Latest news with #SmoothOperator
New Straits Times
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
#SHOWBIZ: Zur Eda's enduring passion
VETERAN singer Zur Eda Mokhtar, 60, looks hale and hearty, even though she was seriously ill a decade ago. Back in 2015, she suffered from a kidney ailment, which landed her a three-month stay in a government hospital. Fortunately, she recovered and bounced back to health and, today, she continues to entertain fans at events in the Klang Valley. Expressing gratitude to all her fans and loved ones for praying hard for her recovery, Zur Eda is also thankful to veteran singers Datuk DJ Dave, Datuk M Nasir and Datuk Nash, the trustees of Yayasan Kebajikan Artis Tanahair (YKAT), for lending a helping hand during her long hospitalisation. "They were the first people to go all out and help me meet my medical expenses, which were pretty costly," said Zur Eda at a recent 'buka puasa' organised by YKAT in Kampung Attap, Kuala Lumpur. "Thank God, I'm once again able to sing for Malaysians. I was in tremendous pain as a result of the kidney infection, and while warded at the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre, I often feared for the worst." Zur Eda also struggled to make ends meet during the Covid-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2022. "I am also grateful that my singing career has never stopped, especially after appearing in the third season of the reality show, 'Gegar Vaganza'." Zur Eda described 'Gegar Vaganza' or GV as a godsend for her. "The reality show allows young ones to know me and other 'otais'. It is a healthy and friendly competition from the word go, and a great avenue to catch up with long-lost friends." When asked if her children or grandchildren would follow in her footsteps, Zur Eda said the answer was a definite "no". "I've got two adult children, who can sing but only as a hobby, and four grandchildren aged one to 7. "They love my music very much, and I sang them to sleep when they were toddlers. "Perhaps they may want to follow in my footsteps one day, but they must graduate with degrees first." Zur Eda, whose real name is Zuraidah Mokhtar, began her singing career in the 1980s and was initially nicknamed "Sade Malaysia" for her slight resemblance to the legendary Nigerian-British singer Sade Adu. "My hair was curly, and my forehead was wide. I also wore big round earrings, which were the latest trend at the time. "Coincidentally, Sade was popular with the song 'Smooth Operator' then, and journalists started calling me Sade Malaysia," she said. Zur Eda, however, insisted that she had no intention of imitating Sade, as their music genres were entirely different — she was a pop singer while Sade shone in jazz. On the most memorable moment in her career, the singer fondly remembered visiting the interior district of Belaga in Kapit, Sarawak. "I was happy to see the Orang Ulu community in Sarawak, who met and greeted me warmly in Belaga in 1989. "It was among the happiest moments in my career were performing in Sabah and Sarawak. The people there are very friendly and cheerful." She also said while singing in Belaga, an insect entered her mouth, but fortunately, she spit it out. While singing at the Black Jack Club in 1984, Zur Eda met her husband, Zulkifli Mohd Yusof, who was also a bass guitarist, and they married a year later. They were blessed with two children, Siti Sarah, 35, and Mohd Naquib, 28. Zur Eda has produced three albums, namely 'Pelitaku' in 1987, followed by 'Lama Tak Jumpa' (1990) and 'Kelmarin' (1992), since becoming a singer at the age of 18. For almost a decade, Zur Eda has been making biscuits and cakes for Hari Raya during Ramadan and selling them at her Ramadan stall in The Curve, Petaling Jaya. "Many of my fellow artistes sell their cakes or biscuits there, there's Liza Abdullah, Ismaliza Ismail, Elliza Razak and Amai Kamaruddin. "I've been making cakes and biscuits for four decades. It is a good investment because an artiste will always fall on hard times and needs to support himself or herself with a second job." Zur Eda plans to record songs with new singers as there are many talents among the newcomers. "We all must learn to adapt with the times, to roll with the times," she said. "And as always, the songs I record help raise funds for the needy — helping them, especially the artistes, always makes me happy," she said.
