13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Straits Times
#SHOWBIZ: Iconic jingles, heartwarming PSA marked Atilia's entry into showbiz
KUALA LUMPUR: While veteran evergreen singer Salamiah Hassan is best known as the Queen of Jingles, her daughter Atilia Haron has also made her name in singing them.
In fact, some of the country's best-known jingles of all time have Atilia's name written all over them, and these include the iconic jingles for Maggi instant noodles, KFC, Vitagen, and Fernleaf.
"I was one of the kids who first sang the famous Maggi theme song, which goes 'Maggi Mee, fast to cook and good to eat'," said Atilia at the launch of Konsert Gelombang Bahagiaku in the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre today.
"I was about 5 when I first sang jingles, and the Maggi one was perhaps my debut.
"As for the KFC one, which goes 'let's go to the zoo, there are lots of things to do', that happened when I was 12, likewise Fearnleaf, which had a cover of Tan Sri P. Ramlee's song Ibu."
Atilia was encouraged by Salamiah to sing jingles that were tailor-made for youngsters, as she had shown an interest in music as a pre-teen.
"Besides singing jingles, I also starred in the early 1980s' children's variety show Rasa Sayang, which was screened on public holidays such as National Day, and which famously featured a pre-teen Anuar Zain and Datuk Syafinaz Selamat," she said, adding that she did not know them back then.
Atilia, 51, also starred in a heartwarming public service announcement (PSA) about road safety, which was accompanied by a melodious piano piece.
"That PSA came when I was 9, and it showed me in school uniform walking safely along a pedestrian crossing while drivers stopped at the red light and smiled at me," she said, adding that the tagline for the PSA read "follow road safety rules, this girl may be your child".
Atilia said that while her heydays in advertisements are now a thing of the past, she was happy that quite a few of her contemporaries remember her for them.
"I may not be associated with jingles like my mum, and neither was I a child star like Anuar and Syafinaz.
"Nevertheless, I am happy to have made my appearance in commercials and variety shows, as well as jingles for youngsters' products," she said.
Gelombang Bahagiaku is Atilia's first concert with her mother, and it will take place at the Plenary Theatre of Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre at 8.30pm on Aug 16.
The two-and-a-half-hour concert is organised by Mujik World Production and also features guest singers Loque of Monoloque and Mimifly.
