He has been called 'Papa Rock' and 'The True Voice of A Generation'. He has been in the music industry since 1975. He has won so many accolades and awards that his biodata runs to eight pages long. He is none other than Ramli Sarip, rock icon of local Malay music and artist extraodinaire!
100% Singapura, airing every Tuesday at 9.30 pm on Suria for the past seven weeks, closes with a bang as this week's episode showcases one of the most talented and renowned Malay artists in a special one and a half hour mini concert.
Ramli Sarip, 20 years down the road and countless platinum and gold selling albums under his belt, brings the audience on an enchanting ride that starts out soft, mellow and poignant but ends with a rousing invigorating rock style that reflects the Ramli Sarip of Sweet Charity fame.
Suria invites you to go on a journey of soul searching as Ramli belts out heart-pulling hits such as 'Perjalanan' accompanied by an ensemble of highly skilled veteran musicians who sometimes lulls the audience into a hazy dream with their superbly played instrumental solos.
Ramli Sarip is not your typical 'love' crooning singer-songwriter. If there is any 'love' in his work and compositions, it is that of a higher order and transcends human relationships. And it is perhaps his strong belief in this together with his passion for peace, humanity and heritage that sets the tone for his concerts, thus transforming any performance that he puts on as a mystical experience that brings us closer to ourselves and our existence.
“For the new talents in this industry, what is important is the spirit to strive for success, blessings and prayers, “ Ramli said, after commenting on the good effort of the organisers of 100% Singapura.
Tuesday's episode not only promises great acoustic music but also mystical shades of lighting to provide a holistic experience for the viewers. All of this together with a performance by an entertainer who was accorded the honour of performing both on the Top Stage and Fort Green stage at World Music, means that the last episode of 100% Singapura should not be missed at any cost.
Fans of beautiful lyrics would treasure this performance of Ramli's works for the 'live' version of already meaningful words seem to bring a depth and definition to his songs that can only be experienced in an acoustic 'live' environment.
It is not surprising then that Ramli was awarded the Excellence Award in 1998 by COMPASS (Composers and Authors Society of Singapore) and received the 'Best Lyric' title for his song “Iqra”, taken from his 'Syair Timur' album.
Another bonus for viewers this Tuesday night would be the special appearance of A Romzi who had disappeared from the music scene for the past ten years.
Once again, in line with Ramli's tone of poignancy and mysticism, A Romzi performs a mellow number that will tug at the heartstrings of listeners and move their emotions.
After waiting for almost a decade to actually perform a mini-concert on television, fans of Ramli Sarip and music lovers all-around should stay home this Tuesday night and let yourselves be buoyed along on the hypnotic ocean of Ramli's music and his team of excellent musicians.