The return of Taufik Batisah

SINGAPORE - Fans of Taufik Batisah who have been holding their breath for his new album can finally heave a sigh of relief.

This Sunday, Singapore’s top Malay pop star will head to Causeway Point to officially launch his latest album, Fique - some six years after his previous release Suria Hatiku in 2008.

Why the long wait? “The reason why it took awhile was because I took a step back to assess Suria Hatiku,” said Taufik, who turns 33 this year. “That album has stuff by people such as M Nasir and all that, which I thought was a selling point. But I realised that my songwriting, the melodies, were not strong enough. I didn’t make the impact that I felt I should have made.”

Not that Taufik spent all that timing just honing his songwriting skills. He recorded a few singles, including Aku Bersahaja (a duet with Indonesian pop star Rossa) and Sky’s The Limit (with Rui En). He popped up in the musical, Fried Rice Paradise; and did the voice for Marty, the talkative zebra in Malay version of Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted. He also has an acting role in the upcoming Malay drama, Demi Adriana.

But he did continue writing songs. For Fique, the singer wrote all but one song as well as produced and arranged the album.

“I did more than 200 of them and the songs on this album is a mix of the genres that I like,” explained Taufik. “I did a house-type song, ballads, there’s a bit of R&B, there’s even a bossa nova song.”

Q: Your album kicks off with a rather interesting track, #awakkatmane. What’s with that?

A: “Awak kat mane” means “where are you”? And during Ramadan this year, after I broke fast, I was waiting in my car and I took a video. Now, I just did my first acting role for Demi Adriana and my character has this deep Barry White voice so I decided to have some fun and do a video in that voice and load it on Instagram. It was tongue-in-cheek and you’ll either love it or get annoyed by it.

It wasn’t meant to be anything. But over the following weekend, I did another one and my friend suggested I put the hashtag. After that, I realised that some of the other cast members of Demi Adriana started doing it too. My friends started doing it and other local celebs also started doing it, and it just went viral. Thanks to the people who found that amusing ... I’m very aware of the fact that it was because of them that I had a new song. And I appreciate that.

It was the last song to be included on the album and I decided to put it up front, to get listeners loosened up for the album, because it does get a little heavy in the middle.

Q: Why is that?

A: I have this tendency to write very melancholic ballads. I love to write those. It just comes out that way. I can’t write happy love songs. Like the song Hanya Kamu. I wrote that as a song for a loved one - a mother, wife, you know – and at the end of it, the person dies. The single, Menakluk Cinta, is a song about a person looking for love. It’s just an ordinary song. I didn’t mean for it to be so sad. But people who heard it kept coming back to me saying how moving it was, like “it’s so sad”.

Q: Does it irk you that people mistake your actual intention for the songs?

A: These reactions actually excite me because when I write songs, I usually write them alone. I’d sometimes talk to friends about them - like Fiza O, she helps me out because I’ll call her to check if my phrasing is okay, can I use a certain word this way – but I’m generally alone when I write. So I get no other opinions or feedback about the song until it’s out. So people who have their own interpretation. Like with Menakluk Cinta, it’s great because now I have another viewpoint. When I perform that song, I can tap into that emotion. Actually, my little joy is when people Tweet my lyrics – they don’t hashtag me, by the way – but it’s nice to know that. For them to sing the song back to me, I’m on cloud nine.

Q: You duet with three interesting and very different individuals: Malay rapper Altimet, singer Shila Amzah and your aunt, Maria Bachok. Why these three?

A: I’ve known Altimet for more than 10 years but I’ve never worked with him. He’s a great lyricist and rapper. And he’s had a great year. For him to work with me is great. I actually sent him another song to record, but when I asked him about it, he said, “Yeah, I think it’s a good song, and it’s great for your demographic.” Which is basically the nice way of saying I don’t really like your song. But I pressed him about it and he said that the beat was too light for him, so I said, forget about that song, I’ll send you another one. And that was Gila X3, which is on the album. As for Shila Amzah, she is a great vocalist – just the way she emotes when she sings Cinta Tak Bernyawa, it takes it to another level.

The only song on Fique that I didn’t write was Kenangan Mengusik Jiwa, written by the late, great Salamah Basiron, who wrote a lot of songs for my late uncle, A Ramlie. I wanted to do a tribute to him. The thing about him is, he’s known to everyone as A Ramlie, but I never knew the extent of his popularity when I was younger. He was just my uncle. I knew he liked music because he had piano at home, but I never knew he was such a big popular artiste. I was never as close to him as my eldest brother was because he would often stay at their house.

