By RIZAL JOHAN (www.thestar.com.my)

23 March 2003

IF you’ve been growing up with local TV compere Sarimah Ibrahim over the years, you would have already known that the petite presenter has done more than host the kids@7 show which is aired over Ntv7 on weekend.  

She has dabbled in, among other things, local TV dramas and films and has even released a self-titled bilingual album in 2001. And there are those who know Sarimah, besides her many talents, for her natural good looks which resulted in her being voted as one of the 100 Sexiest Women in men’s magazine FHM.  

The Dublin-born Sarimah, who is of Irish/Malay parentage, has been consistently acknowledged for her various career endeavours, whether it is hosting, acting, or singing. She was nominated in 1999 for best supporting actress for her role in the film Puteri Impian 2, voted by readers of local daily Berita Harian as Most Popular Ntv7 Personality and won the best new artiste award in Anugerah Industri Muzik 2001. 

Is it any wonder then that she received Anugerah ERA’s most hopeful new artiste award last year, which was voted again by the decisive public? Hopeful though the public may be, Sarimah has decided to put a cork in her musical direction for the new year and concentrate on her ambassadorial role for Lexmark computer printers, acting in movies and hosting a new talk show.  

The popular host explained in a one-on-one interview that her contract with her record label had ended and that she was interested in doing different things.  

SARIMAH: "I am supposedly influential among youth and if that's true, then I would like to use my influence and try to do something with it."

“My contract with (label) Positive Tone has ended and we’ve parted on good terms so I’ll be focusing more on my promotions for Lexmark and movie roles,” she said.  

But why stop with the music making?  

“Singing was an experiment for me, I just wanted to find out if I could do something different. I have other aspirations and if I feel tied down, it’s better to just cut the strings. Besides, there’re more important things in life than singing.” 

Sarimah also adheres to what her fans say about her, and they told her that she is better at acting than singing.  

As such, local cinema goers can expect to see the lively lass in director/producer Datuk Yusof Haslam’s latest offering, Janji Diana, which is due for release in July.  

“I received a call from Datuk Yusof Haslam (last) July and he asked if I was free, I told him yes and he sent me the script. 

“I read the script and later told him (Yusof) that there are changes I’d like to make and he told me ‘you can do what you please,’ and I eventually changed a lot from the original script,” she recalled. So much so, director Yusof started calling Sarimah “penyamun” (thief) during principal photography. 

And what was her role in the movie? Why, a bad girl no less. 

“I play a villain and my character smokes and drinks,” she revealed.  

Sarimah pointed out that her bad girl role is not a representation of herself. 

“The character I play is totally different from who I am,” she asserted. 

Her overall experience of being involved with Janji Diana was an enjoyable one and she was impressed with Yusof’s direction. 

”I had a lot of fun working on the film and Datuk knew what he was doing and what he wanted for the film,” she said. 

Sarimah is also working on another local movie, yet untitled, which is due out this year.   

The other new opportunity for the TV presenter is hosting a talk show on RTM, which is targeted at youth. She described it as a cross between The Oprah Winfrey Show and Larry King Live. 

“I am supposedly influential among youth and if that’s true, then I would like to use my influence and try to do something with it,” she said. 

The talk show, which is called Malaysia 20/20, is scheduled for release in the middle of the year and, at the time of the interview, she said that her first guest for the show would be Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad. 

“I’d like to rack their brains on-air,” she said of her would-be guests and her approach to hosting the show. “I can’t be as open, of course, but I would like the show to delve into, say, what is happening in our Government. I think a lot of youth don’t really know what and how our Government functions.” 

Sarimah’s relationship with the youth will continue outside of TV with her ambassadorial duties for Lexmark printers. Although she was chosen as Lexmark’s ambassador sometime in the middle of last year, her promotional duties for Lexmark have only just begun with the first of a series of community service projects starting with Pusat Penjagaan Kanak-Kanak Cacat Taman Megah in February.  

“What I’ll be doing for Lexmark is to educate people in Information Technology (IT),” she said. Besides children’s homes, Lexmark are also planning to approach local colleges and get students to be creative through IT. So don’t be surprised if Sarimah drops by your college or one near you. 

So, the question remains, is there anything Sarimah cannot do? 

“I’m just 25 years old; I’m entitled to a lot of things. I want to see what I can achieve in life. I believe you can aspire to anything as long as you are humble, modest and honest in what you do.”

Irish Girl's Very Big in Malaysia

By PADDY CLANCY (The Irish Sun)

2 October 2002

Meet the most famous Irish woman in the East... top Malaysian pop babe Sarimah Ibrahim.

The 24-year-old delighted Mary McAleese yesterday by greeting the President in a broad Kilkenny lilt.

Sexy Sarimah is a household name in Asia with chart-topping songs, a smash telly show, five movies and a host of TV ads under her belt.

But after meeting Mrs McAleese during her four-day State visit to Malaysia, Sarimah wistfully admitted she has yet to fulfill her biggest dream of all- to make it big back home in Ireland."I regard Ireland as my home," explained Sarimah. "I go back about five times a year to visit my gran and other relatives in Kilkenny."

Sarimah was born in Dublin and spent some years in Wesley College. But she also spent alot of time with gran Elizabeth Hamilton in Kilkenny, where she picked up her accent.

Sarimah's Irish mum, Malaysian dad and three younger brothers now live in Dubai. But the raven-haired singer is based in Malaysia after being "discovered" by a model-agency talent scout seven years ago.

She has since become Asia's most familiar face in TELEVISION COMMERCIALS.

A move to the big screen soon followed. She has stared in five Malaysian- made Bollywood FILMS and has already won an acting award.

Sarimah also hosts a Saturday children's TV SHOW - like The Den on RTE - watched by almost three million youngsters.

And after launching a pop career in the last year, Sarimah has just been voted BEST NEWCOMER in Asia's equivalent of the Smash Hit Awards.

Her self-penned debut single You Yold Me reached No2 in he charts, while her second song Sunshine - also written by Sarimah - reached No1 and won a Malaysian GRAMMY.

Her ALBUM, Sarimah, also made No1. And she has appeared more times than any other Asian superstar on showbiz and fashion MAGAZINE COVERS in the region.

The Asian edition of lads' mag FHM voted her among the 100 SEXIEST WOMEN in the world.

Now she's tackling the Indonesian market and other Asian countries are also being lined up. But the break-through she most longs for is in Europe.

After meeting Westlife during their Far East tour, Sarimah wrote to music guru Louis Walsh asking for help. But she sighed: "I haven't heard back from him. I know he was very busy on Popstars: The Rivals at the time so maybe he didn't get to see my stuff.

"But I really, really would love to make it in Europe."

Sarimah tinggalkan tugas Inspektor

10 November 2003