Double Platinum for Anuar Zain

[November 20, 2007]

Double platinum for Anuar Zain

(Malay Mail Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) IT'S cliche to blame slow album sales on piracy and illegal downloading, especially when factors like poor quality music, packaging and promotion are often discounted from the equation.

A good album can entice music lovers to `buy original' and pop singer Anuar Zain's latest album is a testament to that.

The self-titled album has sold more that 21,000 copies in two months.
"It has already hit double-platinum although we have not gone all out to promote it.
"It is a feat and I am still shocked by the numbers because normally, it takes more than a year for an album to sell that many copies," Anuar said.

On what the overwhelming response meant to him, Anuar said: "As an artiste, you need to put your ego aside.

"Music is still music.

It is essential that you listen to your friends, fans and family's opinions and ideas because they are the one's who are going to buy your album.
"As a performer, we have to make people happy and to achieve that, we have to put our ego aside.

"On a personal note, it is proof that you have to release an album of good songs.
"It has to be a killer album and not an album with a few killer songs." From next month, Anuar and his team will go full-swing to promote the album.

Among the plans is to tour shopping malls.

"I don't think many people are aware that I have a new album out and I need to go down to the people to promote it.

"I always feel that meeting the people is important.

You have to go and meet them and hopefully they'll love you and your music.
"Once that has been established, their undying support is all yours." Anuar Zain is the 36-year-old singer's third studio album, his first in five years.
His previous self-titled albums were released in 1998 and 2003.
Copyright 2007 The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Bhd, Source: The Financial Times Limited

Sources: TMCNet.comhttp://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2007/11/20/3107578.htm