Local celebrity Marsha Milan, who hails from Tamparuli, Sabah has teamed up with IKHLAS, airasia.com’s Muslim-friendly line of business to uplift the spirits of Sabahans, who have been hit hard by the ongoing pandemic.  

Marsha debuted her new single ‘Insan Tadau’ (One Day) in October 2020, which is also a duet with another Sabahan singer, Velvet Aduk - to express her feelings during this pandemic. As the message in her single is in line with IKHLAS’ objectives to help the communities in her hometown, Marsha pledged her support to encourage more people to donate to the ‘IKHLAS for Sabah’ campaign at ikhlas.com.

The Sabahan songstress shared her thoughts on ‘IKHLAS for Sabah’ recently: 

1. Can you tell us how this joint effort between Marsha and IKHLAS started? 

When Velvet and I were in the midst of producing our song, Insan Tadau (which means One Day in Sabahan), we found out about the ‘IKHLAS for Sabah’ digital donation drive which was taking place at the same time our song was going to be launched. 

I was truly moved by the ‘IKHLAS for Sabah’ initiative as it was meant to help my fellow Sabahans back home, and I want to do my part to help as well although I am unable to return to Sabah for now. 

I hope through this joint effort, the public will be encouraged to donate via ikhlas.com and reach out to as many who need assistance as possible in Sabah. 

2. With your newly debuted song ‘Insan Tadau’, could you share with us what is the song about and how it plays some part through ‘IKHLAS For Sabah’ digital donation drive? 

This song is written with a message to express our longing for someone. It doesn’t matter who we are longing for - family, loved ones and friends who are in Sabah.  

Through this song, I wanted to express my emotions and feelings in this pandemic situation, and most importantly, to inspire Sabahans to stay strong during these hard times. This especially rings true for those who couldn’t return to their hometown at the moment. 

I felt this song is in line with the ‘IKHLAS for Sabah’ efforts, and hope that the song itself can provide some emotional strength for Sabahans who miss home. This will complement IKHLAS’ initiative that provides basic necessities and food for those who need them in Sabah. 

3. What do you hope to achieve from supporting this cause?

From The Land Below the Wind, Sabah that I love and is my birthplace, I would like to say thank you to all NGOs especially IKHLAS for launching this initiative. I hope we are able to raise as much funds as possible to help ease the burden of those who need it the most in Sabah. 

4. What message do you have for the public? 

I would like to advise the public to take care of themselves and their families, follow the SOPs issued by the government and unite together to fight the pandemic.

I would also like to encourage Malaysians to donate via ikhlas.com. All donations will be used to purchase basic necessities and will be distributed to communities in need in Sabah. 

Together, let’s take care of each other. Anyone who is interested to donate can do so via ikhlas.com. 

5. Where can everyone listen to your new single?

Come and listen to our Insan Tadau, my latest song together with Velvet Aduk on YouTube (@Velvetaduk) or you can also find our song on all major music-streaming platforms. 

**** End of Interview with Marsha**** 

Ikhlas Kamarudin, Head of IKHLAS said, “We are pleased to have Sabahan celebrities such as Marsha and Kumpulan Zero joining hands with us to help the communities in Sabah. We are happy to share that our first distribution of basic necessities last week at Pulau Gaya, Papar, Kudat, Tawau and Sandakan Sabah were successful and have covered at least 1,150 underprivileged families. Since the launch of ‘IKHLAS For Sabah’, we have collected over MYR136,974 and as the donation is still on-going, we hope more Malaysians will come together to donate at ikhlas.com.”

Additionally, Kumpulan Zero (Atu, Syarif and Syaiful), a winner of a popular reality competition for comedians also joined hands with IKHLAS to encourage Malaysians from all walks of life to help fellow Sabahans by donating at ikhlas.com.