Legendary singer Datuk Jamal Abdillah recently became the talk of town after netizens noticed his disappearance from the recently released promotional video for the upcoming 38th Anugerah Juara Lagu (AJL38). The fact is rather peculiar since his hit single “Ku Cuma” was one of the songs nominated for the coveted award.
“Ku Cuma” was a duet track with singer Wany Hasrita, who was in the promotional video. Following the confusion, Jamal Abdillah revealed to local media that he had withdrawn from participating in the award show, citing disagreement with AJL organisers, TV3. The singer explained that he was unsatisfied that TV3 would not pay artists for their appearance yet is charging fans to see AJL38 live.
Jamal Abdillah also mentioned his unease with the matter and how the organisers are trying to profit through ticket sales, even after obtaining sponsorships for the show. The singer said, “I was surprised to learn about the ticket sales and decided to withdraw (from the show) about a month ago.” The singer also spoke to the “Ku Cuma” production team in hopes of receiving monetary support but to no avail.
Jamal Abdillah also hopes his withdrawal from the award show will remind the AJL production team not to take new artists for granted. He clarified that the issue is not about the money but about protecting local artists’ rights to get paid for their hard work. TV3 has yet to comment on the claims. As for Wany Hasrita’s performance, she will still perform the duet track with another male singer substituting for Jamal Abdillah.
Kudos to Jamal Abdillah for taking a stance against the production team. We hope they will reconsider paying the artists for their performances.
Check out the full promotional video for AJL38 below:
Source: Lobak Merah
