I'm at the computer trying to do some work while my babies are still fast asleep but my arms are so tense from carrying little jj for about an hour at Ana Raffali's Ketika Aku Kecil album launch yesterday... and I thought I ought to write about the event before I forgot all about it.
The event started a little late because some members of the press were a little bit late. I was glad I took my own sweet time before coming over because I had already expected the delay. When I arrived I thought I was already late but they didn't start until another 20 minutes or so. Thus, you can imagine a nervous baby in my arms, not knowing why she wasn't able to move about and didn't know what she was waiting for.
As soon as Ana appeared, little jj became totally silent and she listened intently to Ketika Aku Kecil, which has been sorta like a lullaby to her already. And because of that, she fell asleep half way through... since I wanted to make sure she was totally asleep before I put her back into the stroller, I had to keep carrying her.
i was sweating at the back of the room because it was hot! and lugging a toddler on me made it even warmer.
This must be my first experience in an album launch. It was modest but tasteful and I was happy to see how much support Ana Raffali was getting from the media. Since this would really be the start of a totally different phase of her life, I do hope they are all good press rather than bad. I mean, I saw some really stupid points one media was trying to put through just so they have some 'juice' in their weekly weekend programme *sigh* orang baru nak start in the industry pun kena jatuhkan, is it? Menyampah pun ada tengok.
As a support to her journey in this industry, the one had already bought her Ketika Aku Kecil album although we could all get a free copy.... and since we have heard all the songs before, I felt that 6 songs in a CD were just too little to be satisfied about...
I think recently, there have been a lot of new local talents in the market and I think they are all very very talented. Ana Raffali is definitely one of them, with a distinctive positive pull of her own. You may think I am biased in my opinion since she's my SIL, but you know how honest I've been in my opinions when I write, I'd mince my words but not my honesty.
To be frank, I love her when she sings with just her guitar... nothing else but the guitar. She has such a sweet melodic voice and she makes you want to hear her soul when she sings and strums her guitar. So, when I first heard her Hujan Bunga Di Kuala Lumpur single, I felt that the accompaniment of other musical instruments did not do justice to her already beautiful voice. But, since you all have not heard her with just the guitar, I guess her songs will somehow hit you because they are all very beautifully written and I especially like her lyrics because she writes from the heart, just as how I would (of course, her writing sounds more poetic la...).
Renowned composer, Aidit Alfian, who produced her album, even said in his speech and during Q&A of the raw talent that she has compared to the rest and the rare gift she has of writing from the heart, not for a market. And since she didn't take any formal music training, her pieces are not limited to any specific rules nor references. One who only learnt to play the guitar all on her own from a 'How To Play The Guitar' guide before she started writing her own songs, definitely deserves a huge credit, don't you think?
It wasn't an easy ride for her as it took her years to get this album out. 2 years, I think. I almost thought it wouldn't happen for her. I never knew it would take so long to get an album out and Aidit didn't quite answer the question when a reporter asked why he only put in 6 songs in this first album. I know Ana has so many other good materials which she played to little jj because those songs could make her stop crying :) but I believe it is a marketing strategy and in this unstable and unpredictable local music scene, it was to be a safe investment. I think. I still think that they could do away with a hard copy because I know a lot of us wouldn't mind buying just the songs online and that would be an even safer bet but then again, Aidit, being an experienced personality would know the industry and market better.
I think Ana has got what it takes to be good in the industry if she can keep it up... let's hope that she could remain focused and not get too disturbed by the attention that she'd be pulling because it was really a different zone she's charting when I saw her yesterday. Even my little munchkin who always said he wanted to be famous like his auntie Ana suddenly told me he didn't want to be famous because it looked all too tiring and troublesome. Only those who are strong can survive, I guess. In any case, this striking beauty graduated with a first class degree in TESL... I do think that if things do not work out, she would always have her paper qualification to fall back on.
finally, a photo with Auntie Ana, although he knows darn well that he could take a photo with her any time *geesh*
So, with that, I wish her all the best of luck in this journey.
snippets of her opening performance taken with an unstable hand as the other one was holding little jj ;P
