Anita Sarawak

Editor's Note:
This is an edited transcript of the interview.

Known as Singapore's diva supreme of the 1970s, Anita Sarawak won the hearts of many with her famous husky voice. The talented singer has put Singapore on the international music map: she now performs at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, where she migrated 14 years ago. Sporting a platinimum-blonde hair-do, Anita shares her views on the music industry and speaks candidly about her life as an entertainer and dsughter of Singapore's former veteran screen vamp, Siput Sarawak.

In Conversation goes to Las Vegas to meet up with the Singapore Pop Queen.

Anita Sarawak welcome to In Conversation.

Thank you very much. It's a pleasure.

Well, what's a good woman like you doing in the gambling capital of the world - Las Vegas?

Well, this is a perfect place for me actually. I came in here in 1985 and it took me 10 years actually to prepare myself to move lock, stock and barrel from Singapore, direct from Singapore. It's perfect - it's an entertainer's playground here. And I always wanted to come here and I'm very curious. First time when I came - in those days was that was not very many hotels as you can see now. It's unbelievable - we have the whole world here. You can go to Egypt, Paris, and Venice. I didn't like it at first when I came here because I don't gamble and than eventually when I get to know people, I have a nice home and group of nice friends you know - it's a wonderful place to live.

What brought you here to the US?

Well, my career basically. And I've always - as you know I would like to consider myself as an entertainer instead of just being a singer.

Didn't you get to do that back in Singapore?

Oh yes, yes. In fact I'm known as an entertainer. When people come and see me, they know that they're going to be entertained. They're going to laugh. They're going to have a great time, audience participation and all the funs. It's not just standing there and do my hits song. But I do varieties of different - you know people from different ages will be able to come and enjoy my show. So there's no barrier.

So how did you decide that you're going to the US? What brought about that decision?

Well, let's put it this way. I've made it there and I wanted to wind up my career. So - and I was thinking, that would be a good place because being an entertainer, Las Vegas would be an ideal place for me to put my foot in the door. It's open up a lot of doors for me and I've been very, very fortunate. I've been working for Caesar Palace for 14 years now.

You're the Queen of Caesar's Palace, singing at Cleopatra's Barge?

Oh my goodness. I won't say that. Not only at Cleopatra's Barge. I do a lot private parties for the big events, big high rollers. They have a lot of tournaments here, they have a lot of conventions.

Is this what you're looking for when you left Singapore and came to the US? So you're very much happy with what you're doing here?

Yes, very happy because I've done recording and I've been there, done that. So I just want to relax and enjoy myself, enjoy my music, be able to - I've the best of both worlds over here. I can be myself at the same time keep my job. I've a great band - I have a seven-piece band and they've been with me for so many years. And Caesar's Palace has been very good to me ...

But do you get as much adulation here as you used to get in Singapore?

Absolutely.

You do?

Throughout the years - I've been here for 14 years - I've a lot of followers and it's so much fun.

So it's not just tourists who come to Caesar's Palace who know you but you're well known here? How well known are you in the US?

Well, to the local - people that come here every summer. We have different people like the wintertime - more the gamblers. And summer time, a lot of family and they will always come and visit me.

Is your audience the sort of same - between you know back home in Singapore and here - but they must be different surely? The way they look at you, the way they interact with you?

No, not any different. They accepted me. You know, I'm very down to earth and I'm very you know - like I said, I make everybody feel comfortable. The people all over the world love to be entertained. Once you can do this, you automatically break the barrier. There's always the communication there. There's no gap.

Is it music that speaks that language, universally?

The music, the body language - everything. Everything has to be a package deal. And I basically, you know, just be myself.

Do you ever think of Singapore here?

You mean missing Singapore?

Do you miss Singapore?

Oh, very much of course.

How?

Well, my family, my friends and my people.

How often do you get to meet them?

Well, I was just there last April. I try to go back to Singapore and Malaysia every year. So as you know - two years ago we had a great concert there.

A great concert.

That's right.

The DIVA Concert.

Yes - no, that was not two years ago - that was just a couple of months ago.

That was a couple of months ago - that's right. This year was the Diva concert. Couple of years you were there for the Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation.

Yeah, that's right.

So, you've been back and forth between Singapore and here. What about the food?

My goodness! Well I'm a good cook.

I believe so! I believe that you cook for the whole army?

Well, yes. I don't know how to cook just for two or four people. If there are six people to come for dinner, I'll be cooking for 12.

So what kind of food do you rustle up? Is it food like back home?

Everything. I cook from French cuisine, to Italian to American, it's so easy.

And what's your favourite?

Hot spicy curry and sambal and all that.

That's what you enjoy the most? Do you get all the ingredients for that here?

Oh yes. We've a wonderful Chinatown here. And we all have the ingredients - the belacan, the spices and stuff. And we also have some Indian spices place here. So it's incredible. We could get everything.

So what's all the shifting and your career plans done to your music? What has it done to you personally? In what way do you think you've evolved as an artist?

Well I meet a lot of people. And I've done some of my recordings here. I have yet to see - well, I'm putting it in the drawer right now. So we just sit back and watch the market. Right now there has been a few offers but we have to be very careful.

You mean you've already prepared something or you're working on something?

Yes, yes. It's done.

It's already done?

Just the final mix here and there. You know, it's been completed a couple of year, over a year ago. But now we just sit down and just watch what will be the best way, the best day - well I'm talking about my producers. They're the people who are going to be in charge of all these.

