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M. Nasir

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In this Malay name, there is no surname or family name. The name Mohamed is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by their given name, Mohamad Nasir. The word "bin" or "binti"/"binte" means 'son of' or 'daughter of', respectively.
Yang Hormat Dato'
M. Nasir
DIMP AMN
Nasir performing during the 2008 Anugerah Juara Lagu
Born
Mohamad Nasir bin Mohamed Sam

(1957-07-04) 4 July 1957 (age 67)
Bukit Panjang, Singapore, British Empire
NationalitySingaporean
Malaysian (naturalised)
Other namesMohamad M.N. (briefly in 1979)[1]
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, composer, writer producer, actor, film director
Years active1979–present
Spouses
Junainah Johari
​
​
(m. 1980; died 1998)​
Datin Marlia Musa
​
(m. 2000)​
Children6
Musical career
Genres
  • Nusantara
  • R&B
  • etnik kreatif
  • Irama Malaysia
  • pop tradisional
  • Heavy Metal
InstrumentVocals
LabelsLuncai Emas
Websiteluncaiemas.com.my

Dato' Mohamad Nasir bin Mohamed Sam (born 4 July 1957)[2] is a Malaysian poet, singer-songwriter, composer, producer, actor and film director also known as a Sifu in the Malaysian music industry.

Early life

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M. Nasir was born on July 4, 1957, in Bukit Panjang, Singapore. He is the fourth of nine siblings. His father, Mohamed Sam, came from Pagoh, Muar in Johor and emigrated to Singapore as he was employed as a firefighter with the Singapore Civil Defence Force, whilst his mother is a Singaporean Malay.

After Singapore was expelled from the Malaysian Federation in 1965, his family obtained Singaporean citizenship and began his early education at both Bukit Panjang Primary School as well as the Bukit Panjang Government High School until finishing his GCE O-Level exams. After studying at the Boys Town Vocational Institute,[3] he attended the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and graduated with a diploma in Western painting in 1978.[4]

Career

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Nasir performing at the Konsert Alam Muzik M. Nasir at Istana Budaya in 2009.

M. Nasir had been deeply exposed to music not only through listening to the radio but also through his elder brother who had brought him purchased records of bands such as Bob Dylan, Queen, Al Stewart and Led Zeppelin while they were growing up in Singapore in the 1960s and 1970s.[5]

He was roped into music making in 1978 when a friend of his Wan Ibrahim, then executive producer of PolyGram Singapore, invited him to write song lyrics for the band Alleycats, who were rising in popularity at that time.[4]

Nasir decided to venture into singing, releasing his debut album Untuk Pencinta Seni under the name of Mohamad M.N. in 1979, which ended up being a flop. He moved on to form the folk rock act Kembara in 1981 with A. Ali, S. Sahlan and siblings Abby and Eddie Ali. The Ali siblings however left the group in its infancy due to disagreements on picking the band's genre.[1]

Kembara released their own self-titled debut album, which became a commercial success with 25,000 copies sold.[4] The band went on to release six albums and before disbanding in late 1985.[1][6]

After Kembara disbanded, Nasir went solo again. In 1989, he released his second solo album, S.O.L.O under PMC/BMG.[6] This was his first solo album in 10 years since Untuk Pencinta Seni (1979) and the first to be registered under his present name. He went on record five more solo albums – namely Saudagar Mimpi (1992), Canggung Mendonan (1993), Srikandi Cintaku (1999), Phoenix Bangkit (2000) and Sang Pencinta (2006), all of which became commercial successes. Though Nasir announced that he will release an 8th studio album, it did not materialise.

