Khai Bahar Essentials

By his mid-20s, Malaysian singer/actor Khai Bahar could already count a slew of awards on his mantlepiece as he stormed TV screens and made melodic inroads as a heart-throb with substance. From humble beginnings busking in Kuching to exploding onto the Southeast Asian stage, he’s captured imaginations with his feel-good, spirited religious psalms (“Cinta Syurga”) and playful, bilingual body-spray commercial theme “Langkah Berkeyakinan”. But he also excels at lovelorn odes like “Dari Jauh Saja”, with its quivering violin and keening guitar.