So who has been your inspiration for you in your career. Who do look to? You started pretty young, didn't you? At the age of 17, is that right?

Actually, professionally at the age of 17.

Wow! I do remember, there's this magazine in Las Vegas which claimed that you learnt to sing Chinese Opera from your mother at the age of four, is that right?

Oh no, not at the age of four. It was at the age of 16 actually.

You were saying about learning from your mother?

Yes. At the age of 16 and that's when my mother said, you know, "You have to learn all languages." And that's when I started learning Mandarin, just the classical music. There's no music involves at all. Just the little cow bell kind of stick. And it was very difficult. I hated it at first and then after that I said, you know I got so much to thank for because I can work anywhere. I was never jobless.

At the age of 18 professionally, when I worked for a Chinese restaurant in Singapore that time. And in the early evening, there will be a family who will just come for dinner and we have this great, big Chinese Orchestra with all the Chinese instruments and there will be like five other Chinese singers and here I am, go out there and do with this classical - it's unbelievable. You know I really get into the music.

Was that a frightening experience?

At first, a couple of times. But once I get used to it - you know, I learnt phonetically too. So, yes. But of course I have to understand what I'm saying. But phonetically, I was totally amazed. Once I get the hang of it and I kept learning and learning.

Do you remember your first performance professionally at the age of 17?

Sixteen actually.

Sixteen?

Yes.

Do you remember that performance?

Yes.

What happened that day? What did you do?

I was invited to do a television special. It was a variety show. Yusof Ahmad, our late Yusof Ahmad, used to be one of the great producers in Singapore.

In fact, one of my friends who kind of knew him, not very well, but approached him anyway and said to him, Look I have this friend of mine, Anita. She's a daughter of Siput Sarawak because that helps - my mother being you know famous. She can sing. I would like to see whether you like to invite her and give her a shot. And the producer was kind of hesitant and he said, I know that she can dance, she used to be a back-up dancer. I used to be just a back-up dancer - go-go dancers with pleated skirts and sneakers and socks. "And I don't know that she can sing." and he said, "I tell you what," he said, "If she can't sing I'll pay you." Just give her a shot, just give a try. And that was it. The first time I did the programme and every week I was there.

So Singapore television gave you the break first?

That's right. Then I was discovered by AMI through television. And I was discovered by them and they offered me to do my first recording. My first recording was actually in English. Yes. Those days the soul music was really in - the black music. And I was into black music, the soulful kind of music. And I also do all kind of things. I do swing, I do ballad, I do classical Chinese, I do -

Which form do you enjoy the most?

Everything! That's the whole trouble with me. You cannot have any specific drawer for me. That's when I discovered myself that you know I'm an entertainer. I'm not a singer. Well, you know I wish -

You never thought about going into acting, you know like your mother did?

You know, recently I had an offer to do a movie - well it's not finalised. It's nothing -

Is it Hollywood?

No. It's going to be in Asia. It's a huge production. But I don't think that's going to be -

Can you give a sneak preview of what you're going to do?

No, I can't do that.

Are you going to play a lead role?

Yes.

Is it about a musician's life?

Some sort, I can't give it away so much.

Is it based on your life?

No. No. I'm totally going to be a different person.

What language is it going to be?

In Malay.

In Malay?

And so it's going to have subtitles and they are probably going to dub it. So, it's going to be quiet you know. I think we're going to start probably next year. Not this year.

You start next year?

Probably. Well, it's not signed yet. I'm quite excited because in the past I wasn't interested in acting at all. I don't like acting.

So why suddenly now? Is it because you -

I think I've matured enough now. I've experienced.

As an entertainer, is it your next frontier, to get go film?

Yes. I would like to try something different. Now that I'm very comfortable with myself and I think I'm more matured now and I've experience life, I would like to -

But what is it about entertainer, being an entertainer that you like so much? Is it the response from the live audience that you have?

Yes, yes.

Aren't you going to miss that on films?

Ah yes, but it's going to be - I'm the kind of person who loves challenges. You know -

You sure do -

Yes. I love challenges. I think I will be really good at it. Yes, in fact I think I'm going to hopefully that this contract will go through that I will be in Singapore in the near future. I will be doing totally different from just entertaining on stage. It's going to involve a little acting as well.

So, it is to be the life of a singer probably you - mainly using your life. I'm just about to build a little story about the film that you will be doing. Trying to get out of you.

No. I can just say that it is a musical - it's a love story.

It's a musical -

Very drama, very serious. It's not one of those happy. It's going to be very, very intense.

Intense. You know that reminds me - your mother Siput Sarawak met your father Roomai Noor on the set of a dramatic film is that right?

Yeah, my mother was huge then. My father was like a new kid in the block. And he very quickly became director, became producer and acting -

Did your mother even want you to get into films?

Yes, I hated it. I did one.

Why did you hate it?

Because I was so young. I love music - music was fun. Music is still fun for me. It's in my blood, you can't take it away. But acting is something - I was 14 then when I did my first film. It was a comedy thing - black and white. Somebody actually sent me the videotape. I had a good laugh. I was very young then. I hated it. I can't stand the romantic scene. You know I was young. I just want to have fun. I want to have fun. Music is fun. Acting is too serious. So I wasn't -

You think so?

Oh yes, those days. But I think I'm serious enough now. I think I can handle it.

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