He also dabbles in the art of painting, particularly abstract art. He has conducted several exhibitions on his canvas works; the first being Tanda in 2014 and Tanda II in 2015, both in Shah Alam.[7]

Personal life

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Nasir moved with his family to Malaysia in 1982, where he became a naturalised citizen in 1990.[4]

He married Junainah Johari (born 1962), who was the lead singer of Ideal Sisters, Singapore's earliest girl group on September 12, 1980. Their relationship – from which they have five children namely Ilham, Yasin, Hidayat, Syafi'i and Nurnilam Sari – lasted until Junainah's death on 8 August 1998[8] due to asthma. Nasir's second marriage not long after in 2000 was with actress Marlia Musa (born 1969), a native of Johor Bahru, and they both have a daughter named Suci Musalmah.[9][10][11]

His children are also involved in music making: Ilham, Yasin and Hidayat make up the band Pitahati while Syafi'i is a member of the psychedelic rock band Ramayan.[5]

His father, Mohamed Sam (born 1925), died on 28 January 2021 due to natural causes at the age of 96. Nasir was unable to return to Singapore to attend his father's funeral due to COVID-19 restrictions.[12][13][14] This was followed by his mother, Aesah Yahya (born 1933) who died on 26 March 2023 at the age of 90, also due to natural causes and old age.[15]

Partial discography

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With Kembara

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Solo albums

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Duet album(s)

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Compilation albums

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  • Best Of Kembara (2001)
  • Best of M. Nasir Dengan Kembara (2001)

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1986 Kembara Seniman Jalanan Bujang Also as writer and composer
Balik Kampung Album Producer
1990 Fenomena Azlan
1992 Selubung Kamal
1993 Balada Desa
1994 Simfoni Duniaku Iskandar
1996 Merah Hassan Also as director and co-writer
1999 Perempuan Melayu Terakhir Stage Actor
2001 Putih Prince Aftus Voice only
2004 Puteri Gunung Ledang Hang Tuah
2010 Magika Naga Tasik Chini (the Chini Lake Dragon)
2014 Yasmine Datuk Raja Nan Hitam Brunei movie
2017 Tombiruo: Penunggu Rimba Tan Sri Berham
2022 Rajawali Komang
2023 Imam Haji Mihad

Television

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Year Title Role TV channel Notes
2005 Akademi Fantasia (season 3) Himself (Principal) Astro Ria Reality TV show
2017–2021 Omar & Hana Atuk Astro Ceria
2020 Sepahtu Reunion Live Cameo Astro Warna Episode: "Cinta Si Tukang Kasut"

Television series

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Year Title Role TV channel
2000 Salam Taj Mahal Master Ji TV3
2018 Dosa: Sacred Sin Latif Astro First Exclusive
2023 Special Force: Anarchy Umar Disney+ Hotstar

Awards and achievements

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Year Award Category Nominee(s) and recipient(s) Results
1984 Malaysia Film Festival Best Song "Sandarkan Kepada Kenangan" – from the movie Azura Won[16]
1990 Malaysia Film Festival Best Song Istana Menanti
Best Original Film Score Fenomena
1994 Anugerah Juara Lagu Best Irama Malaysia Song "Bonda" Won
Best Pop Rock Song "Tanya Sama Itu Hudhud" Won
Best Performance Won
Overall Best Song of the Year Won
Malaysian Video Awards Silver Award "Mentera Semerah Padi" Won
1995 Anugerah Bintang Popular Most Popular Artiste Won
1997 Anugerah Skrin TV3 Best Film Merah Won[17]
2001 Anugerah Planet Muzik Popular Male Artiste Won
Best Male Artiste Won
Best Album Phoenix Bangkit Won
Anugerah Bintang Popular Most Popular Male Singer Won
Anugerah Industri Muzik Best Male Vocal Performance Srikandi Cintaku
Best Rock Album Producer AKU – by Amy Search
2002 Anugerah Indusri Muzik WIRAMA Award – honorary award for great contributions towards the Malaysian music Industry Won
2012 Angerah Juara Lagu Best Song Awan Nano – performed by Hafiz Won

Other honours

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Adly Syairi Ramly; Sheryl Stothard (November 2001). PHOENIX BANGKIT: BACK TO ROOTS?. TONE. pp. 46–49. Archived from the original on 7 August 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017 – via Prahara Seni.
  2. ^ "M.Nasir". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  3. ^ a b "M. Nasir terima ijazah kehormat doktor falsafah dari UUM" (in Malay). Astro Awani. 8 November 2014. Archived from the original on 23 April 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d Lim, Paige (4 June 2015). "M. Nasir: Traditional music meets Western sounds". Life!. The Straits Times. p. C17. Archived from the original on 1 February 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
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