04/11/2025

LYFE TUESDAY | NOV 4, 2025

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Anuar Zain finds peace in mother’s love T HE presence of a mother in the life of one of Malaysia’s most beloved celebrities, Anuar Zain, is not only a pillar in his artistic and personal journey, but also a source of peace and spiritual healing beyond compare. o Artiste draws comfort from mum’s prayers For this singer known for his reserved and elegant image, the process of spiritual healing based on Islamic teachings means turning back to God and surrounding oneself with positive energy and support. “There are many ways to heal yourself. The best is to return to religion, pray often, and be with family and positive friends.

Although Shahrul Anuar Zain, 55, enjoys spending time with his mother Robiah Abdul, the Lelaki Ini singer admits that he never shares his personal problems with her. Instead, the younger brother of famed songstress Ziana Zain finds peace and strength within himself to face life’s challenges through the prayers and unconditional love of a mother who has always been his emotional anchor. “I usually stay quiet when I have problems – I never tell my mum. Just being around her is enough. She prays for her children every day. I feel we don’t have to burden our parents with everything – just solve what we can. “Knowing that she prays for me gives me peace. Sometimes when she says she’s read Yasin or performed solat hajat for us, I feel relieved and calm. A mother’s prayer alone is enough to heal the soul,” he said when met after the launch of Healing Night Concert 2026 recently. Relying not only on his mother’s prayers, the Merlimau-born singer said there are many ways to achieve inner peace – but the best one is to return to faith.

Sometimes when we feel lost, the perspective of others can give us strength. What matters most is acceptance and moving forward,” he said. Anuar added that travelling and listening to music are also his ways to relax his mind and balance his emotions after long stretches of work. For him, appreciating nature, architecture and cultural diversity brings serenity, while music serves as a medium of healing when delivered sincerely and with a positive message. “To me, every song carries a different meaning depending on a person’s emotions. (For example, the song Bila Resah ) – some fans have told me that it helped them stay strong during difficult times. “Even though the melody sounds light and cheerful, the message is actually about resilience and hope,” he said. In another development, Anuar will share the stage with Ella, Dayang Nurfaizah, Lyodra and Kangen Band at the upcoming Healing Night

Anuar (right) seen here with his mother. – PIC FROM INSTAGRAM @ANUARZAINNETWORK

Concert 2026, scheduled to take place at Stadium Merdeka on Jan 24. He described the concert as more than just a musical performance – it is a platform to spread positive

energy to the community. “This isn’t just a concert for entertainment – it’s about helping people find peace. It’s a noble intention – when one person begins

to heal, others will also feel that calmness,” said Anuar, who expressed excitement about performing for the first time at Stadium Merdeka. – Bernama

DVR3N’s heartfelt EP honours late father

Ű BY MARK MATHEN VICTOR

the musician. In the actual song, both voice clips are only faintly discernible, placed behind Darren’s instrumental music. When asked why he did not compose it in a way that his father’s voice was more audible and not surrounded by a wall of sound, Darren explained that to him, he can always hear his father’s voice and that the accompanying music gave it further personal meaning. “Hearing his voice again felt like he was still here. Every time I listen to the track, I feel like he is telling me that everything is fine, that everything is‘all good’, wherever he may be now.” As for why Songs For My Father was released as a DVR3N side project as opposed to through An Honest Mistake, the musician explained that he wanted full control over the narrative, including his creative choice to not sing or to experiment the way he does on IGuessThisIsHowHeavenSoundsLike . For Darren, the absence of his father was difficult to put into words, so he verbalised his grief through the songwriting, building each piece as he went along and allowed himself to flow freely without constraints. He said it was therapeutic and at the end of the day, for a personal project such as this EP, maybe that is all that matters.

UNDER the name DVR3N, musician Darren Teh recently released Songs For My Father , a new EP dedicated to his late father on the first anniversary of his passing. His most personal project to date, the mini album was born from a process of grief, love and reflection. “Throughout the writing process, all I could think of was him. The love, the sacrifice, the commitment to family – everything he instilled in us as men. I could not put it into words, so I let the music flow from the heart,” said Darren in the EP’s press statement. More popularly known as the lead singer of the pop rock band An Honest Mistake, the apple apparently did not fall far from the tree, as Darren told theSun that his father also played in a band and was instrumental in steeping him and his brother in a rich music environment. These memories, family stories and private moments that defined Darren’s relationship with his father George Teh were used as the basis for Songs For My Father ’s five instrumental-only tracks. The longest and arguably main piece is the last track IGuessThisIsHowHeavenSoundsLike .

Constructed around actual recordings of his father while in the hospital, it is an intimate track for Darren, where in the first clip, his father says: “Darren, can you hear me? I think you and mum need to come to the hospital now. It is really important” in Hokkien, while the second was his father responding“All good”to a question asked by Darren’s father played in a band called The Date Liners.

George (left) and Darren, circa 2013.