Singer Kamahl was one of the very first to perform at the Sydney Opera House, and on the eve of his 90th birthday he's back for a celebration. It's not only a birthday party but the launch of the latest biography about his eventful life titled Kamahl: The Triumph of Hope, by Keith Cameron. The Malaysian-born singer whose real name is Kandiah Kamalesvaran first rose to fame with chart hits in the late 1960s and mid-1970s.
A recording of his first concert at the Sydney Opera House won a swag of awards in 1973. Kamahl was a regular on Australian television during the 1980s, with appearances on the variety show Hey Hey It's Saturday. The book covers high points such as being invited to polo matches with King Charles III (then Prince Charles) but also reveals the horrific sexual abuse he was subjected to as a child.
Kamahl was born in Kuala Lumpur in 1934 and first moved to Adelaide to study in 1953. As a teenager he forced himself to sing at parties to overcome chronic shyness. One of his biggest breaks came in 1958 when he was performing at an Adelaide nightclub, and was spotted by Rupert Murdoch's then wife Pat Murdoch.
The up-and-coming media baron invited Kamahl to stay at his Darling Point mansion for three years as well as finding him work, including singing on the opening night of variety show Adelaide Tonight on his new Channel Nine TV station. There have been some very recent low points for Kandiah Kamalesvaran, after a 70-year career in which he sold millions of records.