Zainal Abidin pays tribute to late S.M Salim in 'Musical Journey of Zainal Abidin'

'The Musical Journey of Zainal Abidin: 35th Anniversary Concert' which will also feature band, Headwind, whom the singer joined in 1977 before becoming a solo artiste in 1990, will be held at the Plenary Hall, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

"I'll probably cry when singing that night," he told Bernama yesterday of the concert, which also tells the journey of his artistic career.

The concert would also recall sweet memories with his idol, the late Tan Sri SM Salim in a special tribute segment, he said.

"It's definitely going to be a very emotional moment because SM Salim was not only my mentor in my music career, but our relationship was very close, like a father and son," he said.

"When he passed away, I was overwhelmed with grief and did not have the courage to meet the media, so during the show this Feb 25 I will speak about how I felt after his demise," he said.

Zainal, 57, said he would sing the song "Kau Di Hatiku" in the segment, which was SM Salim's favourite.

"The song which will be sung in an acoustic version, will be accompanied by a video showing my memories with him, and the moment will most certainly tug at my heart," said the Johor-born singer.

Zainal said the concert would also witness the reunion of the Headwind band, with him as the vocalist, Zulkif (guitar), Nicky Ooi (bass), Kudin (keyboard) and Razak (drums).

The group will kick off the concert by singing several of their popular songs for 40 minutes, including "Segalanya Mungkin", "Hanya Di Radio", "Suraya", "Pelangi" and "Kita Serupa".

Zainal said the concert would also allow fans insight into another rare side of him.

Famous for his serious look on television, Zainal said many people did not know he was a man who liked to joke.

"This humorous side to me will be highlighted through the 'Stand Up Comedy' segment in the opening 20 minutes of the concert, and I believe even Harith Iskander will be amazed with my ability to entertain the audience," he joked.

Zainal said he would also do a solo performance, singing 17 of his hits including "Hijau", "Manis", "Orak Arek", "Puteri", "Bongkar", "Debu Liar" and "Damai", accompanied by 18 local musicians.

"The preparation for the concert is running smoothly and is about 75 per cent complete. The practice session with Headwind will begin Wednesday and it will be for four days, and the rest of the time I will be training solo," he said.

Zainal has produced 17 albums in his career including six with Headwind, and four solo albums, as well as several singles.