Since her debut at the tender age of 16 from securing a win at the Bintang HMI singing competition all the way back in 1995, eminent entertainment legend Dato’ Siti Nurhaliza has often been regarded as among one of the nation’s most beloved living legends. After all, her illustrious career in music that spans well over three decades has left a truly indelible mark on the public consciousness, as well as that of popular culture in the country.
And if there had been any doubt surrounding her verve, skill and sheer magnetic stage presence, they were all swiftly dusted into oblivion by yet another well-received performance that she debuted as part of Academy Award-winning music composer, record producer, singer and songwriter AR Rahman’s latest concert that was held over the weekend in at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
Datuk Siti Nurhaliza wows audiences with her duet of ‘Munbe Vaa’ at AR Rahman concert
Celebrating 30 years of popular hits, Rahman’s sold-out ‘AR Rahman — Secret of Success: Live in Malaysia 2023‘ show served as a retrospective of his musical successes spanning 30 years for his most fervent fans in the country.
Belting out popular renditions of his hits including Chaiyya Chaiyya, Urvasi Urvasi and Vande Mataram, Rahman’s oeuvre was predictably well-received by local audiences. However, it would be one particular surprise that the event organisers had in-store for the evening’s itinerary that was met with truly rapturous applause, when none other than Dato’ Siti Nurhaliza herself would share the stage with Indian playback singer Hariharan to perform a duet of the Tamil song Munbe Vaa.
Dressed in a striking, sparkly navy ensemble, the songstress looked every bit the part of regal music royalty as she sang the lyrics with impressive elocution, never once missing a beat and leaving audiences completely captivated by her serenade. By the end of her set, she received a standing ovation from a 70,000 strong crowd.
A performance that was met with well-deserved applause
Needless to say, netizens have flooded her social media pages with compliments, applauding Nurhaliza’s commitment to not only learning, but perfecting her performance of the song.
“Not just ice, but even stone would melt!”
“You could give her any song, and Tokti will deliver it with power and immediately it becomes melodious. Love you Tokti!”
Behind the scenes footage filmed by user @rozisangdewi even show Nurhaliza making last-minute preparations for her performance, so that she could deliver the song as precisely as possible without fibbing the pronunciation of its Tamil lyrics. While she admitted to being nervous, Siti said that she felt reassured the moment she managed to successfully hit the first note perfectly.
The sold-out concert was also attended by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil, and the High Commissioner of India to Malaysia, B. N. Reddy.
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Also read: Datuk Siti Nurhaliza ranks 27 out of the Top 100 Most-Awarded Musicians of All Time with 329 awards!
