KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Malaysia’s political elite proved no match for a pop sweetheart.

Siti Nurhaliza, Malaysia’s top female singer, stole the show at the United Malays National Organization ruling party’s annual congress Thursday, making a special appearance to help promote the government’s economic development programs.

Hundreds of star-struck people stopped watching the assembly debate and flooded a separate hall, where Siti chatted with fans and belted out an impromptu, a cappella performance of one of her famous ballads.

Siti’s hour-long, gossip-heavy session was music to many people’s ears, after they had spent four days listening to top politicians expound on serious subjects like the protection of Islam’s status as Malaysia’s official religion.

Spectators begged the newly married Siti to reveal when she plans to have a child. Siti, 27, smiled demurely and replied, “Anytime. If I am blessed with a child sooner, I would accept this with a happy heart.”

Siti, a Malay-language star with massive followings in Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei, occasionally conceded the limelight to her political surroundings.

Asked about the secret to her success, she said she believed in something Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi mentioned in his keynote speech Wednesday. “He talked about sincerity, which I believe is the important thing,” Siti said.

Siti also praised the government’s recently unveiled Ninth Malaysia Plan infrastructure development blueprint, voicing confidence that it would boost the ethnic Malay majority’s economic standing over the next five years.

Civil servant Kamariah Daud said the government should use Siti and other popular figures to make the public more attentive to topics such as politics and the economy.

“When politicians open their mouth, not everybody listens. When Siti speaks, everybody climbs over each other to hear her,” Kamariah said.

http://www.iht.com/

August 21 2006 at 10:47AM

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Malaysia’s pop icon sweetheart Siti Nurhaliza Taruddin, 27, married a businessman two decades her senior in a lavish wedding ceremony steeped in Malay tradition and broadcast live on television on Monday.

Dressed in a white Malay costume with silver embroidery and encrusted with blue crystals, a veil and a tiara, Siti sat a distance away from divorcee Khalid Mohamed Jiwa while a Muslim religious leader pronounced them husband and wife.

“I accept her hand in marriage, with the dowry of 22 222 ringgit (R42 730),” Khalid said, sealing the ceremony held the Masjid Wilayah Persekutuan mosque in central Kuala Lumpur, aired live on Malaysia’s largest private network, TV3.

Siti did not speak during the ceremony. Instead, a man appointed by her father stated her intent to get married.

The wedding will culminate in a grand dinner reception on August 28 in Kuala Lumpur and another reception in Siti’s hometown in central Pahang state on September 3 for family and fans.

The couple’s announcement of their marriage was also carried live by the network on a women’s television programme last month.

The bride and groom’s sides earlier on Monday morning exchanged about 16 gilded silver and gold trays of “hantaran” - elaborate gifts like silver wedding rings and decorative items that serve as welcoming presents in Malay culture - while representatives from both sides traded love poems and ditties.

The pair had been the talk of the town for more than a year, but both had been tightlipped over their romance. Malaysian newspapers dedicated pages to news and features on Siti’s wedding after the couple formally announced it.

The wedding follows the finalisation of Khalid’s divorce from his first wife, Tengku Zawyah Tengku Izham. They have four children, ages eight to 19.

Siti, one of Malaysia’s top-selling artists, has won numerous awards both at home and in regional competitions since she launched her career in 1996. She is a household name in Malaysia, but also has significant followings in neighbouring Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei.

Her wedding has also generated interest in Indonesia, where the couple plans to host another reception. The reception to be held there is expected to be aired over a television station there. Details were not immediately available. - Sapa-AP

http://www.iol.co.za/

Sunday, 05 February 2006

CERIA suara Siti Nurhaliza menghubungi Metro Ahad. Menepati janjinya untuk ditemu bual selepas penulis mengirim SMS sebelum itu.

Ketika itu, Siti baru saja menamatkan persembahan sempena Hari Wilayah Persekutuan di Labuan, Rabu lalu.

Biarpun masih memenuhi undangan nyanyian di seluruh negara, fokus kariernya kini lebih tertumpu kepada pembikinan album.

Tiada lain yang difikirkan saat ini, selain album solonya ke-11 yang perlu disiapkan secepat mungkin.

Rencana awal mahu disiapkan sebelum menjelang 2006, tetapi waktu yang sering menghambat seakan tidak mengizinkan anak kelahiran Kampung Awah, Temerloh ini. Lalu Mac menjadi tarikh sasaran kerana dia yakin dengan aturan jadual yang dibuat pihak pengurusannya.

“Siti dalam proses untuk siapkan secepat mungkin. Tinggal lagi enam tujuh lagu untuk dirakam kerana album kali ini Siti mahu masukkan lebih daripada 10 lagu, mungkin 12.

“Belum pernah Siti buat macam ini, kecuali ketika album kedua (Aku Cinta Padamu) yang memuatkan lagu The Colour Of My Love sebagai lagu bonus.

“Ini semua sebagai penghargaan dan tanda terima kasih Siti kepada peminat yang masih setia menyokong hingga ke hari ini. Seperti yang ramai tahu, album ini menggabungkan komposer Malaysia dan Indonesia.

“Ada lima lagu dari Glenn Fredly, Melly Goeslow, Erwin Gutawa dan komposer baru, Shafik. Manakala dari Malaysia, Siti memilih Aubrey Suwito, Lin Li Zhen, Cat Ruffedge, Damien VE dan Yasin Sulaiman,” katanya.

Buat pertama kali, Siti membuat dua melodi (balada dan rancak) untuk albumnya ini. Malah, dia turut menulis lirik untuk lagu Melly, Biarlah Rahsia yang mungkin menyimpan pelbagai cerita perjalanan hidupnya.

Menurut Siti, tiba masanya dia memulakan bidang penciptaan lagu. Sudah lama disimpan hasrat itu, tetapi kurang keyakinan membatasi usahanya.

“Selama ini Siti hanya buat lirik, kerana itu sebagai titik permulaan. Siti pernah berhasrat membuat lagu sendiri, tetapi sebelum ini tidak yakin. Namun selepas diberi ‘kekuatan’ oleh mereka di dalam industri ini, barulah Siti berani.

“Lagipun Siti kena mulakan, kalau tidak, sampai bila ia tidak akan menjadi. Siti hanya buat melodi, kemudian serahkan kepada Aubrey supaya susunkan muziknya,” katanya yang masih digosipkan mengenai perkahwinannya.

Melihat senarai komposer seperti Cat dan Damien yang lebih kepada hip hop, Siti berkata: “Mereka memang daripada kumpulan hip hop, tetapi saya mahukan Cat supaya buat muzik yang ada sedikit elemen jazz dan muzik lama. Muzik Damien pula lain sikit, memang dia lebih kepada hip hop tetapi masih pop.”

Biarpun tidak menyenaraikan beberapa nama komposer yang pernah terbabit dalam album pada awal pembabitannya seperti Adnan Abu Hassan, Ajai dan Ameer, Siti berkata, dia tetap mengingati jasa mereka yang membantunya mencipta nama seperti hari ini.

Cuma dia ingin membuat percubaan, sekali gus menimba pengalaman bekerja dengan komposer lain. “Mereka tetap di hati Siti,” katanya.

Seperkara lagi, Siti kini semakin berani. Tidak hanya menyanyi, membuat lagu dan menulis lirik, untuk album ini, Siti bakal bergelar penerbit.

“Siti agak ragu-ragu pada mulanya, tetapi nasib baik Aubrey yang bertindak sebagai penolong penerbit, banyak membantu,” katanya.