IN A showbusiness career spanning 43years, Anita Sarawak has recorded and performed everything from pop, cabaret and soul, to rock and dance.

For this festive season, the multi-talented pop diva has recorded her first Hari Raya song.

Titled Maafkan (Forgive Me), the song is about redemption and forgiveness.

'I was enraptured from the moment I first heard the song,' said Anita, 57.

'It has a beautiful melody with poignant lyrics that makes you think about the people who have touched our lives.'

Maafkan will be available for downloading next week. There are no plans yet to release the song on CD.

'I was inspired to record Maafkan by my husband Mahathir, who consistently surprises me with his creative ideas,' explained Anita.

'The credit, however, belongs to songwriters Helen Yap, Johan Nawawi and Haslan Hussain and the production team who allowed us to contribute to the recording.'

Anita said she was moved to record the song, which she jointly co-produced with Astro Entertainment, the local production arm of Astro, Malaysia's Pay TV operator, because of its sacred theme.

Spiritually uplifting

'It was spiritually uplifting, singing about forgiveness for our sins and shortcomings, and being grateful for God's many blessings, particularly during this Holy season.'

On a personal note, Maafkan is also about Anita's feelings as a child spending the morning of the first day of Hari Raya with only one of her parents after they separated.

'It is a traumatic experience for a child to try and make sense of this situation, especially when you see other 'fortunate' children enjoying the festive spirit of Hari Raya with their families,' she recalled.

'This song holds a special meaning for me because I have learnt to forgive and be thankful for what I have and all that I have achieved.'

A music video is scheduled to premiere on Astro later this month.

'We are extremely proud of this song as it encapsulates the essence of Hari Raya,' said executive director of Astro Entertainment Zainir Aminullah.

'The song, which serves as a reminder to all of us to be thankful for the blessings we have received, will hopefully become a Hari Raya staple.'

The song and music video will be supported through on-air promos, handphone downloads, SMS blasts, a dedicated Hari Raya microsite on the Astro website, and radio.

It will then be on air on home-grown Astro channels including Prima, Hitz, and Awani. The music video will also be broadcast on Malaysia's free-to-air channels.

Broad appeal

Said Anita: 'I am confident the song will appeal to a wide cross-section of people. The message is universal - and that's what makes Maafkan an exceptional song that will endure through the years.'

Since returning to Malaysia seven years ago after a 16-year stint at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Anita has recorded two albums - a Malay album titled Seksis (Sexist) that spawned a No. 1 hit single, and Another Dimension, a jazz album in English that immediately revived her superstar status locally.

Anita, who sings in 10 languages, is currently planning to record a new Malay album.

'I'm taking things one step at a time as I am involved in so many different projects and activities. The music industry has changed so much since I first started recording in the '60s.

'I want to be sure all the right elements are in place before I decide to cut my next album.'

This article was first published in The New Paper.