IF my 14-year-old self could see into the future, she would have been tickled all the different shades of pink at the thought that one day, more than 30 years later, the former frontman of Gersang would be spinning in her office chair, serenading her with a 25-year-old song that had not even (at the time) been written.
Alas, in 1988, that song was not even a gleam in songwriter Asmin Mudin’s eye – the hot favourite blaring out of everyone’s Walkman was Gersang’s 'Masih Aku Terasa' and 'Suratan Takdir'. My 14-year-old cohorts in school would have absolutely died of envy if they, too, had a gift of foresight – all being swooning fans of arguably Malaysia’s hottest pop-rock band of the 1980s. Seeing as we’re all now approaching middle age and that hot blood tempered somewhat, the question simmers down to how we got to this point – with the aging rocker singing his most popular song, 'Kau Ilhamku', unprompted, whilst spinning in an office chair and telling me why he decided to remake his classic hit.
“Universal Music originally wanted to call this (project) a 25-year anniversary of 'Kau Ilhamku' … You know, I wasn’t even aware that 25 years had gone by...just like that. I thought about it and I said to Mac (Chew), why don’t we dedicate this song, 'Kau Ilhamku 2020', to the frontliners? So I did it for them. It was initially just an idea, a projek main-main because it was MCO, nothing was happening, everyone was at home, so we thought it would be a good idea to update the song and introduce it to a new generation.”
I stopped Man Bai (whose real name is Abdul Rahman Osman) there and informed him that 'Kau Ilhamku' is permanently etched on the list of Top 10 Malay songs everyone over the age of 15 would recognise and could sing along to. He smiled winningly.
“When we first recorded 'Kau Ilhamku', we decided to stick to the simple melody. What Asmin gave us in his demo tape, we decided to just go with that and not complicate it, so it was acoustic and raw. Even the music video was really basic. When the song came out in 1995, it was so quiet. No response from the public, from music fans. Nothing. So I just got on with my life. I was at that time working as a crew member for Roslan Aziz Productions after Gersang disbanded, for the top RAP artists. But two years later, suddenly everyone was listening to 'Kau Ilhamku', people were talking about it. It was being requested on the radio, and sampai sekarang, I don’t know what happened to suddenly make the song so popular.”
The simple acoustic beauty of the original, I informed him, showcased his vocals and the simple melody brought the lyrics to life. Everyone loved that you just needed a guitar and working digits to snap your fingers along to the song. How did rearranging it – adding piano, flute and violin – improve on the original version?
“The older version was acoustic, and people loved it. This newer version is mellower, and actually sounds a little sadder and is a tribute to those legends who have passed on, like Allahyarham P. Ramlee, Allahyarham Sudirman Haji Arshad, Eddie Van Halen and so many others who made their impression on me and on the music industry as a whole. I wanted to honour these legends, and also elevate the song to something more elegant and mature. This song has given me so much through the years, I wanted to refresh it for a newer audience, and also dedicate it to the frontliners who have given their all in this year of Covid-19.”
'Kau Ilhamku', for many, is a love song. Some feel it as a tribute to those who inspire them – parents, teachers, icons. For Man Bai, however, the song is about one’s relationship with one’s creator.
“Human beings have great imagination, creativity. Where does it come from? It comes from God. I feel this song is a dedication to the source of all creativity and love. This isn’t something from human to human – it is for Allah, it is also from Allah.
“And I believe sometimes, it’s not just the song (that makes it popular) – the creator gave me that tone, the expression of how I wanted to sing it, it was inspired from a higher source, to touch and move people. I believe that is why this song has remained popular for years. It was inspired. lham.”
That is deep. And I can appreciate the sentiment as I am moved every time I hear it, to the point that everything stops so I can fully immerse myself in inspired imitation of the singer, with closed eyes, tilted head, and swaying bodice, as so many can surely relate.
But does Man Bai ever get sick of singing it?
“Sometimes!
