Gaana

Even though it was a strange hobby, everyone came to love it endearingly. His face looks like a pure Malayan boy yet people looked up to him as if he was Shahrukh Khan, which for me was fantastic, at the same time inviting jealousy.

I am a singer. Renowned, well-known singer that everyone acknowledges what am I capable of. I often make covers of Malay latest songs such as Ragaman, Bidadari and many more if to be mentioned all of them. But I always made Faizal Tahir as my priority, because for me he is my model and idol for me to look up to. Moreover, my friends often tease me that my voice is resembling his, a little bit, making me more eager to cover his songs. Fun fact, he was a nasyid group singer before, Mirwana and I adored his tune when he sung Aku Tanpa CintaMu.

I have a friend but I never think that he has a good voice and mesmerizing skills in singing. But what is unique about him is he is obsessed with the world of Hindustan. The Bollywood arena. Truthfully, I don't know much about Hindustan but I won't be surprised or mind-blown if he claims that he memorized more than hundreds of Hindi songs because to be frank, I rarely heard he mimes Malay or English songs. He always sing Hindi songs until he knows well and sometimes even speaks in Hindi language. From the 60s Mukesh until the latest of Arijit Singh he recognizes every song very well. We once debated about the government obliged us to pay tax upon Spotify as Spotify acts as our musical escapism but he keeps himself quiet and composed for a while until one of our friend asked him, "You don't have anything to confess about this?"

"I don't, and I never cared. Because I hear songs in the Gaana app. A center of Bollywood songs which is guaranteed free!" He explained cheerfully.

I asked him, "Don't you ever like Malay songs or English songs, at all?"

"I like a few songs. But for me, Malay songs nowadays don't have the X-factor needed in order to remain in people's heart forever. You know songs like Ukays, AXL, Spoon and Slash from the 90s, people still remember their lines until date. But nowadays songs just come possessing the chart-buster for weeks and months and then go without leaving a remarkable impact. In life, people come and go. I won't simply let songs become like people. This is what nowadays songs are lacking of. Evergreen," He brilliantly clarifies his note about Malay songs. We all could do nothing except to shake our heads. He doesn't even need Spotify to live, my heart mumbled.

There was another time when we were at the cafeteria watching America's Got Talent in the television. My friend told me that one of the jurist is a music composer. This music composer once confronted a participant who sang song disastrously, as if he can't even sing. But instead of body-shaming him in public, this music composer suggested an Italian song and requested him to practice and then get back to the stage. After four hours, the unlucky participant bounced back and rewrote his own interval with his superb performance and suddenly became a luckiest person.

"That is the complexity of songs. You can't assume oneself by the song he didn't create. For example, Faizal Tahir's songs may be a flop if it was sung by Ismail Izzani. Same goes to Bollywood. Every singer has their own aura, charisma that makes them incomparable to each other. You can't predict that Sangam song would be as evergreen as now if it was sung by Arijit Singh," Again, he threw his dice astoundingly.

"I simply agree with this music composer. We are not a liability in singing. We just don't find the right song for us," He concluded, which sent us into sheer amazement.

In the other moment at the cinema when we all wanted to watch Jumanji but he steadily went for his idol Salman Khan's Tiger Zinda Hai. I asked him afterwards, "How many people were there in the hall?"

He smiled, as if I was taunting him, "There was a Hindu family, a few Malay couples and me. But don't worry. Being alone is preferably good for someone like me," He winks his right eye.

He also recommended to us some of the latest Hindi movies but of course no one bothers to watch them. Being asked about why he was deeply interested in Hindustan, he said, "I don't know. I just supporting what's great and outside the box. I also watch the other kind of movies. It is just that I watch Bollywood more,"

He made us falling in love with his voice when he started singing on stage in the university. At that time his inner talent officially unveiled. In a glimpse of an eye, he's IIUM's Shahrukh Khan.

Now he has become a popular playback singer in Mumbai, India. While I am typing this shit in my office to fill my leisure time or to be precise, lunch time because I am fasting today. What I never admit and concur is that his voice is undeniably melodious. He is true, that everyone have their own song.