Counting her blessings

By AZHARIAH KA MIN
The Star

Akademi Fantasia winner Stacy is slowly scaling the heights of the Malaysian music industry.

HER bubbly personality endears her to many and her vocal prowess is indisputable. Since winning Akademi Fantasia Season 6 last year, Stacy (Stracie Angie Anam) is riding high.

“I’m very happy and I’m living my dream,” enthused the petite singer in an interview recently. Though she is undoubtedly popular among music fans, the 19-year-old seems unfazed by all the attention. “Seriously, when people approach me, saying how popular my song is, I just go like, “Oh, OK. Thank you.”

“The main thing for me is to continue performing live. It is just indescribable the feeling I have when I am on stage facing an audience. That’s really my ‘thing’.”

She discovered the joy of singing when she was only eight years old. Subsequently she entertained guests at various Kadazandusun cultural festivals in her hometown, particularly during the Kaamatan (Harvest Festival) season. That apart, the Sabahan lass also participated in various state-level singing contests.

Akademi Fantasia winner Stacy says she’s still adjusting to the fact that she’s now a singer, as she never imagined she would even have come as far as she has.

Three years ago, due to her family’s financial difficulties, Stacy stopped schooling and became a club singer to help support her family, performing with local bands such as Rimba in various restaurants and hotels around Kota Kinabalu. She also didn’t sit for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination but hopes to eventually continue her studies when time and finances permit.

In 2007, Stacy joined the group Evoke to participate in TV3’s Gangstarz but they were eliminated in one of the early rounds.

As fate would have it, she had planned to sit for her SPM last year but had to postpone it when she was selected to take part in the sixth season of Akademi Fantasia, ultimately emerging the winner.

And late last year, her dream to continue her studies came true when Lim Kok Wing University College of Creative Technology offered her a place, but once again, Stacy’s singing commitments held her back from enrolling.

“I’m very honoured by the offer. But I’m still trying to find time to start my classes due to my current commitments. I was supposed to enrol early this year but I’m requesting for a postponement.

Known for her energetic performances on stage, her fitness has become a point of conversation.

“I jog and dance a lot. In fact, we are turning my living room into a dance studio where we can practice any time we want to,” said Stacy who, on average, performs three shows a week.

“I have also realised that I have created a name in the industry as a newcomer, but to maintain it is hard work.

“Some people say that I’m imita­ting popular Indonesian singer Agnes Monica. Seriously, I’m honoured that people compare my performances with hers but I would rather be known for myself. I’m still searching for my own style.”

And to achieve that, Stacy spends time viewing countless performan­ces by popular artistes.

“Not to imitate them but to get some ideas on how to improvise certain dance steps and movements to make them mine. I would discuss my idea with my two permanent dancers. What we do is combine our ideas before any show,” said Stacy, who also does her own choreography.

Looking back, it has been only a year since her win (in May 2008) but if her popularity is anything to go by, the sky is the limit for her.

Her first single Aku Stacy became a huge success after its release in the middle of last year. The song quickly shot to No.1 on Carta Era, on ERA FM within two weeks of its release.

The song also made it to the final round of TV3’s annual award show Anugerah Juara Lagu, which honours the best Malay songs, a rare accomplishment made by newcomers in the industry.

If that’s not enough, Stacy was voted most popular new female artiste in Anugerah Bintang Popular last February.

But nothing could be sweeter than when she was declared Sabah’s youth icon and idol in the entertainment industry.

Her full debut album, Aku Stacy, which was released in March, saw her working with top-notched composers such as Ajai, Audi Mok and Edry KRU.

In June, Stacy was nominated in the popstar category of 8TV’s upcoming Shout Awards. She has also received two nominations in the imminent 2009 Anugerah Planet Muzik – which will be held in Jakarta on July 18 – in the categories of “best vocal performance in a song for new female artiste” and “most popular Malaysian artiste”.

“I love what I’m doing now. Seriously, I’m still adjusting to the fact that I’m a singer with my own album.

“To be honest with you, not even in my wildest dreams did I think I’d come this far! Now that I’m here, I’m going to work even harder to go much further in this industry,” she concluded.