Indonesian artiste Bunga Citra Lestari was unable to hold back her tears while singing 12 Tahun Terindah during her Blossom Intimate Concert at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre last Friday (Jan 27).
According to Bunga, 12 Tahun Terindah was a very difficult song to perform as it was written as tribute for her late husband, Malaysian actor Ashraf Sinclair, who passed away from a heart attack in February 2020.
“I have never performed this song live in Malaysia. Even in Jakarta, I couldn’t bring myself to sing it at every event as I needed great strength to do so,” the 39-year-old said at a press conference last November.
The stage for 12 Tahun Terindah was very intimate, featuring a slideshow of photos of Bunga together with her late husband. The singer could be seen wiping away tears mid-performance.
Despite feeling emotional, Bunga shared that she wanted this song to be remembered not as something heartbreaking, but as a tribute to Ashraf.
“Tonight, I want to share with everyone here the beautiful moments I made with Ashraf for the past 12 years. I want this song to celebrate the 12 years of happiness Allah SWT has blessed me with,” she explained.
The Cinta Pertama singer also admitted that returning to Malaysia was a nerve-racking experience as she made lots of beautiful memories since meeting Ashraf here in 2007.
“I was actually quite nervous because returning to Malaysia isn’t something easy, but it’s a moment that I’ve been waiting for as it’s my second home,” she said.
Bunga performed over 20 songs at her two-hour concert, including Cinta Sejati, Sunny, Menghapus Jejakmu and Saat Kau Pergi.
She also surprised the audience after inviting her 12-year-old son, Noah Aidan Sinclair, to perform with her onstage for the closing song, Dance Tonight.
The concert was attended by Ashraf’s parents, Mohamed Anthony John Sinclair and Khadijah Abdul Rahman, and his sister Aishah Sinclair.
Bunga tied the knot with Ashraf in November 2008. The chemistry the couple shared was so palpable that in 2012, they won the “Favourite Couple” award at the Yahoo! OMG Awards.
