Singing lawyer gets his wish

THE most important quality of a performing arts exponent is twofold – singing and performing with equal prowess.

“Having a good voice alone is not enough. You must also have the performance adeptness and finesse. They go together with the vocals,” said Aloysius Cornelius Susek, fondly known as Aloy, who bagged two medals – silver and bronze – in the Senior Vocal Category of the 21st World Championships of Performing Arts (WCOPA) in the US.

He said this not only applied to professionals but anyone who loved to sing and perform.

The 28-year-old lawyer of Melanau descent with a passion for singing and the per-forming arts has always dreamt of representing Malaysia in WCOPA, and this year, he finally got his wish when he was selected for the event in Long Beach, California.

Aloy’s musical journey started at nine when he joined the church choir.

“I grew up in a very musical environment. The other family members do sing  but mostly in private. I’m the only one singing in front of a public audience.

“I started singing actively at 13 – right after my voice cracked. I almost gave up but thank goodness, I didn’t,” he told thesundaypost.

He said a singer-performer faced many unexpected obstacles.

“When a show or competition is coming up and you suddenly get a sore throat, feeling uneasy and get cetera kicks in. So you need to watch your health to perform at your best,” he explained.

Aloy, who is always excited about what a new day might bring, gets even more excited when he thinks about the direction his award-winning performance in Long Beach could take him.

“I have achieved the latest goal on my list — which is representing Malaysia in the World Championships of Performing Arts. Now, I will have to focus on another goal — to conquer the world,” enthused the singing lawyer from Miri, who currently lives in Kuala Lumpur.

Aloy, who idolises the legendary Whitney Houston, was already showing the potential to be a top singer-performer as a teenager competing in various local contests.

He loves singing and performing in different genres but pop, R&B (a music form combining elements of rhythm and blues, soul, funk, hip hop and dance), country and opera are his favourites.

The Better Half Kapamilya Fans’ Day in Kuala Lumpur was among the popular events he performed in this year — apart from the Miss Kuala Lumpur 2017 Grand Finals and the Charity Tea and Dance Masquerade, organised the Federation of Filipino Association in Malaysia in aid of the victims of the conflict in Marawi City.

“My greatest achievement so far is representing Malaysia in the 21st WCOPA where I won two medals,” said Aloy who works on his vocals with a coach every day.

It was the first opportunity he had of representing the country in the event and he is happy to have made Malaysians proud.

He had also taken part in the Malaysia-level Championship of Performing Arts over the past four years.

He thanked his sponsors and his fans for believing in him as he embarked on his quest to represent Malaysia in WCOPA 2017.

Malaysia takes part in this event every year and has bagged a number of awards in the various categories. In 2014, another Sarawakian, Dewi Liana Seriestha, won several medals, including gold for Classical Opera. Other successful participants include Nisa Addina, Tuku Kame band, Bob Yusof, Jerry Kamit and Saufi Aiman.

Aloy, who loves writing songs, is looking forward to producing his own single, and perhaps, an album, to express his gratitude to his fans whom, he said, never failed to give him their “support, love and prayers”.

“I am meeting a music producer soon and hoping everything will go according to plan. I am driven to be the best at what I do. I want to be a singer who can perform a broad range of genres,” he added.

Aloy advised all aspiring singers to live their dreams and never give up.

“This may sound like a cliché but it’s the truth. Failure and rejection are only the first steps to success.”