Saleem

The former frontman of rock gods Iklim had a career informed by tragedy and rebirth. A string of accidents, addictions and personal issues placed him in a difficult relationship with the Malaysian music industry, but second chances came easy. Saleem’s repentant 1998 solo debut Maaf was a moment of redefinition, and the illustrious catalogue of more than a dozen albums that followed elevated him from lost cause to ‘Raja Balada’. It’s fitting that Saleem immortalised the line “Hina jadi mulia” (“vile to pure”) on the Iklim classic “Suci Dalam Debu”.