Until the day he passed away, when I was 12 or 13 ... I never really gravitated towards music then and never talked to him about it, which really sucks now. I mean it would be so amazing if I could sit with him and talk to him about his experiences and have an understanding about the music scene. He had so many good songs – at one point he was working with Yusno F, another great songwriter from Singapore, and they took Hindi songs and turned them into Malay songs.

But this song resonates most with me. I didn’t change the melody much, but I stripped everything and slowed it down. My guitarist friend came up with this intro which set the tone of the song. For me, it’s about missing the opportunity to speak to him. I decided to include my auntie to approach it from the perspective of someone missing her life partner. And her voice is so rich with emotion.

Q: Did you have to twist her arm to get her to sing?

A: No. She’s now quite active in the scene these days, performing a lot in Malaysia - she performs a lot more than me, actually! She was all for the idea and she felt that it was an interesting take on the song. And she nailed it.

Q: It’s been 10 years since you won Singapore Idol. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt during this time?

A: The biggest lesson would be “what you like isn’t always right”. Just because you think it’s great doesn’t make it so. You know, you shouldn’t be so attached to certain things and be open to suggestions and opinions. Now, when someone tells me you should do this or that, I will not discount their ideas. Before, if people would ask me change my song, I would like, “No lah, it’s good like that”. But you have to understand why they say that. Everybody has an opinion and everybody is right in some way. At the end of the day, no music is bad music, it just boils down to preference.

Q: Where do you stand in the grand scheme of things? Like on a scale of one to 10, with 10 being “I have achieved all I want” - where are you at?

A: I’m at a 5 – halfway there. You should never peg yourself so high, always give yourself room to improve. I look at the glass as half-full. You need to give yourself that other 50 per cent to keep driving you, to keep going on, to perfect yourself. You should never be too comfortable. Of course, procrastination does occur ...

Q: Yeah, sorry, but six years is a tad long to wait for a new album...

A: That’s what I’m so appreciative of my fans, the Fiknatics, who have patiently kept waiting and still there for me.

Q: You seem surprised that they still support you.

A: I am. Because I have no idea why. I can’t figure it out. I can only attribute it to a higher power. Or if you put it in a religious, it’s mum’s prayers. Ultimately, I have no idea why though. Music is my form of work. It’s nothing more than that. It’s not the celebrity status or stardom that’s driving me to do this. Initially, perhaps, I felt it was all about that celebrity.

Q: You mean, just after winning Singapore Idol?

A: Yeah. You know, you’re figuring yourself out, you have all this attention, everybody is doing stuff for you, so you feel like you’re on a pedestal.

Q: So how different is Taufik now from Taufik then?

A: I feel the same. But when it comes to information - like musically, I’m more informed. I feel I have changed based on the information I’ve received about music, the industry, how I should treat people or react to situations. Like I’m a lot more calm these days. Although I still get very excited about my album. I can’t stay calm when it comes to that.

Q: So like learning? You’re like a sponge soaking up everything.

A: Yeah. You’re never too good that you can’t learn from anyone.

Q: Well, by that benchmark you have learnt a lot, since you were doing everything from acting to producing to writing to musicals.

A: I’m a musical slut! (Laughs) I’ve been put in so many situations, dance, acting ... But I feel nothing is beyond you. If someone else can do it, chances are you can do it too. You just have to put your mind and body to it and believe in yourself.

Q: What’s your most memorable stage moment?

A: There was this moment in Korea, and I was travelling with this Asian traditional orchestra – the orchestra featured traditional Asian instruments, it was a really nice eye-opener for me. We travelled around Korea for three weeks. And we were in this big auditorium in this neighbourhood and I was singing a different arrangement of Singapura, and asked them to clap along. And they actually did, for the remainder of the song before erupting into applause. Their energy never depleted. And this happened at every place we went to – they always clapped along for the whole song. You’d never see that here in Singapore! It was something unique. They just love entertainment and music. I guess that’s why their K-pop groups do really well, because they get such amazing support.

Q: There’s the Gift Of Song competition going on now, to find the next “Singapore song”. As a songwriter, do you think it’s a daunting task, perhaps knowing that people might compare any song that crops up to something like Dick Lee’s Home?

