KUALA LUMPUR: They first burst onto the music scene in the 90s and despite only having two full albums to its name, Innuendo went on to attain the status of "industry royalty", especially as they were among those who pioneered the R&B genre here.
Talks of a reunion concert have been floating around for years but it remained as rumours for the longest time.
However, all rumours and speculations have finally come to an end today as the group officially announces its return for a full, live concert at Istana Budaya on April 10.
Aptly called “Innuendo The Return", the concert is organised by Shiraz Projects.
While Innuendo started out as a four-man team, they have seen several variations throughout their stint as performers, and this time is no different.
The four of them: Saiful Amir Abdul Wahab or Pot, Shamshul Azhar Nazeer or Sam, Ahmad Tajuddin Mohamed Tahir or Taj and Reymee Mohamed Hussein or Reymee released Innuendo in 1997 and went on to bag various awards at the 1998 Anugerah Industri Muzik (AIM98) including Best Song for Selamanya; composed by Azlan Abu Hassan and lyrics by Cahaya Pena and Rizal Kamaruzzaman.
For their second album Brandnuendo in 2002, it was just Pot, Taj and Reymee with Sam having bowed out.
This time around, it will still be three, with Reymee out of the picture.
Speaking at a press conference to announce the concert today, Shiraz Projects' executive producer Shirazdeen Karim said various efforts had been made to coax Reymee to return but they were futile.
However, the three sans Reymee still sounded great as they brought Press members down memory lane with a live performance of Selamanya.
Prior to singing the song, Pot made a special mention of Selamanya's co-lyricist Cahaya Pena who was also present at the press conference.
The harmony between Pot, Sam and Taj does not stray far from how they sounded back then, in fact their vocals sound tighter, thanks to the years of experience under their belt.
The concert will be directed by legendary musician and jazz pianist Michael Veerapen who previously worked on musicals such as Supermokh and Lat the Kampung Boy.
Also to be introduced to die-hard fans at the concert is a remake of Man Bai's Kau Ilhamku, produced and arranged by Daniel Veerapan.
"We've been away for quite sometime. The last time we were together was in 2005. Our approach now is to relearn. This is new for us, just the three of us without Reymee," Pot said.
Sam meanwhile mentioned that they would be performing about 26 numbers including cover versions. All these songs will be performed live with an 11-piece band.
"We're going to sing many songs. We want to bring back that R&B feel because not all of our songs are played on the radio.
"We will do our best to give our audience a great show," he promised.
For Taj, he said that this would mark a new beginning for Innuendo.
"Everytime we do something we have to relearn.
"May we all be in harmony," Taj remarked.
Michael said he had always been a fan of Innuendo.
"When they first came out, I was amazed at their vocals, music and arrangements. They sounded like they came from the West. I am truly honoured and privileged to be working with such talents,” he said.
Tickets are available at www.myticket.asia. They are priced at RM695 (Meet and Greet, which includes a limited edition t-shirt), RM355 (Diamond), RM255 (Platinum) and RM125 (Gold).
