Interview With Zul F

THE INTERVIEW:






1) How old were you when you knew you could sing?

WELL, I ACTUALLY STARTED SINGING WHEN I WAS 7. BACK IN THE DAY, I HUMMED TO EVERY POSSIBLE MELODY I LISTENED TO, WHETHER IT WAS FROM TV COMMERCIALS OR SONGS ON THE RADIO.



2) Who encouraged you to sing?

I WAS ACTUALLY SELF-MOTIVATED. TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, MY PARENTS WERE NOT THAT SUPPORTIVE OF MY SINGING. PERHAPS THEY WERE NOT CONVINCED THAT I COULD MAKE IT. BUT SOON AFTER I WON P2F GREAT THINGS STARTED COMING MY WAY. I GUESS MY PARENTS STARTED BELIEVING IN MY TALENT SINCE THEN.



3) How would you describe your voice?

I THINK OVER THE YEARS I HAVE PERSONALLY EXPERIENCED SEVERAL CHANGES IN MY VOCAL TONE, STYLE AND RANGE. IN SHORT, IT KEEPS EVOLVING, DEPENDING ON THE SONG I'M SIGNING. BUT IN GENERAL, MY VOICE IS QUITE POWERFUL, SOULFUL AND SULTRY AT THE SAME TIME. HOWEVER, I FEEL LIKE THERE'S STILL PLENTY OF ROOM FOR FURTHER IMPROVEMENT. WHAT YOU HEAR SO FAR ISN'T THE BEST OF ME YET :)



4) What do you fear the most?

FEAR OF LOSING MY VOICE OR NOT HITTING THE RIGHT NOTE DURING LIVE PERFORMANCES. OTHER THAN THAT, I AM ALSO WORRIED ABOUT TECHNICAL PROBLEMS E.G. MICROPHONE OR VOCAL MONITORS NOT WORKING, ETC. IF THESE THINGS HAPPEN, I WILL TRY MY BEST TO IMPROVISE AND BE PROFESSIONAL ABOUT IT.



5) Which singers do you admire?

I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A MARIAH CAREY FAN. SHE'S MY NUMBER 1 IDOL. I LOVE SINGING BECAUSE OF HER. WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, I LISTENED TO HER VOICE -- THE TEXTURE, TONE, RANGE, STYLE, DYNAMICS, PITCH -- THEY'RE SIMPLY AMAZING! I ALSO LIKE THE SOUNDS OF THE LATE LUTHER VANDROSS. I DREAM OF BECOMING BRUNEI'S PREMIER VOCALIST SOMEDAY, JUST LIKE LUTHER.



6) What would your motto be?

THE MORE YOU GAIN, THE MORE HUMBLE YOU BECOME. I'M NOTHING WITHOUT MY DEVOTED FANS. TO HEAR PEOPLE SING LINES TO MY SONGS IS FLATTERING AND AT THE SAME TIME A HUMBLING EXPERIENCE.



7) What characteristic do you dislike about yourself?

I WORRY A LOT AND I TEND TO OVER-ANALYSE MYSELF. BUT THAT'S JUST BECAUSE I'M A PERFECTIONIST WHEN IT COMES TO MUSIC, ESPECIALLY WHEN DELIVERING MY VOCALS. IN SOME WAYS, I'M ALSO AN IDEALIST -- I JUST WANT EVERYTHING TO GO THE WAY I WANT IT TO BE.



8) What is your favourite piece of music?

I LIKE THE SOUND OF PIANO. ANYTHING THAT COMES OUT OF A PIANO I'LL SIMPLY BE FLOORED! I CONNECT TO IT MORE THAN ANY OTHER INSTRUMENTS.



9) Describe yourself in three words:

"ZUL F", AS A PERSONA IS... GRACEFUL, SULTRY AND CLASSY



10) If you went to the moon, what would you take with you?

MY HEART & SOUL :)



11) If you weren't a singer, what would you be?

I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO BECOME A SINGER. I WOULDN'T KNOW WHAT ELSE I WOULD WANNA BE. I FEEL POWERFUL WHEN I AM ON STAGE.



12) What is the best advice you've been given, and who gave it?

THIS IS RELATED TO QUESTION NUMBER 6 -- IT WAS GIVEN BY MY MOTHER. SHE SAYS AND I QUOTE, "IKUT RASMI PADI...MAKIN BERISI, MAKIN TUNDUK"



13) What gives you satisfaction in your work?

I AM ALWAYS CRITICAL ABOUT MYSELF, AS MENTIONED BEFORE. SO I WOULD USUALLY GET A CIRCLE OF FRIENDS TO LISTEN TO MY NEW RECORD, FOR EXAMPLE, AND GET THEIR OPINION. THEIR REACTION IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME. THEN I WOULD LISTEN TO IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND MAKE CHANGES WHEN NECESSARY. BUT MUSIC PRODUCTION, TO ME, IS INSATIABLE. YOU CAN NEVER BE SATISFIED. YOU HAVE GOT TO TRUST YOUR GUT FEELINGS SOMETIMES. AS AN ARTIST, IT HELPS TO TRUST YOUR INSTINCT BECAUSE THE MUSIC SCENE IS UNPREDICTABLE. THE GENERAL MASSES MAY LIKE WHAT WE ESSENTIALLY DISLIKE. WE JUST NEVER KNOW FOR SURE.



14) What is your favourite role?

I'D LIKE TO BE IN CONTROL OF MY OWN MUSIC PRODUCTION. I'D LIKE TO BE INVOLVED CREATIVELY AND COLLABORATE WITH TALENTED INDIVIDUALS. I ALSO LIKE TO WRITE MY OWN SONGS AND LATELY I HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS MYSELF CREATIVELY. IT FEELS SIMPLY AMAZING TO WORK ON YOUR ORIGINAL PIECE.



15)What would you like to achieve musically, and why?

LIKE I SAID BEFORE, I DREAM OF BECOMING BRUNEI'S PREMIER VOCALIST. I'D LIKE TO BECOME A LEGENDARY ICON SOMEDAY AND I'D LIKE TO BE REMEMBERED FOR MY CONTRIBUTION IN THE MUSIC WORLD. WHY? SIMPLY BECAUSE IT WILL GIVE ME THE SATISFACTION, KNOWING THAT I HAVE MADE A PROFOUND IMPACT MUSICALLY AND CREATIVELY.



16) How would you like to be remembered?

I'D PERSONALLY LIKE TO BE REMEMBERED AS THE ONE AND ONLY "ZUL F" BRUNEI WILL EVER HAVE :)



17) What was the worst criticism ever received as an artiste?

PEOPLE'S INITIAL ASSUMPTION. A COMMON ONE WOULD BE THAT I'M A "STUCK UP" ARTISTE. THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW ME AND IT'S UNFAIR FOR THEM TO JUDGE ME THIS WAY. BUT WE CAN'T CONTROL WHAT PEOPLE THINK OR SAY ABOUT US. THIS IS THE PRICE WE HAVE TO PAY AS A PUBLIC FIGURE. I'LL USUALLY JUST TURN A BLIND EYE AND IGNORE IT. I KNOW MYSELF BETTER. WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU ONLY MAKES YOU STRONGER, RIGHT? :)