Oh Hady, is this goodbye?

It has been a quiet year for Singapore Idol 2 winner Hady Mirza.

He hardly performs, and his last single, Betapa Berat Cintaku, was released in June last year.

The five-time nominee was absent from the recent Anugerah Planet Muzik, an annual awards ceremony honouring talent in the regional Malay music industry.

Fans also noticed that his social media activity on Twitter, where he used to frequently interact with them, had declined.

His last music-related tweet was in July, when he re-tweeted a post by Hype Records about a video featuring him and fellow Idol Taufik Batisah.

The sporadic tweets that followed were about a youth group, FRHM Youth, and its activities.

These sparked rumours that the 33-year-old was retiring from the music industry.

A Berita Minggu article last Sunday laid these rumours to rest, revealing Hady's commitment to FRHM Youth, together with religious figure Ustaz Fahrur Razi Kiayi Kassim.

When we tried to reach Hady and Ustaz Fahrur Razi, we were told that Hady was busy with events and overseas trips and that Ustaz Fahrur Razi was also not contactable as he had a packed schedule.

But Hady was spotted playing at Punggol Sports Hub during an FRHM Youth futsal session on Wednesday. When he stepped out in between games, he was ushered to the back of the sports hub by Ustaz Fahrur Razi.

Fifteen minutes later, Hady approached TNP with a smile on his face.

He politely declined to be interviewed and excused himself to rejoin the futsal game.

Hady's artist management company, Hype Records, also declined to comment on his behalf, as it was "a personal matter".

But its director Ken Lim, 49, confirmed that Hady is still signed to them and their working relationship is "still very healthy". He said Hady's new direction is no surprise as Hady had brought it up a few months ago.

Lim said: "He wants to focus on other things for the time being. We have to respect that, it's a sabbatical. He's trying to find other purposes and that is understandable to me. I'm very supportive.

"Whatever makes a person happy, we must always be supportive. It looks like this is what he truly wants to do."

Hady is signed to Hype for a few more years, but Lim was unsure when Hady would return to music. He stressed that Hady's current direction is "more important than contractual agreements" and that "it will make him not just a better person but a better artist".

Everything has been put on hold, Lim said. ' Hady has released two albums - Hady Mirza (2008) and Sang Penyanyi (2009).

His fans and friends said they saw it coming and expressed support for his decision.

Ria 89.7FM radio DJ Aura Shai, who was "pleasantly surprised" when she found out, said: "There were a few events for which we wanted to ask Hady to perform or attend but he was unavailable.

"He was low-key on social media and there were no replies on WhatsApp. About two months ago, we saw the transition coming when we spotted an FRHM Youth-related ad with him on it."

She said his last performance for a radio-related event was at last year's Anugerah Planet Muzik, when he sang Betapa Berat Cintaku and a duet of Sheila Majid's Lagenda with Malaysian singer Shila Amzah.

Ms Nur Hudah Alwi, the administrator of Hady's Facebook fanpage HapyHadys, said she is "happy that he wants to do good things".

"But as a fan, I'm disappointed that he didn't come out to say that he won't be singing for a while," said the 25-year-old teacher.

"Instead, he just went silent - it's unfair to us."]

Another fan, 24-year-old child development assistant Nuraini Jumat, said: "He is still my inspiration and idol. He is doing something good and is still as humble as he has always been."

I'M FOCUSED ON YOUTH: HADY

In a Berita Minggu (BM) report on Sunday, Hady explained that he has taken a break from entertainment to be a youth mentor and motivator.

"I will not say I have retired from singing. Just let me focus on this cause," he said.

He first met local religious figure Ustaz Fahrur Razi Kiayi Kassim when he performed the umrah (minor pilgrimage) with his parents in June.

About three months ago, the duo formed FRHM (from their initials) Youth, which organises religious classes every Wednesday and Saturday as well as group activities like cycling and futsal sessions.

More than 600 youth have joined.

"It's worrying to see and read about youth crimes and vices. The negative influence is very strong. Before anything bad happens, as far as possible, this club aims to guide youth towards the right path," Hady told BM.

Hady's fans were surprised to see their idol at religious classes.

"They still see me as Hady Mirza the Singapore Idol or Asian Idol. They could not believe their eyes. It's okay, as long as they are on the right path," he said.

For more information on FRHM Youth, go to its Facebook page or call 6341-7191.

ashikinr@sph.com.sg

- Additional reporting by Azim Azman

Get The New Paper for more stories.