AT 28 years of age and striking a charm of his own, singer Hafiz Zainal admittedly joined the local music industry relatively late compared to his peers.
“I liked to sing since I was young, but as the only son in my family, education and studies came first,” said Hafiz.
Prioritising his studies, Hafiz would go on to score well in national examinations such as the UPSR, PMR and SPM, and eventually moved to the next phase of his life.
“I went to Alexandria University in Egypt for three years, then transferred to Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia for four years before finishing my studies in dentistry,” Hafiz said.
Why did you choose to become a dentist?
During my primary school days, there was a small incident that caused my front tooth to be chipped. The appearance did not look that pleasant, which affected my confidence.
After SPM, I went to a dentist and fixed it, and regained my confidence. From that point, I knew that I wanted to be a dentist.
How did you get into music after graduating?
During primary and secondary schooling, I always watched singing reality shows on television. I always wanted to join, but could not as I had to finish my studies. After graduating from UKM, I joined Bintang RTM 2018 and won third place.
The famous singer and composer Akim Ahmad discovered me, and then gave me a song and a record deal with Rhythm & Rhyme Entertainment.
Last year, I joined another singing competition on Astro, Big Stage 3. There was an incident where I only got 2% marks from one of the judges. The Malaysian audience did not agree with the judge, which caused my popularity to rise further.
What were the challenges you faced in pursuing music, especially after becoming a dentist?
Because I have two careers, I have to manage my time. But it is not a problem for me, as both careers are my passion. I love being a dentist and a singer. That’s why I think I’ve pulled it off. The challenges might be that I have to work during office hours at the clinic and at night, I have to go to a concert.
Before this, I worked in Port Dickson, and during the weekends, I had to go to Kuala Lumpur for music.
It’s about making time. If I know the date early, I can arrange it, like making time to memorise lyrics, practise and at the same time, do research for my dental career.
In terms of passion, which came first? Dentistry or music?
The first time I knew I could sing was back in kindergarten. One of the teachers asked me to stand up on a chair and sing in front of the class. I thought: “Oh! There must be something with my voice.” From that point, I knew I could sing. But I never joined any competitions when I was a kid because I had to focus on my studies.
Where do you draw inspiration from when writing songs?
For now, I do not play any instruments, so I do not write or compose my own songs. I only focus on my vocal chords. This is because I have no musical background, but in future, I hope to write and compose my own music.
My latest single, Rindu is dedicated to my mum, especially the lyrics. My mum has Alzheimer’s disease and I miss my old mum. If you go through the lyrics, you will understand.
What is your long term plan as a singer?
To have at least one album. I know it is very unusual now to have an album, but it is my dream to have my own album. Another is to win the Anugerah Juara Lagu. For this year, my team and I are planning the next single, but I will not reveal much for now, especially who I will be collaborating with.