A: Home - that’s such a strong song. I don’t know how much creative control Dick had for Home. But it seems like when he wrote that song, everything just seemed to fall into place. Dick writes good songs with great melodies already. But Home is a healthy benchmark to work towards. If you start off with the idea that you’re not going to write a song that’s better than Home, then don’t start writing. Forget it lah! You don’t have to write a song that’s better than Home, per se, just write a good song. Use your creativity and have an open about it. Someone may write a song that’s better than Home, but who can really say until that song is done? If you come in with a pessimistic mindset, then there’s no point.

Q: Do you compare yourself to others like that?

A: Of course! You have to learn from the greats. Dick Lee is someone we can be proud of. I used to not understand The Mad Chinaman – maybe that’s why it’s called that! - but I totally understand what he was going for at the time. Singlish rapping? Nobody had done that. The Japanese were lapping it up because there was nothing like it. There’s nothing you can compare to that. You might not be able to relate to it now, but whatever he was doing worked for that time. The album was ahead of its time. He has great melodies anyway, so you have to look at the bigger picture as a songwriter. And to be flexible too. Don’t get too angry with other people’s opinion. That’s what I have to remind myself: Don’t get too emotional about my songs too quickly.

Q: So you’ve calmed down...

A: I think the years have prepared me for all sorts of situations. Like I said, I’m a musical slut – so I’ve been thrown into all kinds of situations, some that I don’t favour as much as others, but it all shapes you into becoming the person that you are. For me, all these things prepared me to be more flexible. I learned to ask questions – if I don’t understand something, I won’t act like I know what they’re talking about, I’ll ask people to explain themselves so that we can be on the same page.

Q: So if Analog Girl decides to do an electro version of Menakluk Cinta, that would be okay?

A: That’s fine! Er, just make sure the royalties come in! (Laughs) No, I mean, if someone wants to cover my song and put it on YouTube, I’m happy. The legalities – if they’re selling the song - are another matter. As a musician, I’m more than happy. I’ll be very proud to have someone infuse their creativity with mine – to create something from something I created. It’s taking the song another step further, possibly in a direction I would never have taken. I’m all for it.

Q: Are you going on the road to promote this album?

A: For now, we’re putting it out on Sunday at Causeway Point. The album officially is in the stores on Oct 1. We’re also going to bring it to Malaysia of course, but first and foremost is Singapore. My fans here gave me my start and they are the ones that I treasure most. This is my ode to them, my thank-you for still being with me all these years. Most of my shows are still in Singapore.

Q: So now that this album is finally done, are you planning another one?

A: I’m not going to stop writing. I have to keep going. Because when writer’s block happens, it can hit you for months. Sometimes I create nonsense and I just keep it and do something else. Inspiration comes from a higher power. Blocks do happen from time to time. But sometimes it flows out very quickly. The thing with me is, I don’t write the songs down or type the lyrics out. I just play it out on my keyboard or guitar and sing into a recorder. Once the song is done, then I’ll have to listen to it and type the words out. Because the melody is just what comes out of my head at the time as I record it down. I’ll sing gibberish first, but when it comes time to record, because I’ve been running through the lyrics in my head for so long, I don’t need to print them out; I just sing them straight into the mic. Of course, so many times, people have asked me for the lyrics and I have to try to remember what they are and quickly type it out.

Q: You said you had 200 songs. Fique has 13. What about the remaining 187?

A: The other songs are in my computer. They’re in Malay and English. Initially, we thought of putting out a Malay and English double album, but that didn’t really pan out, so I decided to put the English songs aside first. This artiste asked me for a song, so I’m probably going to do that while at the same time concentrate on putting out an English album. One of the things that I’ve always aspired to was to write songs for other people. Maybe when my time is up as a performer, I can just write and produce for others. That will be a treat for me. I’ll get someone to arrange for me. I just write. But for now, I’ll probably work on the English album.

Q: Like a sequel? Fique 2?

A: I don’t know. That’s a good question. Maybe the English one will be theme-based. Like a story narrative. Because I love country music; and country musicians are great songwriters and great storytellers. It’s not easy tell a story in a song and make it so seamless. Where does it come from? The thing about country singers is that they tell a story from the heart. It’s what they go through or what they see first hand. For me, on this album, it’s what I go through and experience, coupled with what I see or imagine could happen to other people. It’s not just about me. Let’s say Menakluk Cinta is a little bit about me – I’m all alone, my friends all have girlfriends, I don’t have one – so I can bring myself back to that. And at the same time, I can imagine how someone else feels in that situation. So it’s not entirely about me. It becomes more ambiguous and others can relate to it. Everybody can have their own take on it, which is beautiful. I mean, I’ve heard these songs for three or four years already. So it’s very familiar to me. So when someone tells me they hear something different in the song, it makes me go, now the song is different to me.

