KUALA LUMPUR - Known for lending her voice to stories of love and heartbreak, popular singer Ernie Zakri is now taking listeners into darker territory with her latest single ‘Tak Berlagu’, the theme song for the horror film Khadam.
The song, composed by Rendra Zawawi and Njwa, sees the 34-year-old singer stepping out of her comfort zone by infusing horror elements into her vocals, something she has rarely explored throughout her more than a decade-long career in the entertainment industry.
According to Ernie, the biggest challenge during the recording process was balancing the sadness that forms the core of the song with the eerie atmosphere needed to complement the film’s storyline.
"If you ask me, the story behind this song that I imagined is one of sadness, but it was created as a theme song for a horror movie. So I had to inject a little ‘ghostly’ feeling into the song, and I tried my very best to do that.
"Becoming a ‘ghost’ in this song, hopefully that eerie feeling will reach everyone who listens to it,” she told reporters after the launch of the song and music video for "Tak Berlagu” here on Monday.
To ensure her delivery aligned closely with the narrative of the work, Ernie said she watched the film before entering the recording studio, while also relating the character of Melor to her own experience as a mother.
"At first, I did not understand what the song was about, but after watching the movie, I could relate it to my life as a mother. What you can see in the music video reflects some of the emotions I brought as a mother,” she said.
The singer of ‘Masing-Masing’ said it took her between one and two months to fully understand the overall concept and storyline of Khadam, as she did not want to take lightly the responsibility of performing the film’s official theme song.
At the same time, Ernie also underwent a new experience by learning sign language to better understand the mute character Melor, which helped her portray the role more effectively.
Asked about reactions from netizens on social media, the wife of singer Syamel admitted that the song might take time to gain acceptance as its approach differs from the pop songs she is usually associated with.
"I believe some songs may take people a little longer to warm up to, but sometimes it’s these differences that stay in people’s hearts. It just takes time, right?.
"For me, it’s not fair for people to judge without watching the movie. You have to watch the movie first, and maybe then you will understand what I feel - the sadness, the pain, the soul,” she said, adding that every criticism she receives reflects her fans’ concern for her artistic journey and serves as an important reference for improving future works. - BERNAMA