MALAYSIAN singer-songwriter Haqiem Rusli faced one of his toughest challenges yet during the filming of his latest music video, ‘NostalGila’, when he came down with a high fever — later confirmed to be Influenza A — on the very day of the shoot.
Despite a temperature soaring to 39 degrees Celsius, the 27-year-old pushed through and completed filming into the early hours of the morning, determined not to disrupt the tightly scheduled production.
“The filming experience this time was one of the most difficult and frightening I’ve ever had,” he recalled. “Early that morning, just before heading to the set, I suddenly felt feverish and my body started to ache.
“I thought it was nothing serious and decided to go ahead since all the preparations had already been made at the location.
But by afternoon, I was feeling weaker, and by midnight, I could barely stand it. Still, postponing wasn’t an option — there were costs and commitments to consider. So I pushed myself to continue until about 3 or 4 in the morning.”
Haqiem said his condition worsened the following day as the fever intensified.
“It was one of the worst fevers I’ve ever experienced. I was in so much pain I could barely hold back tears. When I finally went to the clinic, the doctor confirmed it was Influenza A,” he shared.
“My temperature hit 39 degrees. My wife said my body felt like hot metal when she touched me. Thankfully, after about a week, I started to recover.”
‘NostalGila’ marks Haqiem’s first single since taking a break from the entertainment industry to focus on his family. The song also reflects a more mature and introspective side of the singer, exploring deeper emotional and lyrical themes.
Speaking about the track, Haqiem admitted he was not expecting massive view counts on YouTube or streaming platforms, as ‘NostalGila’ is not the kind of light, radio-friendly pop tune that appeals to mainstream listeners.
“For this song, I’m not aiming for millions of views. It’s a heavier piece, with layered meanings and poetic lyrics. Even the title ‘NostalGila’ — a play on the words ‘nostalgia’ and ‘gila’ (crazy) — suggests it’s not a straightforward song. Our main focus isn’t popularity but recognition at prestigious stages such as Anugerah Juara Lagu (AJL) or Anugerah Industri Muzik (AIM),” he explained.