“But when I start singing it, the audience goes really quiet, and then everyone just starts singing along, so I am buoyed by the wave of loving energy from the audience. It’s always a good feeling.”
I ask him if he’s received feedback on the newer version and he states that there are two camps: those who prefer the older version, and those who appreciate what he and famed producer, composer and arranger, Mac Chew, have done to update the song.
“It’s like your favourite chocolates. Sometimes the manufacturers will rebrand the original, maybe with a new recipe, new packaging. Some will love it, but some will prefer the original. And those who might not have even heard of that particular chocolate will now try it and maybe they’ll like it, having never tried it before.”
At this point, I had to ask him if it bothered him much that some would dub him a ‘one-hit-wonder’. He laughed.
“Before I answer this question, I’d like to ask fans – do you know what you want, actually? Some people like to criticise, but at the same time, they still like the song. So I’d really like to know, what is it you want? If I had released new songs, they would say it’s not as good as that one. It doesn’t really bother me, at least I had that one hit. What about you? What’s your one hit?” he chuckles sardonically, sounding just a tad defensive.
Now, with Chew, Man Bai has also been working on a new single, Manusia Biasa, due out in early 2021.
“This is my own song and lyrics – and Mac says it has potential so we’re working on it and I hope it has the same longevity as 'Kau Ilhamku'. We’re hoping to release it on February 14, Valentine’s Day. It’s a song about keeping secrets in a relationship, and that’s something I think we can all relate to somehow. Mac thinks it could be a hit song, so he’s arranging it and I can’t wait to see if he’s right!”
At this point in our conversation, Man Bai digs out his phone and gives me a sneak audio preview of the song. I can imagine this being played on our local Malay radio stations, but one knows that Man Bai is more than capable of delivering more than catchy tunes. Case in point, his breakthrough performance in Datin Paduka Shuhaimi Baba’s directed film, 'Layar Lara', which won the Best Film award at the 13th Malaysian Film Festival in 1997, also won him the ‘Most Promising Actor’ award in a supporting role. He also played Topok in Puteri Gunung Ledang. One wonders why he did not seriously pursue acting after this promising start.
“Looking back, it really does bothers me. I regret it – I should have pursued an acting career. I enjoyed it very much, but it seems that my face is deemed not commercially viable for a career in the local film industry. You know, producers want macho, cute, handsome and beautiful – nevermind if they (the actors) can act or not. I don’t have that. I know I have a talent for acting but some (industry) people didn’t appreciate it, so I said 'OK lah, enough lah'.”
“These people underestimate talent and don’t want to motivate or inspire talent to develop in the industry. It’s all about looks, so with my bald head and ‘muka tak hensem’, they questioned not only if I could play bigger and better roles, but whether the films would be commercially successful. Also, legendary actors such as Eman Manan for instance, where is he now? He is not acting anymore because he’s deemed too old for a leading role. I really think this mentality has to change in the industry. You can’t just make iconic film legends play the aging father or grandmother in a movie. There has to be better storylines and scripts for these actors to take up compelling roles in films.”
So would he now, at 52, take on a role if the script and story are good and the director serious about making an impactful film?
“Yes, I would. And I would love to explore doing a comedic role, but the story has to be good and with a good supporting cast. I don’t think it’s too late to revive my acting career,” he laughed.
The pandemic has affected the entertainment industry, with a lot of performers experiencing hardship, having to look for other means of sustaining themselves or trying to take their music or performances online. Man Bai has also had to go online, doing some work with governmental agencies this year. He can’t wait for things to go back to normal, as far as ‘normal’ can be applied to our new reality in this pandemic era.
“I’ve been working on a lot of my own projects, including building two recording studios and one green room for recording artists to record albums and videos, and to discover new talent to groom. We’re aiming to be up and running by April 2021.
“As for a Gersang reunion, I’ll have to discuss this with my former bandmates. They’re keen on it, but we’re all very busy, so to find the time to go in there and re-record all our old songs, we’ll just have to sync our schedules. I hope it happens.” – The Vibes, December 27, 2020