Daily Mirror
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Superstar recluse Sade's totally different life and career after ditching fame
The soul singer quickly became a global icon after the release of her first album in 1984 and would go on to be one of the biggest music stars of the 1980s and 1990s From the fame of "Smooth Operator" to a tranquil life in Somerset, soul legend Sade Adu has swapped her 1980s global stardom for a peaceful existence in the West Country. Born Helen Folasade Adu in Nigeria and later known simply as Sade Adu, she relocated to Colchester at just four to live with her grandparents. Her formative years were spent growing up in Essex. However, her life took a dramatic turn when she and her band skyrocketed to fame following the release of their debut smooth soul single, "Your Love is King," which climbed to number six on the charts in 1984. Their first album, Diamond Life, received even more praise, selling a staggering 10 million records and remaining a classic four decades after its release. Sade also won over critics, bagging four Grammy's for her hits, including being named Best New Artist in 1986 following the release of their second album. Around this period, the singer dabbled in acting, making her debut in Absolute Beginners, a film set in 1950s London. Over the next two decades, Sade achieved international fame, with singles like "Smooth Operator", "The Sweetest Taboo" and "No Ordinary Love" echoing from radios worldwide. These tracks continue to be popular today, having been streamed over a billion times on Spotify alone, reports the Daily Record. The elusive star, known for her infrequent album releases and long absences from the public eye, has seemingly embraced a life of tranquillity, snapping up a farm in the West Country where she resided during the pandemic with her partner Ian Watts and her mother, affectionately known as "Granny Annie". In a 2020 interview with British Vogue, the singer said: "Like everyone, we're on a ship of unknown destination but that's life ... no mutiny yet." She added: "There's always so much to do: there are songs I so want to write, and I've rediscovered the joy cooking brings." Despite her retreat to the countryside, Sade continues to create music, with her latest single "Young Lion" dropping in 2024, following "Flower of the Universe" from the Disney movie A Wrinkle in Time featuring Reese Witherspoon and Oprah Winfrey. Sade's contribution to music was officially recognised when she was awarded an OBE in 2002 as part of the Queen's New Years Honours List, and she later received a CBE in 2017 for her services to music.
Irish Daily Mirror
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
'Forgotten' global superstar traded fame for very different career
From the fame of "Smooth Operator" to settling in Somerset, soul legend Sade Adu has swapped her 1980s global stardom for a more tranquil existence in the West Country. Born Helen Folasade Adu in Nigeria and later known simply as Sade Adu, she relocated to Colchester at the tender age of four to live with her grandparents. Her formative years were spent growing up in Essex. However, her life took a dramatic turn when she and her band skyrocketed to fame following the release of their debut smooth soul single, "Your Love is King," which climbed to number six on the charts in 1984. Their first album, Diamond Life, received even greater praise, selling a staggering 10 million copies and remaining a classic four decades after its release. Sade also won over critics, bagging four Grammy's for her hits, including being named Best New Artist in 1986 following the release of their second album. Around this time, the singer dabbled in acting, making her debut in Absolute Beginners, a film set in 1950s London. Over the next two decades, Sade achieved international success, with singles like "Smooth Operator", "The Sweetest Taboo" and "No Ordinary Love" echoing from radios worldwide. These tracks continue to be popular today, having been streamed over a billion times on Spotify alone, reports the Daily Record. The artist, known for her elusive nature and infrequent album releases, sometimes with decades between them, has earned a reputation as a bit of a recluse, often vanishing from public view for extended periods. It seems Sade has embraced a more tranquil lifestyle, having purchased a farm in the West Country where she resided during the pandemic with her partner Ian Watts and her mother, affectionately known as "Granny Annie". In a 2020 interview with British Vogue, the singer said: "Like everyone, we're on a ship of unknown destination but that's life ... no mutiny yet." She added: "There's always so much to do: there are songs I so want to write, and I've rediscovered the joy cooking brings." Despite her retreat from the public eye, the songstress continues to create music, with her latest single "Young Lion" released in 2024, and "Flower of the Universe" for the Disney movie A Wrinkle in Time featuring Reese Witherspoon and Oprah Winfrey. Sade was recognised as a national icon when she received an OBE in 2002 as part of the Queen's New Years Honours List, and further honoured with a CBE for her contributions to music 15 years later.
