Career

P. Ramlee’s interest in music began at a young age, having formed a band called Teruna Sekampung, Orkes Mutiara and the Bintang Sore.

TerunaSekampong1947

Orkes Mutiara 1946

The “P” in the iconic name came about when he first entered a singing competition in Penang in 1947. He had decided to add the initial “P”, from his father’s name Puteh. P. Ramlee’s father.

At age 18 he put initial "P" at his name

The first song he composed was none other than AZIZAH.  It was written in 1945 and dedicated to his first love which thrust him on the threshold towards stardom. He gave the song its first public airing at an Agricultural Fair in Bukit Mertajam in June 1948.

At that time, B.S. Rajhans, a Singaporean director scouting for talents, and instantly asked Ramlee and his friend Sukardi if they would be interested in a screen test for the Shaw Brothers' Malay Film Productions.

Seizing the opportunity, P. Ramlee had moved to the LION CITY, bringing along with him a thousand and one ideas and hope of artistic achievement.