Khadijah Ibrahim- A Lifetime Achievement Award

Khadijah Ibrahim was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by Berita Harian and TV3 at their recent annual award event. Congratulations Datuk! Wow, after only over 30 years in the business! I wonder what Sharifah Aini think of this - she's been in the industry much longer than that and had received many awards and accolades but I do not remember her ever getting a 'lifetime achievement' award. Khadijah is probably the first recipient of such an award.

Anyway, all praises to where they are due. Khadijah Ibrahim is in fact a great singer and entertainer with a very pleasant personality and a very acute business acumen. She had always been consistent and she's one lady with brains. And she really can cook!

I first heard Khadijah's voice in 1978 at the then Jaya Puri Hotel (today the PJ Hilton) when she was at a very tender age performing at a dinner show, after the release of her first album. I was straightaway impressed by her singing and her voice.

I got to personally know Khadijah in 2003 when she was invited to sing the NAM theme song at the opening of the Conference. I was asked to oversee the rehearsal of that event and I made a few suggestions to her and the choir accompanying her. She later approached me when I was heading the OIC Conference Secretariat for some form of participation but there was nothing relevant for her.

She once invited me to dinner at her apartment at Setiawangsa, and my God what a dinner it was! I swear there were more than 20 dishes lined up in two rows on her dining table - all cooked by her. And there was only me and Harris, our staff from the New York office who was on home leave (she and Harris used to duet at shows in New York and apparently they wanted to set up a restaurant there but could not find a premise). She shrugged off my incredulity at the number of dishes and said she merely wanted me to sample her cooking! And I can vouch what a great cook she is! She even packed me a variety of cookies she made to take with me for my trip to Morocco and Tunisia the next day (I gave them to my colleague in Rabat and he was thrilled to know that they were made by the great singer!). While we were having dinner she received a phonecall and it was from her great singing partner Ramli Sarip. Their 1989 duet number ' Ku Miliki Bayanganmu' is my all-time favourite.

The last time I met Khadijah was in January 2007 when she led a powerful singing quartet consisting of herself, Ning Baizura, Syafinaz and Esther Khoo at the Gala Night of the 2007 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland which Malaysia hosted. It was such a great performance by the foursome and Khadijah was in her elements interacting with the appreciative strong international crowd. Indeed they made Malaysia proud.

Once again, congratulations Datuk Khadijah Ibrahim! May you continue to shine in your illustrious career.
See video : http://youtu.be/ra13nkHckNE
                  http://youtu.be/fBnjBjZEe9w