Jamal Abdillah

Malaysia’s ‘King of Pop’ has been the soundtrack to the heartbreak of multiple generations. After closing out the 1970s with a Bintang RTM win, Jamal Abdillah’s career truly kicked off and his brand of theatrical ballads defined the excess of the 1980s. It was an era that took its toll personally, but comebacks never came difficult for Abdillah in later years—2017’s “Aku Maafkan Kamu” with Malique wasn’t just a reintroduction to the current pop milieu, it was his redemption arc complete. Like the love sung about in “Kekasih Awal Dan Akhir”, he’s Malaysia’s first and last.