#SHOWBIZ: KRU still a force to be reckoned with

New Straits Times

09-05-2025

IN Malaysian music history, two "bands of brothers" have become household names in different decades.
There was The Alleycats in the 1970s, who were defined by their afros and superb rendition of Malay pop songs.
And there was KRU in the 1990s, who were defined by electrifying hip-hop beats and catchy pop tunes.
COMEBACK
KRU — comprising Datuk Norman, Datuk Yusry and Edry Abdul Halim — announced their much-touted comeback with a spellbinding, two-and-a-half-hour concert at the popular Axiata Arena recently and gave fans an explosive evening of non-stop entertainment.
Norman, Yusry and Edry had more than 9,000 fans singing and dancing to 24 of their songs at their GenKRU concert.
Taking fans back to their early days in the 1990s, the trio who looked fit, youthful and rejuvenated danced, sang and partied non-stop and offered plenty of sing-along opportunities throughout their show.
KRU's concert wowed fans with state-of-the-art visuals on a large screen.
Better still, they brought on stage their first proteges girl group Elite and their best-known discovery from Akademi Fantasia, Sabahan hip-hop singer Adam Mat Saman.
KRU emerged on stage at 8.45pm dressed stylishly in black suits and waving to the cheering crowd.
Their show got off to an explosive start with 'Fanatik', their energetic rebuke of extremists which reminded Malaysians to always choose moderation.
BEAUTIFUL
"Apa khabar Malaysia?" said Norman, and the crowd responded positively.
"It's such a beautiful night," said Yusry, giving hints of their second song, the melodious 'Malam Kita'.
The audience's excitement rose several notches with the groovy 'Ooh La La', that was accompanied by bright lights and skyscrapers.
Yusry said that he had two English songs, and the crowd shouted out the name of one.
Alas they were wrong as KRU sang the R&B tune 'Babe'.
The fans' answer, 'The Way We Jam', came next, and the brothers proved that their footwork was as good as during their heyday.
KRU continued their magic with the feel good 'Untukmu', and the big screen featured relaxing images of palm beaches and starry nights.
YOUTHFUL
A familiar beat came next, signalling the catchy 'Terhangat Di Pasaran', KRU's collaboration with Adam, and he soon came up stage, looking youthful but larger.
"I'm so happy to be back tonight, thank you KRU," said Adam.
KRU, now in violet suits, delivered two less-known songs 'Balada Hati' and 'Di Dalam Dilema'.
A tribute to the King Of Entertainment Datuk Sudirman Arshad, 'Perpisahan Terasing' came next, complete with photos of the legend.
Everyone sang along and Edry said that Sudirman will always live in our hearts.
KRU then delivered the first single from their latest album 'Kaset' titled 'Voodoo'.
The haunting song featured a creepy video of the brothers being "created" Frankenstein monster-style in a laboratory.
Three songs came next, as the brothers' Mother's Day segment.
"Happy Mother's Day to all mums," said Norman, as KRU belted out 'Bidadari Hingga Ke Jannah', 'Wanita' and 'Apa Saja'.
Yusry reminded fans that he acted in the 2003 movie 'Cinta Kolesterol'.
He asked if they knew its theme song, and belted out 'Dekat Padamu', giving his microphone to the crowd.
Next came 'Negatif' which sounded like a New Kids On The Block song.
Elite, comprising Sasha Saidin, Abby Abadi, Watie Sadali, Linda Rafar and Azza Zawari, emerged to roaring applause.
The best-known girl group of the 1990s joined KRU in 'Di Pintu Syurga' which was both spiritual and romantic.
MEDLEY
In the first medley for the evening, Yusry led KRU in singing 'Sedetik Lebih', made popular by Anuar Zain from their hit movie 'Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa'.
It was nicely paired with The Lima's ballad 'Separuh Masa', Edry's band Mojo's 'Romancinta' and Ezlynn's catchy 'Hi Hi Bye Bye'.
The show continued with a less known romantic number 'Dua', a romantic medley of 'Hanya Kau' and 'Inikah Ertinya Cinta', and another comprising feel good songs 'Semuanya OK' and 'Mengerti'.
KRU revisited their second single from 'Kaset' titled 'One More Time', before announcing that their time was up.
"It was a great night, and we hope to be back for more next time," said Norman.
The brothers went backstage briefly and returned with the anthem about honesty 'Jangan Tinggal Janji', the catchy plea for mercy 'Jangan Lafazkan' and the explosive 'Awas'.
Norman said: "We are delighted to see such great support and love from fans far and near.
"Thank you all for supporting us all these years, and we assure you that entertainment will always be part of us."
Norman, Yusry and Edry proved to Malaysians that they remain relevant to the music industry, as music-makers and live performers.