TAN KHENG SEONG, or Aniu as most of us know him, has done more than his fair share to uplift us with his music as we try to make sense of the world around us with Covid-19 forcing us to make so many crucial lifestyle changes.
This singer, who achieved international acclaim when Taiwanese singer Richie Jen covered his song Dui Mian De Nü Hai Kan Guo Lai (Look over here, girl in front of me), and who continued to make himself a mainstay on popular muisc charts with his signature style of music, has come a long way from his days of growing up in Butterworth.
He also starred in hit films such as Para Para Sakura.
Incidentally, Aniu was also supposed to hold a concert on May 2 in Resorts World Genting, but due to the current situation it had to be postponed twice, with the end of 2021 as the new proposed date.
For a major star Aniu is one of the most down to earth and soft spoken person I have ever met.
His most recent songs Stay Home Stay Safe and Cahaya (which was featured in the documentary Malaysia vs Covid-19) continue to endear him to many.
“I wrote the Mandarin version of the song Cahaya somewhere in February or March this year. During that time Covid-19 had really spread in China, and I saw a lot of videos of frontliners and medical staff who were sacrificing themselves to fight the pandemic.
“I have a lot of fans in China and some of them are nurses. I was very moved by some of the videos showing how parents who were doctors and nurses could not go home to see their children; they had to maintain their distance when their children would visit them at the hospital.
“It was heartbreaking. So I thought of writing a song for them, about the parents being able to hug their children when the Covid-19 pandemic was over. So I came up with a song titled Super Awesome.”
The song became his own personal anthem when things started to go awry here during the early days of the restricted movement.
“When I was feeling down and frustrated I would listen to this song. I also dedicated the song to anyone who faced challenges during this ‘battle’.”
Speaking about his inspiration for Stay Home Stay Safe which was released during the early days of MCO when most of us stayed fearfully at home, Aniu said: “I actually like Bille Ellish’s music. At the start of the MCO I was so bored at home. So I thought about writing a song about asking people to stay at home.
“I recall during that time there were still a lot of people who did not want to stay at home. My hometown in Butterworth made headlines in the press when the wet market was found to be full of people. The police had to drive up and tell people to go home.
“So I wanted to write a song that was funny. So I thought I should write a song inspired by Billie Ellish’s groove. I called my friend and told him of the idea.
“Then I contacted Sheila Majid, Ana Raffali, Jaclyn Victor and Altimet and said hey, why don’t we do this song. So they helped me come up with lyrics for the Malay, Chinese and English versions.
“We finished the lyrics within three days. My friend mixed the song at home, and we shot the music video from our respective homes. It took a week for the song to come out.”
The song worked in so many levels because not only was it catchy, but as Aniu put it: “It sounds like you are teasing your friends. Sometimes it is easier to remind people of the message when you present it in a humourous way instead of a serious way. We all like entertainment.”
Aniu recalls not doing well in music classes when he was in primary school.
“It was heartbreaking. I had a phobia regarding music. It was only when I was in secondary school and I learned to play the guitar that I realised music is very liberating. I can do whatever I like.
“Writing songs is easy in the initial stages. Then it gets tougher. There was a time when I could not write any songs. I was even too scared to listen to music. I even lost faith, I lost direction and did not know what to do.
“This year while preparing for my concert I had to rearrange and recompose some of my previous songs. Then suddenly I found a new dimension to the music and myself.
“Then I found that I had a lot of passion that I had not developed for my music.”
With his passion for music reignited, he has plans to make a musical film.
“I now listen to a lot of music and I came out with so many songs myself. Now I am thinking of using these songs to write a movie. So I am writing a musical that takes place in Malaysia.
“It is a love story with a lot of music and songs. Sad songs, happy songs. I hope I can shoot the movie soon.”
