Sheila Majid
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Shaheila binti Abdul Majid or commonly known as Sheila Majid (born January 3, 1965 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) is a popular singer from Malaysia.
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[edit] Biography
She is the youngest of a family of 8 children. Her height measured at 4 ft 11 in (1.50 m). She attended schools at Convent Goodshepherd Kindergarten, Methodist Girls Primary School and Methodist Girls Secondary School, all in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She was married to Roslan Aziz, the producer of her previous albums, but has since divorced him. Sheila is now married to Hasridz Murshim Hashim Abdullah, better known as Acis, who was a keyboardist with one of the popular rock band in the 80s- "Gersang". They were married June 3, 2003. Sheila has two children from her earlier marriage to Roslan, Wan Nur Khaleda, 15 and Megat Abdul Majid, 12 and one from her current marriage, Khadeja Zaireen Murshim, 1.
Music was always around Sheila and her family when she was growing up. The singing started off as a hobby. She started to learn the piano at the age of four. She stumbled into the limelight by accident, singing at a friend's party when she was 17, and being spotted by a music producer. Impressed by what he heard he invited Sheila to do a demo.
Sheila auditioned for Roslan Aziz and was given a contract in 1982. However, it took another three years before she burst into the limelight in 1985 with her debut album 'Dimensi Baru' (New Dimension), which subsequently went gold. With 'Emosi' (Emotion), released a year later, Sheila made a Malaysian invasion of Indonesian market. She went on to win the BASF Award for Best Female R&B Artist in 1987; never before by a non-Indonesian. Her success in Indonesia was further entrenched by a 1988 nationwide tour.
From Indonesia, Sheila spread her wings to Japan, where she performed at the Tokyo Music Festival in 1989. She was invited back to perform in Japan that same year. With two well-received albums and singles respectively Sheila remains the first Malaysian artist to successfully infiltrate Japan.
At the same time, Sheila released her 1988 multi-platinum selling album 'Warna' (Colour) her album sales abroad were outstripping sales in her home country. Her popularity topped New Straits Times reader’s poll four consecutive years between 1987 to 1990.
Sheila embarked upon another project in 1990, fourth album 'Legenda' (Legend) which featured her fresh interpretation of several classics by the late P. Ramlee. She was awarded the Ahli Mangku Negara (AMN), a federal honour, by His Majesty the Yang DiPertuan Agong IX. To date, 'Legenda' remains her best-selling album which was complemented by a nationwide tour, spanning over two years and culminating in a concert at Stadium Negara, Kuala Lumpur which drew a crowd of more than 10,000.
The release of her fifth original studio album, 'Ratu' (Queen) in 1996 was a marked transition in Sheila's singing career. She collaborated with some international musicians, like bassist Nathan East of American jazz group Four Play and Rex Goh of Air Supply fame on guitars, as well as Japanese violinist, Aska Kaneko.
Sheila took her music to United Kingdom where she performed at a sold-out concert at London’s West End Royalty Theatre in March 1996. In December of the same year she accepted an invitation by Ronnie Scott's to take to the stage.
The release of Sheila's highly anticipated sixth studio album, 'Ku Mohon' (I Pray) in November 1999 went on to win four awards most notably Best Pop Album at the Anugerah Industri Muzik (AIM) 2000, Malaysia’s equivalent of the Grammy. The title track, one of her five compositions in the album and her first lyric creation was named Song of the Year.
In July 2000, Sheila the first local artist to perform at the Dewan Filharmonic PETRONAS. The two night sold out concerts were held in conjunction with her fifteenth year anniversary in the music industry. Amongst those present to celebrate the occasion were Their Majesties The Yang di-Pertuan Agong XI and The Raja Permaisuri Agong on the first night and the Prime Minister and First Lady on the second.
In November 2001, Sheila was invited to represent Malaysia in Jakarta entitled 'DIVA SEA' which brought together leading singers from Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. The concert was televised live to millions all over Indonesia.
In October 2003, Sheila was invited to headline a live concert by TransTV, Indonesia. This two hour special, entitled 'Konsert Perjalanan Seni Sheila Majid' was a prelude to the release of her much anticipated new album, 'Cinta Kita' [1] (Our Love), her seventh studio effort was another milestone in her career if not the Malaysian music industry as a whole. This album, helmed by Warner Music Indonesia saw Sheila collaborating with some of Indonesia's industry giants like Andi Rianto, Tohpati and Indra Lesmana who collectively contributed towards 80% of the album production. To date, both the album as well as its first single, 'Kerinduan' (Missed) have reached number one in Indonesia.
