KUALA LUMPUR: Video footage of Malaysia's very own musical sweetheart, Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza's impromptu "vocal warm-up" at the Hitman David Foster & Friends show at Mega Star Arena here last night, created quite a buzz on social media today.
Last night, the singer was persuaded by Foster to perform "All By Myself", the hit song by pop icon Celine Dion in the early 1990s.
Siti, who had only performed two songs, which were "Power Of Love", composed by Foster and her new single "Sehebat Matahari" appeared to be surprised by the impromptu request.
However, being a good sport, Siti worked with Foster to look for the right key to fit her vocal range before belting out the chorus to "All By Myself".
Snippets of her performance sparked a little debate among local music fans: Did Siti's vocals fall short, or was it merely an excellent vocal warm-up, after she appeared apprehensive with Foster's last-minute request.
Moment bila David Foster reminds audience lagu tu dia yg buat sebab audience bagi SO dekat Siti Nurhaliza after performed lagu The Power of Love . Then dia terus minta Kak Iti @CTNurhaliza11 nyanyi lagu All By Myself. pic.twitter.com/vxtyLf4xC8
— مين (@miniminly) August 8, 2023
Jenny Danny Daniel, in a Facebook post, compared Siti's vocal range to that of singer Celine Dione.
"Just not quite high enough, if compared to Celine Dion's range fuhhh.."
But Siti's ardent fans sang praises for the local songstress. Tiktok user Eja Hamzah and Twitter user @Zhasri2 both backed Siti on separate social media platforms, saying that the popular artiste had tried her level best to perform the song that required a broad vocal range and she made her Malaysian fans proud.
"I still have goosebumps listening to every bit of Siti's vocals that night.
"This is Siti Nurhaliza (that we're talking about). She's a national songstress. But of course there will always be unnecessary comments (pitting her with other singers). Every fan of any singer would do the same thing," read one of the comments.
Tiktok user khair_abdullah315 said Siti's great showmanship was worth praising.
"She knows her vocal strength and weakness, and she is not afraid to admit it. That is the real definition of courage".
All in all, fans were in agreement that Siti performed admirably well.
The two-hour Hitman David Foster & Friends showcase featuring Foster and six other singers including "Never Enough" original singer Loren Allred and Siti, was witnessed by a 3,000-strong audience.
