for a compilation album, and “Bunga Anggerik”.
SEGMENT 3: ‘WISDOM’
Now grown and experienced, Asmidar is now more assure of herself and the wisdom she gained over the years. She demonstrated her curiosity and courage to try new things by singing a neo-trance version of the popular aria “Habanera” from the popular opera “Carmen”, which had us all enthralled. Picking the energy back up, the singer had everyone dancing and singing along with her when she performed a medley of “Lembu Patah Tanduk”, “Kenek-kenek” and “Chik Chik Boom”.
She then surprised the crowd when she performed a Malay-classical version of Adele’s “Million Years Ago”. Just when we thought there were no more surprises up her sleeves, Asmidar had us cheering when she announced that she’d be singing a new version of her song “Biar Sampai Ke Bintang”, which will be released on music streaming platforms on Monday (15th July)! Ending the show with a bang, members of the audience joined the singer on stage to dance together as she closed with “Lagu Joget 106”.
Overall, we had a blast at the intimate showcase. We’d like to thank Asmidar for bringing us along on this musical journey and making us fall back in love with our country’s classical and traditional songs. Watch our Reel of what went down that evening below:
