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Syarif Sleeq moving on after hip-hop duo’s breakup

SINGAPORE — Many fans were shocked when Syarif Sleeq, one-half of Singapore’s top Malay R&B duo SleeQ, went on social media to say that the award-winning duo would officially call it a day this month, after being together for 10 years.

SINGAPORE — Many fans were shocked when Syarif Sleeq, one-half of Singapore’s top Malay R&B duo SleeQ, went on social media to say that the award-winning duo would officially call it a day this month, after being together for 10 years.

The news was all the more surprising considering that SleeQ was nominated for several awards at Anugerah Planet Muzik this year, including APM Most Popular Artiste, Social Media Icon and Best Collaboration (Artiste), for their song Bukan Hal Aku, with Kaka Azraff.

But Syarif confirmed online rumours with an Instagram post.

“SleeQ will come to an end this November. We had a wonderful decade together and it was good while it lasted,” he posted on his Instagram account.

“All I can say is that our visions and objectives (have) changed,” he continued, adding that there were “vast artistic differences” and that “some truths are better left unspoken”.

He also denied media and online rumours that their wives were the cause of the split, saying the writers’ “level of inference and confidence really amazes me at times”.

“I take this as a career progression with full optimism,” Syarif added, before ending with an apology to disappointed fans.

“A new chapter awaits,” he concluded.

That new chapter for him includes an acting role in Sinaran, a new Malay movie musical that opens next week. The story revolves around a young girl, Shila (played by Malaysia’s Lisa Surihani), who enters a music-dance competition hosted by her school, but soon learns hard lessons about love and friendship. Syarif plays Dafi, a spoilt brat whose jealousy antics causes Shila to break up with her boyfriend.

“It’s really an honour. This is more nerve wracking than being on stage,” he said of acting in the movie. “This is a secondary thing for me. It’s out of my comfort zone, compared to performing on stage. I hope I can get used to it.”

While Syarif hopes to be doing more in the world of acting and presenting, he is not giving up on his music roots.

The singer reveal that he is in the middle of crafting his solo effort, which is dissimilar to what SleeQ used to do. “This is what I’ve always wanted to do — straight up R&B stuff like John Legend. It’s not as urban as what we did. This is more raw, vocal-driven songs and with live instrumentation.”

He also hopes this new style lends itself well to a more mature market and not only “the teenagers or teenybopper crowd”. “I’m ageing as well! So I think that’s why my music is developing along with me,” he said. Christopher Toh

Sinaran opens in cinemas here on Nov 26.

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