A dream come true

Akademi Fantasia (AF) star, Linda Nanuwil, has launched her debut Kadazandusun album simply titled ‘Linda’.

The Ranau lass hopes the album will appeal not just to the Kadazandusun community but to all music lovers in the country.

“It has always been my dream to have an album out in my mother tongue even before I took part in AF. Early this year I was determined to do it and the journey has not been without challenges.

“But I am grateful because finally it is here thanks to support and encouragement from my family, friends and fans,” she said.

The eponymous album is a compilation of 10 songs written by local composers vastly experienced in the music industry. They include Roger Wang, Asmin Mudin and Mark Paul Baklin.

One song in particular is close to Linda’s heart and that is ‘Upus Tolidang’ which entered the Dusun top hit charts ‘Bontugan Sinding Diti’ broadcast by Sabah VFM.

Written together by Linda and her late father, Nanuwil Galida, it tells a story about a dying lover who pleads for a loved one not to cry and mourn the loss but to remember their love forever.

Perhaps the 24-year-old is best remembered for reaching the finals in season 2 of AF due to overwhelmingly popular demand despite being voted out in an earlier round.

Her charm, good looks and mellow voice captured the hearts of many fans around Malaysia and certainly they are glad to see her back after going “missing” for some years.

‘Linda’ is a production of Linda Nanuwil Entertainment, a company she formed soon after winning second place in the reality show AF2.

Deputy Chief Minister, Datuk Joseph Pairin Kitingan officially launched the album yesterday at the 1Borneo Hypermall here.

One of the greatest challenges Linda had to overcome when producing the album was in getting enough money but she modestly says that it was a problem faced by many artistes.

“Whatever the challenge may be and however tough, if we work hard enough and pray to God, we shall overcome it,” she said.

Work on the album started last January and with assistance from her manager, Flory, Linda concentrated on producing it aside from doing shows.

Three months later with all the recordings done in RAM Studio Kota Kinabalu, the final master was sent to Kuala Lumpur.

Only one song ‘Upus om Langadku’ by Asmin Mudin was recorded in Ampal Studio.

‘Kotohuadan’ meaning thank you is dedicated to her family, friends and fans while ‘Oi Odu’ was written in memory of her late grandmother who apparently often sang to Linda and her siblings when they were small.

Others include ‘Karamaian do Kaamatan’ and the sole Malay song ‘Kisah Cinta Ku’.