#SHOWBIZ: Zur Eda's enduring passion

New Straits Times

03-06-2025

VETERAN singer Zur Eda Mokhtar, 60, looks hale and hearty, even though she was seriously ill a decade ago.
Back in 2015, she suffered from a kidney ailment, which landed her a three-month stay in a government hospital.
Fortunately, she recovered and bounced back to health and, today, she continues to entertain fans at events in the Klang Valley.
Expressing gratitude to all her fans and loved ones for praying hard for her recovery, Zur Eda is also thankful to veteran singers Datuk DJ Dave, Datuk M Nasir and Datuk Nash, the trustees of Yayasan Kebajikan Artis Tanahair (YKAT), for lending a helping hand during her long hospitalisation.
"They were the first people to go all out and help me meet my medical expenses, which were pretty costly," said Zur Eda at a recent 'buka puasa' organised by YKAT in Kampung Attap, Kuala Lumpur.
"Thank God, I'm once again able to sing for Malaysians. I was in tremendous pain as a result of the kidney infection, and while warded at the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre, I often feared for the worst."
Zur Eda also struggled to make ends meet during the Covid-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2022.
"I am also grateful that my singing career has never stopped, especially after appearing in the third season of the reality show, 'Gegar Vaganza'."
Zur Eda described 'Gegar Vaganza' or GV as a godsend for her.
"The reality show allows young ones to know me and other 'otais'. It is a healthy and friendly competition from the word go, and a great avenue to catch up with long-lost friends."
When asked if her children or grandchildren would follow in her footsteps, Zur Eda said the answer was a definite "no".
"I've got two adult children, who can sing but only as a hobby, and four grandchildren aged one to 7.
"They love my music very much, and I sang them to sleep when they were toddlers.
"Perhaps they may want to follow in my footsteps one day, but they must graduate with degrees first."
Zur Eda, whose real name is Zuraidah Mokhtar, began her singing career in the 1980s and was initially nicknamed "Sade Malaysia" for her slight resemblance to the legendary Nigerian-British singer Sade Adu.
"My hair was curly, and my forehead was wide. I also wore big round earrings, which were the latest trend at the time.
"Coincidentally, Sade was popular with the song 'Smooth Operator' then, and journalists started calling me Sade Malaysia," she said.
Zur Eda, however, insisted that she had no intention of imitating Sade, as their music genres were entirely different — she was a pop singer while Sade shone in jazz.
On the most memorable moment in her career, the singer fondly remembered visiting the interior district of Belaga in Kapit, Sarawak.
"I was happy to see the Orang Ulu community in Sarawak, who met and greeted me warmly in Belaga in 1989.
"It was among the happiest moments in my career were performing in Sabah and Sarawak. The people there are very friendly and cheerful."
She also said while singing in Belaga, an insect entered her mouth, but fortunately, she spit it out.
While singing at the Black Jack Club in 1984, Zur Eda met her husband, Zulkifli Mohd Yusof, who was also a bass guitarist, and they married a year later.
They were blessed with two children, Siti Sarah, 35, and Mohd Naquib, 28.
Zur Eda has produced three albums, namely 'Pelitaku' in 1987, followed by 'Lama Tak Jumpa' (1990) and 'Kelmarin' (1992), since becoming a singer at the age of 18.
For almost a decade, Zur Eda has been making biscuits and cakes for Hari Raya during Ramadan and selling them at her Ramadan stall in The Curve, Petaling Jaya.
"Many of my fellow artistes sell their cakes or biscuits there, there's Liza Abdullah, Ismaliza Ismail, Elliza Razak and Amai Kamaruddin.
"I've been making cakes and biscuits for four decades. It is a good investment because an artiste will always fall on hard times and needs to support himself or herself with a second job."
Zur Eda plans to record songs with new singers as there are many talents among the newcomers.
"We all must learn to adapt with the times, to roll with the times," she said.
"And as always, the songs I record help raise funds for the needy — helping them, especially the artistes, always makes me happy," she said.