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Main >> Previous Updates >> June 2005 >> Article ID 8361
 Down to earth Dina | Type: Internet Article |
| | MALAYSIAN Idol runner-up Fara Dina shoots straight from the hip. | Jun 18, 2005 | by John Tiong
Summary:
Dina, the runner-up of Malaysian Idol, is inspired by Christina Aguilera.
“Christina is so good. I would love to sing like her but I’ll never sound quite like her,” Dina said, adding that being original was vital to a singer.
Read on for the whole article. |
“To say that my studies have not been affected would be lying,” she said without mincing words.
Since her dazzling performance at the first Malaysian Idol, she has performed all over the country in more than 50 shows in the last eight months.
All this, while pursuing a degree course in Performing Arts at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UITM) in Shah Alam, Selangor.
Even during the Malaysian Idol contest, she had to skip lectures, the 20-year-old said. But she made it a point to go back to UITM in Shah Alam to get notes on what she missed.
She was grateful to her supportive lecturers who gave her special tuition, sometimes for several hours at one go.
Mom and dad? Well both of them, who are police officers, had told her this was her only chance of getting a tertiary education.
“They always remind me that if I flunked, that was it,” Dina said, repressing a laugh.
Dad had moved from Johor Baru to Kuala Lumpur to be near his only daughter as she moves into the next phase of her new-found career.
Dina is signed to Nature Records, an outfit set up by Kamal Affendi and is set to release her debut album next month.
She had spent the last few months working on the album and has already recorded five songs with five more to go.
The first single, the R&B influenced Cinta Datang Lagi, is already hitting the airwaves. The song is composed by Audi Mok with lyrics by Juliza Azizan.
Dina has the privilege of working with six well known producers – Johan Nawawi (also the executive producer), Audi Mok, Cat Ruffedge, Aidit Alfian, Almeer and Azlan Abu Hassan for the album.
The lyricists for the album are also top rated. Besides Nawawi, there’s Loloq, Amran Omar, Ad Samad and Juliza Azizan.
Two covers will be included. One is Fairuz Hussein’s Kali Pertama and the other P. Ramlee’s Dalam Air Ku Terbayang Wajah.
The former is spiced up with buoyant horns, and the latter is a swing jazz number.
Dana comes from a musical family. Her brothers are into underground garage while dad is an ardent fan of Broery Marantika, and mom listens to all types of music.
Dina was also, for five years, the percussion leader of the marching band at the Sultan Ibrahim Girls’ School, Johor Baru.
The music preferences at home are so diverse sometimes ‘my brothers make fun of me for singing pop’, Dina related with a smile.
Mom was a source of inspiration too. In fact, she was instrumental in getting her to join her first karaoke competition in which she emerged the champion. She was 16 then and had sung Jordan Hill’s Remember Me This Way.
As it was her first experience in a karaoke competition, she was stricken with shyness but her mom egged her on to success.
In total, Dina won 16 karaoke contests in Johor Baru making her quite famous in the city even before she joined Malaysian Idol last year.
Dina is inspired by Christina Aguilera and our own Nora and Adibah Noor.
“Christina is so good. I would love to sing like her but I’ll never sound quite like her,” Dina said, adding that being original was vital to a singer.
Her dad has been her best vocal teacher and critic.
“He was the first one to show me how to use the stomach in singing,” Dina said.
After she graduates, Dina said she may venture into stage design as it is in her blood.
She has already designed the set for Bantal Impian last year and the more recent Datuk A. Samad Said’s musical Salina.
She said she really enjoyed creating designs and making props for her course, the friendly singer said. Indeed she has a dream set for herself –it would be a square stage with the audience on all four sides.
She is also keen on a show featuring acoustic instruments in an intimate setting.
With all her interests in singing and design, few would guess Dina had aspired to be the first female pilot ever when she was a child.
However when she was in Form Three, her ambition changed to that of a designer because she ‘found out that there were already lady pilots’.
Dina then developed an interest in graphics and soon became enamoured with geometric designs and computer graphics.
Her talent was confirmed when she got an A for art in her SPM examination.
As to her sacrifices for the limelight, Dina said one drawback was that she could not go out like before, in casual wear and without make-up.
Her gain would be that she is able to go around the country to meet her fans – the people who have inspired her.
“But then every time when I say they inspired me, they would say that I am the one who inspired them!”
Her dream? To buy a house in Kuala Lumpur to stay with her family as one of her brothers is moving to Kuala Lumpur too.
Is she disappointed she didn’t win Malaysian Idol?
“Oh no. If I were in the audience, I would want Jaclyn Victor to win too!” |
 Source: Malay Mail Online | |
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