Q: Sorry, the only thing I heard was the bit about the girlfriend. Which leads me to the question: When are you getting married?

A: I have no plans to get married.

Q: Do you have someone special in mind?

A: I have a friend whom I’ve known for quite a while, but no plans yet to get married.

Q: I only ask because ...

A: ...It’s community news, is it? Singapore needs to know? No lah!

Q: Do you like us journalists always trying to pry into your private life?

A: My private life is not something I want to go into because music is my job. Although it comes with the territory - people want to know about my family, my personal life - but I choose to expose what I feel comfortable with. Nowadays, I’m not comfortable with exposing my mum to the public, because I realise she is not comfortable with that. I’m fine with (publicity) because I do this for a living. But it’s not her job to receive any repercussions from what I do. I feel that it’s unfair to include them. I feel like I should ask their permission if I want to do that. Just because I’m in this industry doesn’t mean it’s their responsibility to bear all this. It’s all me. I’m happy to talk about me, but when it comes to … I guess it depends. I mean what I put on Instagram is what I’m comfortable with – it’s not my entire life. It’s usually superficial stuff – selfies and all that. I put out as much as I feel comfortable with - like my cats. I post too much about my cats, actually. I ought to slow down. And with social media, you have to be smart with your posts, to create a constant buzz. It’s just part and parcel of being in the industry. If I wasn’t in the industry, I probably would not have a Twitter account. Instagram? Probably, because you can post pictures. I definitely wouldn’t have a musician page on Facebook.

Q: How different is Taufik the person from Taufik the artiste?

A: When I’m onstage, I put on a show. Off stage, I would say I try to be as normal as I can. But I know there are certain things I cannot do, that I probably would have done as Muhammad Taufik – really chill stuff. But I remind myself that this is just a job and the people appreciate your music and what you do. So as long as people want to be around you or take a selfie with you, I appreciate what they do. At the same time, I tell myself that I am still a human being. I have a limit. And if you push that limit, I have a right to react the way I want to react. Everybody has a line that we don’t like crossed. I think 11 years have given me enough practice to handle all this. I just want to be chill and take it all in my stride. I’ve been very lucky. Everybody has been very nice to me.

Q: That’s because you’re a nice person.

A: No lah, I’m just normal.

Q: If everything were to stop tomorrow, how would you like people to remember you?

A: If that happened, I’ll be happy. This is my best album, and they would have this album to remind them of what I’ve done this past 10 or 11 years, what I’ve learnt and achieved thus far. And they can remember who Muhammad Taufik bin Batisah was.

Q: What do you want to for your epitaph?

A: “National icon!” (Laughs) “Idol forever!”

Q: You aren’t annoye when we bring up that Idol thing?

A: I used to be annoyed that people always brought that up, but now I’m fine. I just joke about it. I came from Singapore Idol, that’s something I’m grateful for. No point running away from that. That’s the platform that gave me what I have today. I should be proud of how far I’ve come, I’m proud of what the competition – and the people who produced that competition – has provided me with. That gave me something.

Q: Do you remember the episode in Idol where you almost got kicked out?

It think it was the Top 20. It was me Nana and Beverly. Nana is a really good singer and we’re still friends today. I was never a ballad singer. Those two girls have amazing voices and range and I don’t. That explained the shock in my face when I was voted in.

Q: Do you ever think “what if I didn’t make it on Idol”? What would you be doing now?

I would probably have been fine with it. I would have pursued my career in marine engineering. I would do music for fun. I would have taken a job as a marine engineer and moved up the ranks, go sailing. I really wanted to go sailing. I thought it would have been a great eye-opener and build my character, to be exposed to so many different types of people, culture and countries. One of my friends is doing that and he keeps saying “you see a lot of things that you never expect to see”. Of course, I’m doing something else and I see a lot of things that others probably wouldn’t expect to see. I think everybody has a different path laid out for them. So far, I’ve been very lucky to be on this path.

Taufik Batisah will launch Fique at Causeway Point Atrium this Sunday (Sept 28) at 6pm. It will be available in all CD-RAMA stores islandwide from Oct 1.