S. ROHA – “HIDOP UNTOK CHINTA” (LIVING FOR LOVE)
S. Roha in her younger days as a singer.
Sometime in the middle of last year, my wife and I had a chit-chatting with my uncle’s wife, whose two brothers used to be newsreaders for the Malay channel of the Singaporean television. We asked her if she knows the whereabouts of S. Roha, an iconic pop yeh yeh singer of the late 1960s until the early 1970s. She told us that the singer now lives in Johor Bahru but sadly, she is in poor health condition. Being absent from the entertainment for a long period of time, we can only hope for her speedy recovery.
During my teenage years in the early 1990s, I remember watching S. Roha in a short interview on the same TV channel on an Eid program. Since then, I kept on wondering how popular she was in her heydays. Eventually, my curiosity was answered decades later.
S. Roha was born in Singapore circa 1950 as Siti Roha Chik Tajuddin. In her early involvement in pop yeh yeh music, she used her first stage name Roha Chik and managed to cut an EP on Globe Record with a local band named The Keens. However, such move did not have so much impact on her singing career.
Roha Chik & The Keens: Chinta Pertama (The First Love) roha chik & the keens _ chinta pertama (1967) - YouTube
Roha Chik & The Keens: Mari Gembira (Let’s Be Happy) roha chik & the keens _ mari gembira (1967) - YouTube
Roha Chik & The Keens: Janji Tak Sampai (A Promise Undelivered) roha chik & the keens _ janji tak sampai (1967) - YouTube
Roha Chik & The Keens: Surat Dari-nya (A Letter from Him) Surat Darinya S Roha - YouTube
In 1967, Roha changed her stage name from Roha Chik to just S. Roha. By this time, she was assigned under Olympic Records, in which she cut a split EP with the accompaniment of The Sangam Boys, initially led by A. Aziz Abdullah. The two songs from the said EP, Selamat Jalan (Goodbye) and Gelisah Semenjak Berpisah (Anxious After a Split) became instant hits on both sides of the Causeway.
S. Roha & The Sangam Boys: Selamat Jalan (Goodbye) SELAMAT JALAN - S.ROHA - YouTube
S. Roha & The Sangam Boys: Gelisah Semenjak Berpisah (Anxious After a Split) s roha _ gelisah semenjak berpisah (1967) - YouTube
Beginning 1968, in line with The Sangam Boys’ change of musical genre from pop yeh yeh to Hindustani beat, Roha started singing cover versions of current Hindi film songs in Malay lyrics. The same style was applied in her later recording works with the band until her expiry of contract with Olympic Records in 1969. Meanwhile, she also began to sing in duet with many male singers, such as Syed Hashim Abdullah (the second leader of The Sangam Boys), Salim I., Rahim Jantan, A. Talib, A. Halim, Jeffridin and also her former husband, A. Romzi.
S. Roha’s further recordings with The Sangam Boys between 1968 and 1969.
S. Roha & The Sangam Boys – Hidop Untok Chinta (Living for Love) HIDUP UNTUK CINTA - S.ROHA & THE SANGAM BOYS - YouTube
S. Roha & The Sangam Boys – Aku Di-Fitnah (I Was Slandered) s roha _ aku difitnah (1969) - YouTube
S. Roha & The Sangam Boys – Aku, Dunia Dan Manusia (Me, the World and the Human Being) s roha _ aku dunia dan manusia - YouTube
Songs from S. Roha’s EP titled Janji (A Promise) in 1969, recorded with The Sangam Boys featuring Janji (A Promise), Happy Birthday To You, Roh-ku Kembali (My Soul Returns) and Si-Lunchai (The Boy Named Lunchai).
S. ROHA - Video Files Album EP "JANJI" (1969) - S. ROHA - YouTube
S. Roha also appeared on the TV Singapura entertainment Dendang Ria in 1969, where she performed a song called Pelita (The Lantern), accompanied by the Radio & Television Singapore (RTS) Orchestra led by Ahmad Jaafar. This is my personal favorite of her singing style, where her rendition had improved a lot since then.
