By Wafa Awla
In life, everything is a rush. We become very fatigue to chase and own everything. We do not have time to listen to the singing of birds, to observe the new bakery in our street corner, to watch the morning’s soft sun and to read the untold stories behind the tight smiles of our family members.
We need some time to ‘kidnap’ ourselves from this miserable situation to listen to the voice yielded into our soul with our head bowed and eyes shut. That is the time silence becomes our most close ‘friend’. Stay still like never ends before we play on the music and get drowned into it. For a moment, our mind is scattered bits and pieces of memory that come and go. We easily fall in love in the melody without realising it. That’s wonderful. Without it, our life must be pale and desolate.
For some people, music is very special just like echo. Same goes to Shah Nizam Abdul Halim, also known as Shah Slam, in the industry. His love story in music started in the streets and crowded markets when he always goes there to see and hear the singing of the street performers and let the music be the rain that doused him with feelings of tranquility. In just blink of eyes, there are magical feelings inside his heart that led him to have a spirit and a hope of becoming someone in the music industry. He started with a borrowed guitar from his friend and spent a lot of time practising. He put himself on a better stage of music when he started to expose himself to music nature in other countries.
“I like instrumental music from abroad and would borrow tapes from my friends. I have this strange hobby for not going out anywhere unless I’m interested since I need time to do a lot of practice with guitar,” Shah told us during an interview, conducted in his studio at Medan Idaman, Gombak.
During the interview, songs entitled Gerimis Mengundang popularised by Slam seemed to be whispered and reverberated into our ears. Established in 1990, Slam is a group of musicians who has won the hearts of listeners either within or outside the country. In a short time, Slam managed to put themselves in line with other bands such as Ekamatra, Search and Wings.
Their second album entitled Kesan Terbukti has exploded and received rave review from everyone. Songs such as Nur Kasih, and Tak Mungkin Berpaling have successfully ranked in high place on radio charts across the archipelago. Each member of the group has been trying the best to ensure the name is relevant in this dynamic music industry. Talking about his experience while in Slam, Shah gave us a little smile before keeping his gaze focused on the ground for a while.
“Many years ago, it is difficult for fans to meet and get updated about their favourite bands since we didn’t have Facebook or Instagram. Therefore, the only opportunities they had were either going to our show so that they can meet us face to face or write us a letter. We received so many letters from our fans and that’s the sweetest thing about the old school style which made it valuable.”
Along the way, Shah had witnessed many hardships that made him be who he is today. Although most people did not realise this, unexpected challenging that occurred made us all great ‘warriors’. Every passing day changed him to be better and to become more independent.
“There were times when our album was slow to release and we did not have any invitation to perform in any occasion. Failure to introduce to the public our new songs was dangerous since we might be quickly forgotten. Producing a new song was the only way to prove to everyone that we still exist. I have got to have money yet cannot afford to buy any food. I was still a student during that time.” Shah nodded simultaneously. There was a brief silence before he continued sharing with us how he felt.
“It’s not easy. We need to sacrifice many things. It can be money and time. Since I decided to be serious in this industry, I don’t have time to hang out with my friend. Most of the time I will practice.” Shah can also play other instruments such as keyboard, not just guitar. Now, Shah has already become professional in arranging song instead of writing and composing. His favourite song that he ever composed is Biarkan Ia Pergi (Let It Go) by Slam.
“I don’t want to be a artist in the first place. I just love to compose and write songs. Therefore, even though we had published our own album, I still feel whatever I have is not enough. Lots of things I should know and that is the reason I keep on learning. Sometimes I went to class and meet up with people who are more knowledgeable about musical instrument.”
“To be someone professional in music industry, we need to learn basic things like reading a music note. Most importantly, we need to know what to practice. In learning process, there are circumstances that we may feel some lessons are unnecessary. But, trust me, just learn and one fine day you will appreciate it,” Shah told us.
For a while, our eyes were guardedly sneaking at every corner of the studio. Peach coloured wall with a neat arrangement of light, truly an inspiring place to produce good songs. The walls are decorated with a collection of his guitars probably used to find a melody that can connect human hearts into some other realms.
Shah slowly flapped away his long hair down to his neck after being asked whether he ever regretted after being in the industry for 23 years.
“No. I have no regrets being in this industry. I don’t have a reason to do so. We can’t compose music to satisfy others. We ourselves must be satisfied enough with our work. Life is unpredictable. Those who hate our music today might be someone who love it.”
Shah stressed his sincerity in doing any job including being a musician. “Composing music is a wonderful thing and it is like a secret cure sprinkled into a dry heart like a piece of leather left in the sun for a long time.”
“Always have sincerity although we took a little longer to find a place in the hearts of others. But believe me, there will be someone who appreciate us. There is no short-cut to success,”
“To produce quality songs, we have to trust ourselves. It is we who create our own identity in music. It is we who create the trend, not following the trend. When there are people who know how to appreciate our work that is the biggest appreciation for us.” Shah picked his words carefully. We just smiled and kept silent. His words seeped deeply into my soul.
Even though Slam is not popular as many years ago, his soul and love towards music has never faded. He continues to produce something enchanting making people love it without realising it. When we walked back, slowly down the stairs from his studio, we seem to haunt stanza lyrics from Slam.
Roda hidup kan selalu berputar
(Let the wheel of life keeps spinning)
Masa tua kan terus mengejar
(Expect what the future holds)
Usah terlalu genggam yang lalu
(Never bother clinging to the past)
Biarkannya di situ.
(let it stay)
Slowly echoed before being swept by the winds of the night, we were ready to return to reality. ***