On Repeat In Flux

Singer-songwriter Hael Husaini embodies a seasoned prodigy, encapsulating the curiosity of a new artist blended with the expertise of a refined performer.

- LingJie Tuang

There is a palpable exuberance in the air. Fifteen years into Hael Husaini's career, you would think that getting into hair and makeup would have lost its novelty. But Hael watches intently as the transformation happens in real-time - phone nowhere to be seen.

In the makeup chair, he contorts his posture, leaning forward with his face upright so the recording device picks up his voice better. While photoshoots and interviews are far from uncommon in his line of work as a musician, the first impression reads as warm as the musical personas he adopts for his lagu Raya. His listeners seem to agree, too, evident from the 16 million YouTube views and counting on 'Meriah Lain Macam', his Raya song with Nadeera released merely a month ago.

"This Raya has been the most hectic thus far, even busier than last year's, as everyone has gone all out in the music industry. There has been a lot of fresh, new material, and I'm glad 'Meriah Lain Macam' was well-received," Hael confesses. No ordinary Eid, the first day of his Raya was spent with family in Negeri Sembilan and performing for the royals of the state. "It didn't feel like work because it was performing for my home crowd, so it was a great honour."

A peek at his top tracks on Spotify would reveal half of them being Raya songs. Was there a moment that felt the most surreal when interacting with his music in public? He traces an experience back to 2019, when 'Bersyukur Seadanya' was first released. Citing it as a last-minute project, the idea of the song becoming a new classic for the festive season did not occur until witnessing it on Buletin TV3, a major national news programme.