Jazz and pop singer, actress and TV talk show host Anita Sarawak was born Ithnaini binti Mohamed Taib on March 23, 1952, in Singapore. The only child of actress Siput Sarawak and actor / director S. Roomai Noor (who separated when she was young), she began her performing career at the age of 15 when she would perform at public functions such as weddings. She came to prominence in 1969 when she released her debut album, With a Lot O’ Soul, at the age of 17. During the 1970s, she performed outside of Singapore and would actively promote tourism for Singapore when she played live in places such as West Germany, Monte Carlo, Hawaii, New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. Anita Sarawak continued to release a series of albums in her homeland and Malaysia including La La La Lu (1972), Between Me and He (1974), Peace (1982), Cinta Nan Satu (1990), Another Dimension (2005), and others. There have also been several compilations released over the years including Nada Pesona (2017). While maintaining a healthy recording career in Asia, she also acted in several films between 1956 and 2006 and appeared in two TV series, a made-for-TV movie, and hosted three talk shows between 2003 and 2009. Anita Sarawak retired from the entertainment industry in 2011 and relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada. After years of rumors of illness, death, and divorce, she briefly resurfaced in May 2022 to reveal that she was alive and well and enjoying retirement.
