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15 March 2006
He wants to make it big in M'sia
The New Paper
By Sheela Narayanan
Anugerah finalist turns down Suria contract
HE is the shy and sensitive one in the Anugerah foursome.
HE is the shy and sensitive one in the Anugerah foursome.
But he may just turn out to be bravest.
Khairil Yusoff, one of the 2005 Anugerah finalists, is trying his luck across the Causeway.
While his Anugerah friends, Khairul Anuar, Syed Azmir and Fauzie Laily have signed up to be full-time Suria artistes, the 23-year-old singer has turned the offer down.
Instead, he signed up with a Malaysian artiste management company, The EZYS Group.
Khairil has been first off the starting block so far, having put out a single and an album on the horizon.
His single, Nadia, has been on Ria's top 10 charts for over eight weeks.
Khairil told The New Paper in a telephone interview that the offer to record an album came during the Anugerah semi-finals.
'Then, after the finals, I was told about the Suria contract.
'It was not easy for me to reject the contract because I thought that I would be left out (of Suria's promotions),' said Khairil.
As it turned out, he had nothing to worry about.
Khairil and the other three Anugerah finalists are in two Suria-driven vehicles: Television drama Teman Anugerahku (My Friend, My Gift) and the Anugerah karaoke VCD that has been doing brisk sales.
The VCD distributor, Life Records, told The New Paper that the VCD has sold over 7,000 copies.
Khairil explained that while he is grateful for the exposure by Suria, he has his eye on a much larger music market.
HETTY SARLENE WANNABE
'The Malaysian market is much bigger and I want to go the way of Hetty Sarlene.
'When I got the Suria offer, I talked to my parents and some people in the industry, and they encouraged me to go to Malaysia,' said Khairil.
Singapore-born singer-actress Hetty Sarlene moved to Kuala Lumpur in 2000 after her singing career did not take off here.
She has become a household name in Malaysia.
Khairil is aware he is not going to have it easy over in Kuala Lumpur. Being an overnight sensation here may mean nothing to Malaysian listeners.
'Here, I have fans. They scream my name and come to most of my shows. I know I have a lot of support here,' he said.
Khairil has so much support that at the recent Pesta Pesta Pesta awards show, his fans were singing his hit, Nadia, line by line along with him.
'When I heard it, I was like, 'Oh my God'. I didn't expect the song to get this big.'
UNKNOWN IN MALAYSIA
He added with a laugh: 'At some of the shows I have done in Malaysia, I am sure they were wondering, 'Who is this boy?''
Nadia is just starting to get radio airplay in Malaysia.
And Khairil's as-yet-untitled album is due to be released in June. It was supposed to be out in next month, but was delayed due to his Suria commitments.
Right now, he is busy finishing the last episode of Teman Anugerahku and preparing for the Anugerah concert next month.
With Khairil's burgeoning success, we asked the other Anugerah boys if they were feeling the heat.
Syed Azmir told The New Paper at a recent press conference that he and the others felt no pressure to rush out their own albums immediately.
'We are not feeling any pressure at the moment. We will definitely be working on our own albums eventually,' he said.
The Anugerah boys also insist there is no rivalry among them.
Khairil said: 'These guys are like my brothers. They love my single and they give me support.'
In June, he expects to set up base in KL and will start promotions for his album.
He said: 'It's going to be a challenge. I have no friends or fans over there. I am starting from scratch.'I have to put in a lot of hard work, but I believe that I can do it.'
