What exactly lies beneath the exterior of that cool, calm & composed soulman whom we know as Taufik Batisah? Check out the following sections to learn more about the man.
Taufik featured in Today NewspaperToday : 4 December 2008
This one’s for Aishwarya...
First Singapore Idol Taufik Batisah has a new album of ballads; pity he can’t share them with Aishwarya Rai
HAS popular local singer Taufik Batisah gone soft? For his latest album with Hype Records, Suria Hartiku — which means “the light of my heart” (“it sounds less sappy in Malay,” quipped Taufik) — he has eschewed the familiar dancey R&B beats for a more acoustic sound, and peppered the album with ballads and songs of love.
“I’m just trying to show a different side of me. I can definitely do dance songs, no problem. But this is something new to challenge myself,” he told Today.
“Ballads have always been more challenging to me, even way before Singapore Idol. Dance songs come naturally to me, but not ballads. They’re even more challenging to write.
“So I’m taking a risk here, but hopefully the risk pays off and the fans understand I’m showing a different style.”
A different style is what you’ll definitely find here. The songs sound more intimate — unlike the ballads from his previous albums, which sounded more produced — and more immediate. And there are a couple of interesting collaborations with label-mate and fellow Singapore Idol champ Hady Mirza (“I can’t wait to work with him again”), Ken Lim and the legendary Malay singer and producer M Nasir.
Another reason for this, Taufik said, is because he doesn’t want to pigeonhole himself, and called this album a journey of “self-discovery”.
But while the 27-year-old said he was up for the challenge of broadening his musical horizons, Taufik said he was a little intimidated at the thought of recording Nasir, who has worked with megastars like Wings, Ella, and Ziana Zain.
“Since I was a child, I’ve been listening to him. He’s been in the industry longer than I’ve lived, so you feel, like, ‘Whoa’.
“I heard about how he’s pretty straightforward and will tell people off. When we were in the studio, he was a bit serious at first, like, ‘Ready to record? Get in the studio.’ But I think everything went well — I saw him smiling while I was in the booth, so that’s always a good sign!
“Then we started talking about everything — music, football, books ... I guess you can’t really judge a book by its cover. Or maybe it’s because I did my homework!”
And although the songs on the album are all songs about love, don’t go nosing around to find out if there is a special object of his affections because, he said, there isn’t one.
“No, not yet!” he said, laughing.“Although right now, I’m picturing Aishwarya Rai. Oh, but she’s taken, right? Er, how about Anne Hathaway? She’s pretty hot. And she’s available, right? All right, it’s time to go to America! Let’s go!”
Suria Hatiku is available in CD Rama shops now.
Back To Newspaper ArticlesCopyright © 2008 TaufikBatisah.net All Rights Reserved.