KUALA LUMPUR – Veteran singer Datuk Zainal Abidin was recently announced as the first artist to be signed under Petra Music, the music arm of Petra Entertainment under the Petra Group, with the prospect of releasing a new album next year.
The news came after Petra Group chairman and group chief executive Datuk Dr Vinod Sekhar addressed the audience at the launch event of Roberto’s 1020 Osteria (Petra Cucina’s new flagship outlet) in Bangsar last night (December 16).
“We [Petra Group] are doing a bit of a preview now for a reveal planned next week,” said Datuk Vinod in one of the best spontaneous moments caught on camera.
“We have the legendary Michael Veerapen as the chief executive of Petra Music, and with that of course we will have our first signing to launch an important album in 2021 – the return of Zainal Abidin,” he added.
Zainal who is best known for songs such as ‘Hijau’, ‘Satu’ and ‘Puteri’ wooed guests attending the event throughout the evening with a blissful sing-along to his famous songs.
A long-awaited partnership
“I am excited to be working with Petra Music because we share the same ideology and I finally have people that actually believe in the artistry that I stand for,” shared Zainal, further noting, “the medium that we have today is really destroying the music industry.
“Apart from that, record companies generally tend to focus more on garnering attention through ‘artistes’ that do not particularly understand the craft and quality that goes behind making honest music, which gives it substance.
“This pursuit of what I identify as short-term impact is really done for the entertainment factor rather than the arts. Simply put the music industry is left with just noise – like a piece of plank with no carvings,” he said.
Zainal is yet to go into the studio to record the songs for his new album but says, “fans can look forward to music that is energetic and inspired by topics we are all familiar with – community, environment, humanity and the like.”
“You will still get the ‘Zainal’ arrangements that my music is known for, only that we will be collaborating with more international musicians for each track. The goal here is to push for the album to go beyond the local airwaves where the reach is more global – it is about time,” he added.
For the future of music
When contacted further to talk more about what is in the books for Petra Music, Veerapen says that apart from complimenting internal initiatives of Petra Group to ensure its expansion (into the entertainment industry) remain on solid footing, “We want to grow a label with the objective that is not necessarily like existing industry players (having arrived late in the game), but more on being an established and reliable institution for people to look up to when it comes to music education instead. There will be exciting projects that we want to handle in the pipeline with regards to it.
“Petra Music is certainly doing things for the long haul. We believe in being pragmatic and having a sustainable approach to conquer opportunities because that is where the true value lies,” said the famed pianist and musician.
“The collaboration we have with Zainal marks the confidence and respect we have in him, and I personally hold the highest regard for the singer being such great friends.
“He has yet to come out with a proper project for some time now, waiting for the right musical backing. This recent announcement definitely signifies our eagerness in working together on something spectacular.” – The Vibes, December 17, 2020
*Stay updated with more details about Petra Music and Datuk Zainal Abidin’s soon to be revealed album only on The Vibes.
