MALAYSIA will always remain a special place for Indonesian singer Marcell Siahaan.
"I'm always excited to be in Kuala Lumpur. It was here that I became popular, before I was known in Indonesia, Brunei or Singapore.
"It was here that music fans accepted me with arms wide open when I released the duet 'Hanya Memuji' with Syanty in 2002," says the 46-year-old artiste who released his self-titled debut album the following year.
He went on to win Best New Male Artiste at Anugerah Planet Muzik in 2004 and collaborated with Malaysian songbird Dayang Nurfaizah on 'Sayang' in 2010.
The song, written and composed by Omar K., was included in Dayang's seventh studio album, 'Sayang & Cahaya', which was only released in Malaysia.
In 2022, he celebrated his 20th anniversary with a series of concerts with one held at Zepp Kuala Lumpur.
But Marcell, whose full name is Marcellius Kirana Hamonangan Siahaan, says there can never be a performance here that doesn't get him excited.
"There were songs I didn't get to perform the last time I was here," says Marcell, who is due to perform here on May 4.
Together with fellow Indonesian singers, Once Mekel and Bams, Marcell will entertain fans at the Konsert Trio Terhebat Vol. 1 show at the Plenary Hall in Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
The singer is equally thrilled to be sharing the stage for the first time with Once and Bams.
"Apart from entertaining my fans, I'll have to think of their fans too, to give them my best.
"The three of us need to come up with a performance that will leave everyone satisfied.
"Although we have our own setlist, there will be songs we perform together. And especially during this segment, we need to be aware of not overshadowing one another," he says.
Marcell has remained relevant with songs that appeal to different generations with different tastes.
He says: "It's important for me to give what the audience wants, rather than sing what I want for self-satisfaction."
To keep his voice in top form, Marcell shares that he has recently completed a classical vocal training regime.
"If I'm blessed to age well, I hope to be able to sing like the legendary singer Tom Jones. I enrolled in the training just so that I could learn the singing technique which would allow me to still sing in my golden years.
"I don't set a deadline for me to quit singing. Being a singer is not like being in other professions, where you retire after you reach a certain age.
"There's no retirement for a singer, as long as you are in good health and still can perform," he says with a wide grin.
Apart from learning new singing techniques, Marcell also takes good care of his appearance and health.
"Being an entertainer, appearance does matter. And I'm lucky to be around people who also believe in that, like my wife," he says, gesturing towards his 43-year-old spouse, Rima Melati Adams, who is also a fitness coach.
