By Azanis Shahila
GOMBAK, 10 October 2016: It was a decent evening for all IIUM.fm crew and listeners as they received a special guest for a short interview and a sharing of experience session on air.
Singer Sufian Suhaimi, famous with a song called Terakhir, went live on campus radio at 9 p.m. today with DJ Aziq and DJ Farah as he shared his experience in the media industry.
He started by introducing himself to the listeners. Sufian, 24, said that he is currently taking Masters in Mass Communication at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Shah Alam.
Before that, he did his first degree in English for Communication at Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UNISZA), Kuala Terengganu.
He claimed that his career in the media industry started when he entered this university and joined a campus band called DMahameru.
Asked about how his popular song was produced, Suffian replied, “I started as an underground band and we kept creating a song as a band,” he answered.
“We made this song called Terakhir just for our personal keeping and we do not expect that it would go this far after it went viral on YouTube,” he added.
After being offered by a few media companies, he finally resolved to divvy up his masterpiece with others and move forward to the next level by signing a contract with Arias Record as a recording artist.
“Being a singer is not my first and dream career, but I would say that music is my serious hobbies,” said Sufian.
“This is because I never like to be famous in the first place and being an underground musician I can deliver songs freely.”
Besides, as a student he could manage his time with his career as a singer. He stressed the point about time management which he said, “is really important in making our life compatible”. Thus, as a student he also has free time for his career or job.
Surprisingly, before becoming a recording artist, he was a teacher at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Mersing, Johor. The experience as a teacher had taught him to be strict and serious in his job. Thus, he used that knowledge and experience to help him deal with people in the media industry.
Before ending the interview session, he received several questions from his fans via IIUM.m’s Twitter account. Some of the questions were asking him about his expectations towards his single Terakhir that went viral after someone posted it on YouTube.
“I have never thought that this song would go this far. I love this song because of its melody, but I really felt grateful to Allah for the opportunity to share my music with the people,” Sufian answered.
At the end of the interview, he thanked all of his fans and sang a song Terakhir.
He said, “Everyone has his or her own ability and talent, thus we should believe in what we have and do not follow others and be like others.”
“It’s good to be inspired by other people, but always remember that at the end of the day, it’s who you are that matters,” he concluded. ***