S Roha Pelita (1969)(EP)(Piring Hitam) - YouTube
Meanwhile, from 1969 to 1971, she also began to sing in duet with many male singers, such as Syed Hashim Abdullah (the second leader of The Sangam Boys), Salim I., Rahim Jantan, A. Talib, A. Halim, Jeffridin and her former husband, A. Romzi.
S. Roha & S. Hashim Abdullah with The Sangam Boys – Tunggu Saja Oh Sayang (Just Wait for Me, My Dear) s roha & s h abdullah _ tunggu saja oh sayang - YouTube
S. Roha & Salim I. with The Wisma – Oh Salamah SALIM I & S.ROHA - OH SALAMAH (HQ) - YouTube
S. Roha & Rahim Jantan with Band Titiwangsa - Jangan Lupakan Daku (Don’t Forget Me) Rahim Jantan & S Roha - Jangan Lupakan Daku - YouTube
S. Roha & Jeffridin with The Wanderers – Ke Binaria (Going to the Funfair) s roha & jefrydeen _ ke binaria (1971) - YouTube
S. Roha, Faridah Mansor & A Talib with The Wanderers – Ayam Banyak Bini (The Rooster with many Wives) A Talib - Ayam banyak bini - YouTube
S. Roha & A. Romzi – Usek Mengusek Membawa Bahagia Usik Mengusik Membawa Bahagia..A Romzi & S Roha - YouTube
At the end of pop yeh yeh craze, it was reported in that S. Roha began singing in a nightclub. Nevertheless, she also appeared on TV and radio shows, once in a while, besides acting as a small role in the film Mat Tenggek (1979) under the direction of Mat Sentol.
S. Roha in the film Mat Tenggek (1979) directed by comedian Mat Sentol.
In the early 1980s, S. Roha recorded two following Eid songs, namely:
S. Roha – Selamat Hari Lebaran (Happy Eid) Selamat Hari Lebaran - YouTube
S. Roha – Hari Raya Hari Bahagia (Eid is a Happy Day) HARI RAYA HARI BAHAGIA - S.ROHA (60AN) - YouTube
However, with the appearance of more new and young stars, her popularity began to fade. After a long hiatus, S. Roha returned to the entertainment circuit by performing at a giant pop yeh yeh concert in Singapore in 2005.
S. Roha – Janji (A Promise) S ROHA - Janji , Konsert Gergasi 60an 2005 - YouTube
S. Roha – Hidup Untuk Cinta (Living for Love) S ROHA - Hidup untuk cinta , Konsert Gergasi 60an 2005 - YouTube
Due to her comeback, she was invited to perform at a theatre titled “Suzana@60” at the Istana Budaya (The Palace of Culture) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2006, in which she performed her signature hit Janji.
Thanks to such exposure, S. Roha was invited by Life Records (Singapore) to re-record Malay oldies with comedian Wahid Satay (1930 – 2023) in a karaoke album.
S. Roha & Wahid Satay – Sikit Kasi Banyak Mintak (Giving A Litte, Asking A Lot) Wahid Satay & S. Roha - Sikit Kasi Banyak Minta (Official Karaoke Video) - YouTube
S. Roha & Wahid Satay – Sengketa Dan Damai (In A Quarrel and in Peace) wahid satay & sroha - sengketa dan damai - YouTube
S. Roha & Wahid Satay – Cik Mamat Parang Tajam (Mr. Mamat and His Sharp Machete) Wahid Satay & S. Roha - Cik Mamat Parang Tajam (Official Karaoke Video) - YouTube
It is hoped that this humble writing of mine would spark the remembrance of the pop yeh yeh enthusiasts to S. Roha, another queen of pop yeh yeh and Hindustani-Malay songs, whose singing had shaped the 1960s with lots of fun and joy, despite the simple and humble lifestyle of the people back then.
Ghaz, KL
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