KUALA LUMPUR: Veteran crooner Datuk Jamal Abdillah, 62, is the only "golden oldie" amongst the finalists of Anugerah Juara Lagu 35 (AJL35) set for next year.
He will be performing Belenggu Rindu, a duet with popular singer Wany Hasrita.
Honoured to be the "sole senior citizen" amongst the annual music awards show's 12 finalists, Jamal described his entry into AJL35 as a "pleasant surprise".
Jamal said that it would be his fourth AJL, after AJL1 in 1986, AJL7 (1992) and AJL12 (1997).
"Actually, I didn't get to perform the two songs which qualified for AJL1 namely Perjalananku and Cinta Yang Terbiar. Azman Abu Hassan sang Perjalananku and Rohana Jalil sang Cinta Yang Terbiar," said Jamal in a news report yesterday.
However, he did perform his next two songs in AJL, Kekasih Awal Dan Akhir in AJL7 and Ghazal Untuk Rabiah, a duet with Datuk M. Nasir in AJL12.
Jamal added that his formula to stay relevant in the music scene was to "keep working with the artistes of the day".
"I'm thankful to composers and lyricists Hael Husaini and Ezra Kong for giving me the opportunity to sing in AJL35," he said.
Describing Wany as a promising singer who happened to hail from Hilir Perak, his home district, Jamal said: "It's great to sing with a talented 'rakan kampung' who has a strong following. We work as a team and we learn from each other."
Besides performing with Wany, Jamal is down to perform Neraca, a duet with hip-hop and pop singers Kmy Kmo and Luca Sickta.
"We're currently filming the music video for Neraca. The three of us are going to record four songs, hopefully I'll include them in an album."
Jamal, who has also recorded a new single Yang Memiliki composed by Raja Sham, said that the birth of his two youngest children Zack on Nov 11 and Azura on Oct 10 last year had "energised" him to continue giving his best.
"My children are my motivation. Whatever I do is for them. I work hard, eat right and exercise regularly in order to be energetic on stage."