Daily Record
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Reclusive pop megastar Sade now has very different life in hugely different career
Nearly 40 years on from bursting onto the charts, 80s and 90s pop megastar Sade Abu looks as though a day hasn't passed despite her career change From being the icon behind "Smooth Operator" to moving to Somerset soil, soul icon Sade Adu has traded her global stardom found in the 1980s for a quieter life living in the rural West Country. Born in Nigeria as Helen Folasade Adu, but going on to be known simply as Sade Adu, she moved to Colchester to live with her grandparents at just four. She would spend most of her early years growing up in and around Essex. But that would all change when she and her band became overnight sensations after the release of their first smooth soul single, "Your Love is King," which reached number six on the charts in 1984. Their debut album, Diamond Life, would go on to garner even more acclaim, selling an astonishing 10million records and standing the test of time four decades after its release. Sade was a hit with critics too, having received four Grammy's for her hits, including being crowned as the Best New Artist in 1986 after the release of their second album. Around this time the singer would also take a brief career pivot on the big screen, making her acting debut in Absolute Beginners, a film about 1950s London. But during the next two decades and after releasing some of the biggest songs of the time, Sade would go global, with singles like "Smooth Operator" "The Sweetest Taboo" and "No Ordinary Love" her voice resonated from radios across the world. The tracks are still a hit to this day having been listened to more than a billion times on Spotify alone. But with the band releasing albums extremely sporadically often leaving decades in between releases, the star became known as somewhat of a recluse, often disappearing from the spotlight for years at a time. Now it appears Sade has continued her path towards a quieter life, having bought a farm in the West Country where she lived during the pandemic alongside her partner Ian Watts and her mum "Granny Annie". Speaking to British Vogue in 2020, the singer reflected: "Like everyone, we're on a ship of unknown destination but that's life … no mutiny yet. "There's always so much to do: there are songs I so want to write, and I've rediscovered the joy cooking brings." Despite her rural life away from the limelight, the musician is still making music, most recently releasing the single "Young Lion" in 2024 as well as "Flower of the Universe" for the Disney film A Wrinkle in Time starring Reese Witherspoon and Oprah Winfrey. In 2002 she would be cemented as a national treasure by being honoured with an OBE in 2002 on the Queen's New Years Honours List and 15 years later she would gain an even higher honour by being given a CBE for her services to music.
South China Morning Post
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Your Hong Kong weekend drinks guide for April 3-5
Although we've said goodbye to March madness and its plethora of art and rugby parties, the city's bars are keeping the drinks flowing. In fact, Hong Kong bars are upping the ante , with Zoku and Ozone respectively hosting CMYK, from Changsha, and Reka, from Kuala Lumpur, for not one, but two nights this weekend. Elsewhere, the Landmark kicks off its second Sake Walk with masterclasses and pairing menus galore, continuing through mid-May. Thursday, April 3 Tommy Wong (CMYK) x Zoku Changsha cocktail bar CMYK; co-founder Tommy Wong is set to collaborate with Hong Kong's Zoku. Photo: Handout What: One of China's best bars returns to Hong Kong for guest shifts at Zoku this weekend. Tommy Wong, one of the co-founders of CMYK, will be in town, representing his bar that was ranked 43rd in Asia's 50 Best Bars last year. Advertisement CMYK is known for cocktails that are 'easy to love but not too complicated to enjoy', combining accessibility and sustainability, but this weekend's drinks are certainly not ones amateur mixologists will be able to shake together. Cocktails are set to include the Berry Dat Club, with an extensive list of ingredients that includes Absolut Elyx vodka, crème de cassis, shiso distillates, fresh white peppercorn, simple syrup, dry vermouth, fresh raspberry and fresh lemon juice. The no-less-complicated Smooth Operator, meanwhile, features Redbreast 12-year-old single pot still Irish whiskey, milk, coconut, cinnamon, espresso, tamarind, pineapple, paprika and sesame oil. Where: 2/F, The Hari, 330 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai When: April 3, 6pm-late; April 4, noon-4.30pm, 6pm-late Friday, April 4 Landmark Sake Walk 2025 Sake from Shichiken, one of the breweries highlighted by the Landmark's Sake Walk 2025. Photo: Handout What: The Landmark is running it back with a second edition of its Sake Walk, celebrating a wide array of terroirs and styles of sake via masterclasses and pairing menus over this and next month. Everything kicks off today, with masterclasses from Shichiken & Dan at Zuma from 3pm-4pm and Hakuko & Takizawa at Artifact from 3.30pm-4.30pm.