In July 2006, Sheila Majid recently stage a mini performance concert at Planet Hollywood Kuala Lumpur. It was a special performance as she is celebrating 20th years in the music industry. The turn out was a blast, filled up every corner of Planet Hollywood.
Sheila branched out from her singing career and, together with her sister Yang Berbahagia (The Honourable) Datin Shahidah binti Abdul Majid, opened their own beauty spa in Damansara Heights, Kuala Lumpur called 'Jentayu Spa' in late 2002. Two years later, Sheila and Acis teamed up and embarked on their own rehearsal studio called 'Studio Akarkarya' (The Root Of Creation Studio) in Damansara Uptown, Petaling Jaya.
Sheila resides with her beloved mother Yang Berbahagia (The Honourable) Datuk Paduka Saadiah binti Adam in Malaysia's most exclusive residential area, Damansara Heights, Kuala Lumpur.
[edit] Quotations
| “ | Besides music, my other passion in life is my children - daughter Khaleda and my son, Megat. Between my family and music, I don't have much time for other things. The only free time I have is spent on squash games and exercise.[1] | ” |
| “ | I did one movie, 'Ali Setan' (Ali The Satan) in 1985. I was curious about acting then. That was my first and last movie. Frankly, I didn't enjoy acting as much as I do singing. There is no point getting paid handsomely for things you don't enjoy.[2] | ” |
| “ | Assumption, speculation and gossip. The entertainment industry is full of them. I have been in the industry for 11 years, but these activities have not changed. What is worst is that people don't clarify things first before jumping to conclusions. They rather live with the misunderstandings.[3] | ” |
| “ | In the West, such comparison doesn't happen so openly. For example, they do not compare Michael Jackson with Tina Turner or Barbra Streisand. Each entertainer has his or her individual identity. But in the local scene, what is strange is that people will even compare a newcomer with a veteran. That's not fair. The newcomer is just starting her career while the veteran has been in the industry for years. It can be damaging for the newcomer to live up to the expectations. It will also affect the newcomer's self-esteem and confidence. I thank my lucky star that when I started out, no one made such a comparison.[4] | ” |
[edit] Achievements and Career Highlights
- 1985AD: Release her debut album Dimensi Baru[5].
- 1986AD: Release her second album Emosi[6] locally in Malaysia and also in Indonesia.
- 1987AD: Becomes the first non-native to win Indonesia's BASF award for Best Female R&B Artist (i.e. never before won by an Indonesian). Her success in Indonesia was further entrenched by a 1988ad nationwide tour.
- 1988AD: Released third studio album Warna[7].
- 1989AD:
- 1990AD:
- First Malaysian artist to break into Japan with her albums Emosi and Warna, as well as her single Sinaran[8].
- Released her fourth studio album Legenda[9] which featured her fresh interpretation of several classics by the late Tan Sri P. Ramlee. To date, Legenda remains her best-selling album which sold 150,000 units and was complemented by a nationwide tour in Malaysia, spanning over two years that followed (i.e. 1991ad? until 1992ad?).
- 1991AD: Legenda concert at National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.
- 1996AD:
- Becomes the first Malaysian artist to stage a solo show in London's West End at the Royalty Theatre, to a sell-out crowd.
- Tower Records at Piccadilly Circus, London has a special release of her album Ratu[10] and a meet-the-fans session. This marked a transition in her singing career by collaborating with some international musicians such as bassist Nathan East of American jazz group Four Play and Rex Goh of Air Supply fame on guitars, as well as Japanese violinist, Aska Kaneko.
- Performs at the jazz club Ronnie Scott's in London.
- 2000AD:
- Becomes the first Malaysian to perform at the Dewan Filharmonic PETRONAS in Kuala Lumpur to commomerate her fifteenth year anniversary in the music industry.
- Her sixth studio album Ku Mohon[11] is named Best Pop Album and its title track won Song Of The Year at Malaysia's Anugerah Industri Muzik, the equivalent of the Grammy.
- Sheila was invited to represent Malaysia in Jakarta, Indonesia for a concert entitled Diva S.E.A. which brought together leading singers from Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philipppines.
- 2004AD: Her seventh album Cinta Kita[12], produced by Warner Music Indonesia topped the Indonesian pop charts, Sheila collaborated with Indonesian songwriters such as Andi Rianto, Tohpati, and Indra Lesmana.
- 2006AD: Re-release her Legenda XV XX album under EMI Malaysia.
[edit] Trivia
- Recently, she appears as one of the three judges for 8TV's reality show called "Malaysia's Most Beautiful".
- She was also happened to be appointed once as the ambassador for the product of or by OGAWA before.
