WITH a music career that spans four solid decades, Datuk Zainalabidin's creative output has always been about societal issues.
From the environment to living peacefully and promoting national unity, his songs have remained relevant.
No stranger to raising funds for underprivileged children's homes through his concerts, the Johor Baru-born artiste continues to strive to make a difference for the less fortunate youth of the country.
Having achieved so much success through music, Zainal now wants to share his experience and expertise with the younger generation of upcoming musicians.
The 64-year-old evergreen entertainer will be sharing what he has learnt in an edutainment concert, 'Sound Spirit Zainalabidin: The Legacy of Sound' (Sound Spirit).
Set to take place on Jan 20 at Pentas 1 at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC), the special event promises an evening of inspiration, captivating stories and soulful music.
Zainal said he would pay for more than 500 tickets that would be given to deserving students.
"The idea for this event comes from me. I feel that this is one way for me to give back to my fans who have supported me and kept my career going this far.
"It's just a way for me to give back."
Zainal said there were many gifted and talented students who came from low-income families and he wanted to lessen their load by sponsoring their tickets.
"The four key elements in this concert are passion, learning, sharing and education. This is our main focus.
"I notice that many of these talented individuals are from the B40 community and not all of them can afford to buy the tickets to this concert.
"For example, there are universities that require their students to attend six concerts and write a report that will contribute to their grades.
"Concert tickets are expensive for students. So I'm happy to help them out somewhat.
"I'm not asking them to pay anything at all. I just want them to come and learn," he said.
Supported by MyCreative Ventures, the show will feature Zainal as the primary speaker, sharing his wealth of experience alongside distinguished music experts, including Michael Veerapen, Sunil Kumar and Steve Thornton.
The line-up will include performances by Pija Yasin, winner of TV3's reality programme 'Mentor', and One Juicy, one of Asia's best B-Boy dancers.
'Sound Spirit' has also partnered with five local universities, namely Universiti Teknologi Mara, Universiti Malaya, UCSI University, Aswara and Limkokwing University.
Zainal said the 120-minute concert would feature performances, as well as sharing sessions and discussions that would benefit students and music fans curious to get a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to be in the music industry.
"There'll be performances of about eight to nine songs. In between them, we'll be talking about things related to music, performance and the industry. Think of it as a sort of a Ted Talk," he said.
The 'Hijau' and 'Ikhlas Tapi Jauh' hitmaker added that he was keen to continue this project at other locations around the country if the first edition is well received.
"This is just a start. If there is a positive impact with this project, I will organise more for a tour across the nation.
"We could organise concerts like this at other universities that have music, creative arts and communications and media faculties," he said.
