Hi Guys! It's been quite a while since I last posted something on my blog but as promised I've finally gotten around to uploading my writing that was published on Nasyid Cafe some time ago. So, enjoy!
Nasyid Café struck me like a
revelation. It was like meeting an old flame, rekindling the magical moments of
love, interest and passion… I was in love again! Truth be told, I’ve left the
nasyeed world for a good number of years now. Save to say, the moment I walked
out of UIA was the moment I said farewell to nasyeed. So, when Mr. Benign
invited me to write in his blog I seriously wondered why. What can I possibly
say about nasyeed that is still of relevance? But being the ‘what the heck!’
guy that I am… Well, here I am… Taa daa!
Time has not been to kind to most
of us. Me, for instance. I left
university weighing 80 but now I’m on the second tier of obesity. Benign, just
to quote another example started matriculation as a feather weight spotting a serban and wore destist-ish white shirt
to class. He’s now a fat ass spotting bagging pants. The point is, time changes
things or rather things change with time. This is just how things are and its
logic. It applies throughout… Or so I thought.
Change is good. Me being fat is
good, it gives my wife a greater sense of security albeit a false one, and imagine
28 year old single Benign being slim (as he was ten years ago), but wearing a
jacket, creased pants and driving a black Vios with rims covers, people would think
he’s gay! But because he’s fat, he’s a guy!
Going back to nasyeed, after a
month or so of catching up with the latest nasyeeds and nasyeed bands, I now
form the opinion that nasyeed is impervious to time and change. This law of
nature and logic does not apply to nasyeed. You see, at the point I left
nasyeed five years ago, ‘nasyeed jiwang’
as they called it and ‘women worshipping’ clad in ballad was the “in” thing.
So, whilst listening to the new tunes a few weeks ago and all the while having
the law of time and change at the back of my mind I was utterly shocked. Had I
been more shocked I would had probably died of heart attack! – My God! nasyeed jiwang and women worshipping is
still the craze! And after five years?!! Unwilling to draw a premature conclusion
I scoured the internet and… Yes to my dismay, it is still the ‘in’ thing.
Just to proof my point, the last
time I checked, Sheila on 7 a band well known for their lovey-dovey lullabies
like ‘Sephia’ is out and bands
singing religiously aligned messages like Wali Band are in. ‘Tangkap leleh’ songs by tangkap leleh bands are out and replaced
by more aggressive indie bands and musicians. This is change and it is good.
Look, change is necessary. Change
sparks creativity. Creativity is a sign of a healthy mind. So, if change
equates to healthy mind, than the guys in the indie bands are Einstens and the Nasyeedians
are bloody retards!
Where’s the creativity in
nasyeed? Why are the nasyeeds in Malaysia confined to the four walls
of jiwang and women worshipping clad
in ballad? For God’s sake, Why?
After giving it a lot of thought
over the pass few days, I’ve managed to reason it out. It is because of the
fans. Yup the fans. The economic rule
of supply and demand applies just as well to nasyeed as it does to say Nasi Lemak. When a Makcik on a stretch of road got filthy rich by selling Nasi Lemak, all the other Makcik within the area suddenly decided
to hop on the Nasi Lemak bus and
start selling Nasi Lemak within the
next month. The same logic applies in nasyeed, Nasyeedians give the listeners
or fans what they want. Under any other circumstance this would not be a bad
thing at all. But in the case of nasyeed, it is a bad… very bad thing. Because the problem is that the same people listening
to nasyeeds and practically make up the market are mostly the same people
reading Ahadiyat Akashah and ‘Islamic’
romance novels. They love to cry, they are jiwang,
they live in lala land and fantasize
a lot. The muslimahs love to
embellish their jiwang infested minds
with depiction of men being of pan-Asian look, tall, six pack, wearing a shirt
with jeans yada yada yada. Dear nasyeed
fans, please be honest and tell me that I am right.
But here’s the thing, consumers
don’t always know what they want. Had some of the Makcik sold Nasi Kerabu
or Nasi Dagang instead of Nasi Lemak, they might have made it bigger!
Why..? Because they made a change and nobody is going to eat Nasi Lemak everyday. People need change
in appetite! The same logic applies to Nasyeedians, try and spoon out something
different and you might just get more mouths than you can feed.
Please allow me to give a word of
caution to nasyeed fans who are dwelling themselves in nasyeed jiwang at this very moment, who I know are mostly in their late
teens or early 20s’. You might love nasyeed jiwang
songs like say Sulaman Cinta now
because they remind you of a certain special someone or it simply tickles your
love glen making you feel all fuzzy and bubbly inside, but things don’t always
work out as you plan them to be. That special someone might just decide to dump
you citing excuses like dreams and family! And because of that, five years from
now you’d probably scorn upon the slightest beat of the damn song. You’d even
rip out your hair from your scalp.
That said, the next time you
attend a gig and a Nasyeedian happens to sing a nasyeed jiwang, please advice them to sing a Nasyeed of a different kind
and if that doesn’t work whack them with a broom stick. Hard! You’d might as
well do it now rather than later regretting you didn’t. Hate these guys,
boycott their show, and shout ‘boo’ even. Do whatever you have to do to express
despise and utter hate.
Trust me folks I know what I’m
talking about. I used to drool at Bisikan
Nurani and absolutely loved it! - But now the moment I hear it, I wished I
had a gun so I can yank it in my mouth, pull the trigger and blow my brains to
smithereens.
Kejernihan wajahmu, sempurna pada
pandanganku
Kau kirana… Bisikan
nuraniku, engkaulah pilihanku.
Akan ku pertahankan
amanah suci ini…
Oohh the rubbish. God have mercy!
