If you’re from Malaysia, you’ve likely heard of the classic Malay pop hit, “Sinaran”. Unfortunately, Sheila Majid’s hit song is now the subject of a royalties battle involving singer and actress Nora Ariffin.
The singer recently held a press conference at the Music Authors’ Copyright Protection Bhd (MACP) premises in Solaris Dutamas to speak about her previous statement about her late husband’s unpaid royalties. Nora’s late husband, Johan Nawawi, was a songwriter and composer whose work spanned 200 songs, including Sheila Majid’s 1986 hit “Sinaran”. Johan passed away in 2017 from a heart attack.
However, Nora recently revealed that Johan never received the royalties payment he was supposed to receive for “Sinaran” and other songs. Nora claimed that her late husband only received RM60 for his work on the iconic song, which was his initial payment for the song’s usage upon its release in 1986. She argued that various music publishers owed her husband money for using his works across various platforms.
According to the 52-year-old, she had spent the last five years contacting several music publishers listed as rights holders of Johan’s works, hoping to receive the royalties. However, to this day, contract copies and royalty statements from these music publishers have not been provided. She’s now hoping the music publishers can settle the royalties issue, believing that Johan’s income as a songwriter could help fund her children’s education.
At the same time, Nora emphasised that “Sinaran” singer Sheila Majid has no involvement in this issue. She also said she had no intentions to be the “joykiller” of the singer’s upcoming concert, which takes place on 8th November 2025 (Saturday). Instead, the mother of 4 clarified that she’s taking action against music publishers to defend the rights of her children as heir to Johan’s income.
We hope everything goes well for Nora and her family, and may they receive the royalties that Johan deserves. Listen to what the singer has to say about the issue:
@mstarmalaysia Lama berdiam, Nora bersuara tuntut hak royalti lagu arwah suami #sembangentertainment #mstar #noraariffin
Sources: mStar, New Straits Times
