Her name needs no introduction in the Malaysian music scene.
Discovered through Bintang RTM, one of Malaysia’s oldest TV Singing competitions more than two decades ago, Samihah @ Aisah Omar or better known by her fans as Misha Omar took the opportunity to share her gift of voice at the Misha Omar Back to Basic Showcase held at the Odeum in Jiospace, Petaling Jaya last Saturday night.
The evening was kick-started by her very eloquent eight-year old son, Muhammad Idris Ezzwa who took centre stage as he gave an adorable introduction of his mother before she took the spotlight.
Fans were already cheering to the young boy as Idris animatedly expressed and described her ‘legendary mother with an angelic voice’.
Taking the cue from Idris, the elegantly dressed Misha started the evening with Cinta Adam dan Hawa, her hit single from 2008.
This beautiful debut received a rapturous applause from the audience as they sang along to the famous tune. The showcase then continued with her other popular ballad called Dedebu Cinta which set the tone for the rest of the evening.
The show was then made even more interesting as Misha performed songs by other international artistes including a new ‘disco’ arrangement of her older ballad Halaman Cinta, and a mash-up of Britney Spears’ ‘Oops I Did It Again’ and Nsync’s ‘Bye Bye Bye’.
A few weeks prior to the show, Misha also announced on social media that she was looking for a male duet partner and wanted to give the opportunity to rising new stars. And from this ‘star-search’, new-comer Hariz Fayahet topped the list and was bestowed the chance to share the stage with Misha that evening through Bruno Mars’ and Lady Gaga’s ‘Die With A Smile’.
Other local popular songs which Misha covered that night included Ernie Zakri’s Masing-Masing (which received a loud and surprising cheer from Ernie who was present among the audience), along with Nabila Razali’s Peluang Kedua, Aina Abdul’s Semalam and even Dolla’s Ku Impikan which gave Misha a chance to dance and rap at the same time!
There was also a tribute segment to popular Indonesian hits including songs like C.h.r.i.s.y.e, Badai Telah Berlalu, Sialan and Kupu-Kupu.
Fulfilling the wishes of her fans, the celebrated balladeer fulfilled her promise in presenting her other popular numbers like Pulangkan, Ku Seru, Tiada Ruang Untuk Mu, Tiada Aku Mengerti, Masihkah Ada Rasa Itu and her all-time debut hit Bunga-Bunga Cinta.
Misha even took the opportunity to come down from the stage and mingle with some of her fans who were standing in the crowd. Giving them chances to snap pictures with her, some even had the chance to sing along as she shared her microphone with a lucky few.
The evening was completed through her award-winning comeback hit from 2018, the haunting Sampai Bila before ending the night with Semoga Abadi.
The show marked her 22-year involvement as a professional singer in the regional music industry with 2000 of her loyal fans enjoying her performance and playful banter.
"I actually have something bigger planned for next year, so technically this is kind of like a teaser to give some hints. Furthermore, I wanted a festive vibe as I feel like this is more of a party to celebrate with my fans. So the scale is slightly smaller.
I hope everyone enjoyed this idea as much as I enjoyed doing it and I hope everyone will supoort me for my next big show next year,” said Misha to the members of the media after the show.
After years of being in the Malaysian music industry, the talented Misha who was once spotted and polished by Malaysia’s renowned maestro and composer, the late Adnan Abu Hassan, proved that she is a true entertainer and looks set to remain as one of Malaysia’s biggest vocalists.
Well done Misha and kudos on a show that was far from ‘basic’!