Remembering Seha

Obviously she's not a Sabahan and supposedly not featured in this blog. But perhaps we can learn many things from this lady (who happened to be one of my favourite personalities) as far as pushing the industry forward is concerned. I remember meeting her once while I was in Kenny Music Studio in KL few years back. It was a spontaneous and brief moment, I just shook hand with her....said hi...bla..bla..bla...then I (very shy) pretend to be busy and went hiding *lol*... (she was there to see the big guys Paul Moss and Ahmad Izham Omar)

Among the first to push music industry forward -

by By TERRINA HUSSEIN -

MUSIC listeners may remember her for the hit Mulanya Di Sini with her bandFreedom but fellow artistes and music activists’ have fond memories of Seha’s instrumental role in pushing the local industry forward. Karyawan president Freddie Fernandez said Seha was the reason the Anugerah Industri Muzik (AIM) began. “Seha pushed me to do it,” he said.“She put it down on paper and we presented it to RIM. Seha was the one who made AIM happen.” He added that Seha will also be remembered as an initiator who helped start shows like Muzik TV, which she hosted and produced.

“She was always jovial and took everything in her stride, and I’ll remember her as an intelligent woman full of ideas,” he said.

“She had a lot more years left, a lot more to give,” he said. “Her passing was a shock and is a big loss to all of us.” Persatuan Akademi Industry Muzik Malaysia general manager Jennifer Thompson said: “She always fought for the local music scene and constantly suggested ways how we could improve.” Thomson said Seha was among the first few who worked on projects to help discover new talent. “I remember she opened the club Matahari in Damansara Heights with her brother, to give new talent a platform,” she said. “Everyone from Awie, Anuar Zain and Hattan performed there.” Thompson added that Seha’s love for the local music industry extended beyond the pop and R&B genre. “She was a big supporter of the underground rock scene and was instrumental in discovering Malaysian talent and providing a platform for them to showcase their skills,” she said. Thompson’s earliest recollections of Seha were as a fan back before Freedom hit the big time. “My relationship with Seha began first as a fan back when she was singing at a club in Ampang, then when Freedom started getting popular, and they were performing at bigger clubs like Pyramid,” she said. However, Thompson revealed that Seha was a private person.

“I remember she left the industry for a while when her health deteriorated and she was going through her divorce. She came to terms with a lot then, but she kept it all to herself. “I’ll remember her most for her happy laugh, her smile and her husky voice,” she said. “I feel that the biggest lesson we can learn from her life is her passion for the music industry.” Thompson added that it is difficult to find people who don’t put their own self-interest fi rst. “But she showed that in order for you to survive in the music industry, you had to look at the industry as a whole fi rst,” Thompson said. “She did that.” For One In A Million judge Paul Moss, Seha will be remembered as the country’s unoffi cial ambassador.

“My abiding memory will be how she helped me, opening her house to let me stay during my early visits to Malaysia. “That was my earliest experience of true Malaysian friendliness,” he said. – MM says: We’ll miss you, Seha