HARIZ DANIAL loves to sing since he was young. However, after an unsuccessful audition to join Bintang Kecil in school, he did not pursue his dreams in earnest until one fateful day in university. What followed was something that he could only describe as a sequence of blessings and learning experiences.
Becoming a culinary student was his first choice at the time. It was a promising career in his mind. But after completing the diploma, his heart remained unsettled.
Hariz then applied to further his studies in business administration. It was at the top of a list of three degrees he picked. To his surprise, his application was accepted. Still, his heart yearned to sing.
He accepted singing gigs at events part-time and used those opportunities to work on his performance and stage presence. His genre of choice was ballads.
“Whenever clients ask me to sing songs in a genre I am not confident in, like rock, I’d be honest with them. I would tell them that perhaps I am not the right person to perform at the event,” recounted Hariz.
While pursuing his degree, on a whim, he auditioned for a reality show singing contest. He was unknown when he started, but when he became the champion of Can See Your Voice Season 3 Part 1, even his fellow students and lecturers began to recognise him.
“Some of them would recognise me when we get into a lift. Some would ask if it was really me. But you have to understand that UiTM Bandaraya (in Malacca) where I studied is a relatively small campus,” said Hariz.
His prize was an opportunity to record a single and a music video. However, he did not expect to work with Omar K., Mas Dewangga and Firdaus Rahmat. They were all greats in his book. He also did not expect to move at such a fast pace.
“It was not long after we recorded the song Perhatian that we went straight to recording the video. I had never acted before and you know how you are on camera on your own, having to sing and act at the same time? It was a learning experience,” Hariz said, adding that the reason for the fast pace was the show schedule. The organisers had to deliver the video before part two of the season began.
Hariz credits his win to Siti Nordiana, his duet partner during the competition, and her fans. It was thanks to this experience that he learned the importance of engaging with fans and added that most of his fans on digital platforms came from her circle
He also learned from Siti that staying in step with the current trend is key to success in the music industry and to stay relevant. The whole experience also taught him the importance of having supportive friends and a team he can depend on. It would take all that he had learnt to face his next big challenge.
After the win, Hariz was picked to compete in Vocal Mania, a live competition that pits an experienced performer with a rookie. It was his first time performing live on TV, and although he had friends with him and the support of his new found fans, it was an uphill challenge.
In the semi finals, Hariz was set to perform Joget Kenangan Manis by Sudirman. Despite the song being his genre of choice, he understood the legacy of Sudirman, and that made him even more nervous.
As fate would have it, the deck was about to be stacked against him. In the second half of the competition, he had to go up against rock singer Lan Solo. They had to sing Kesal, a rock song. There was no competition.
“Lan Solo was in his element and I was not. After the performance, I stayed off social media. I was fully prepared to get an earful from the jury of the competition, I did not want to look at the comments before I went out to face the music.
“But my sister called and urged me to look at the comments, despite my fears. When I did, all I saw was support from my fans and those who followed me from the duet with Siti Nordiana. They understood my situation and so did the jury,” said Hariz.
Now at the end of his fifth semester, Hariz will soon start his internship. The pandemic forced him to study online and that gave him the flexibility to pursue his music career. But the lockdown makes him nervous as he had seen how the internships of his seniors were cut short because of it.
Still, he is determined not to neglect his career while pursuing his dreams.
