BY NEVILLE TIMOTHY SANDERS and ABDIGAIL MERTA
KUCHING: Safar Ghaffar, Sarawak’s very own singer-actor, has been working in the creative and entertainment industry for almost five decades.
He began his career as a dancer in the late 1970s, then participated in Bintang RTM back in 1983, where he emerged runner-up.
Since then, he has released some of the most well-known songs including “Mun Masih Mudak” and “Ros Kalas” which he is still performing to this day due to demand from listeners.
He has also starred in various movies and television shows including the recent film titled “Janet: Sumpah Terlarang”, released in 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic hampered several of his projects but did not stop him from pursuing other interests.
Now, he is on his way to make one of the biggest musical comebacks of his with his two new songs titled “Joget Jaga Sarawak Pesan Tok Nan” and “Memories”.
New Sarawak Tribune had a chance to gather his thoughts on the inspiration behind his new songs, his thoughts on the current music industry, his hope for the new songs and his message to his fans.
Inspiration on the new song
Safar revealed the inspiration behind “Joget Jaga Sarawak Pesan Tok Nan” was one of the messages delivered by the late chief minister Pehin Sri Adenan Satem before he passed away.
“He asked us to take care of Sarawak, its people, culture, heritage and nature before he died.
“From there, I was inspired by his message and decided to write the song dedicated to my fellow Sarawakians,” he said.
On “Memories” he explained the idea behind had to do with those who celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri far away from home.
“I can assure you, the lyrics are very sad, the people going to listen to the new song will be sad.
“It is about people celebrating Hari Raya without their families, friends and loved ones,” he added.
The song, according to him is also about the struggles of most parents, as they work hard for the children to give them the best.
“Now that we are grown up, and have our own children, I figure, this is how my parents must have felt all this time,” he added.
A challenging process
Safar said the process of creating the song is challenging.
“Especially when we write and produce a song about someone influential, of course we have to ask the people on their opinion, whether the song and the lyrics are appropriate or not.
“Obviously, the most challenging part of the process is the budget and the production cost in making these songs.
“I have to think about the studio, the hours, the cost for the background vocals, I have to think about all of that,” he said.
At times, he has had to ask for sponsorship from people in the industry as well.
“But I can only do it once or twice, as I do not want to trouble people too much,” he added.
Thoughts on the current music industry
Compared to his time in 1980s, he felt the music industry is getting more progressive.
“Unlike back in the day where there were some things we had to learn on our own, people can learn music from anywhere, and that is a good thing to be honest,” he stated.
He also explained that every music genre should be explored further, especially Sarawak music.
“We have the gendang, and our gendang should be further emphasised and it was part of entertainment back in the day.
“If we introduce our gendang to the world, for sure we would get the recognition from it,” he added.
He also urged every musician to continue exposing themselves to different music genres.
“That same goes to the singers, if you know the genre, explore it. Never stop learning,” he said.
Hope for the new songs
Safar hopes his new songs would be well received by the listeners, and that they would trigger memories in them.
“If we make a song, let it be about our home which is Sarawak.
“Of course we have to follow certain music trends, but it must also be about our experience, history and our heritage,” he said.
Message to his fans
Not only does he hope his fans would love his new song, Safar also reminded the people out there to do the things they love wholeheartedly.
“Work hard for it, and the result will be there, and for those who want to sing, do not only do it for yourself, but do it for your audience.
“Meaning to say, if you get your intention right, the process and preparation would be easy.
“People who listen to it, would fall in love with our singing, and we will feel satisfied,” he said.
