VETERAN pop icon Datuk Zainalabidin, whose career has spanned five decades and redefined the landscape of Malaysian music, is set to perform his final large-scale concert at the Esplanade Concert Hall on April 17.
The performance will also mark the 50th anniversary of his storied career.
“This Singapore show is my last concert,” the 66-year-old told The Straits Times during a Zoom interview. “I am not going to do any more big shows.”
The event is part of the Esplanade’s annual Pesta Raya – Malay Festival of Arts, which celebrates the vibrancy of Malay music and culture.
Although Zainalabidin is stepping away from large solo productions, he emphasised that he will not retire completely.
“If I feel like singing, I will sing. If I feel like making a song, I will make one,” he said, underlining his enduring commitment to music.
Zainalabidin first gained recognition as the lead vocalist of the Malaysian rock band Headwind during the late 1970s and 1980s, before reinventing himself as a solo artist.
His signature style, a unique fusion of traditional Malay folk music and Afro-pop rhythms, won him critical acclaim and a devoted following across generations.
In the 1990s, he toured Japan and collaborated with British music icon Phil Collins on ‘Kau Di Hatiku’, the Malay version of Collins’ Oscar- and Golden Globe-winning song ‘You’ll Be In My Heart’ from Disney’s 1999 film ‘Tarzan’.
Reflecting on his artistic journey, he said, “It is not easy to be yourself when creating music. Everyone wants you to cater to what he or she likes. But I believe it is not about what people want to hear; it is about the best you can offer.”
His music, he explained, embodies a broader vision of love: “People talk about love stories, but my kind of love is for the environment, my parents, my religion and being a good person. I don’t believe music should make people sad. Music is a vehicle to uplift people.”
Among the defining moments of his career, Zainalabidin highlighted his 2018 performance in Rome with Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli at the Music For Mercy concert at Vatican City. “It was broadcast to more than 180 countries. That was something really big for me,” he said.
For the Singapore show, Zainalabidin will be accompanied by a big band led by Malaysian jazz pianist Michael Veerapen.
The concert will feature reimagined arrangements of his greatest hits alongside songs by artists who inspired him, including British singer Sting and American legend Stevie Wonder.
“I’ll make sure that from the first minute to the end, you will be entertained,” he promised, offering a fitting farewell to a career that has profoundly influenced Malaysian pop music. - March 26, 2026
