Rahimah Rahim was, it could be said, born to be a singer and performer. Her father, Rahim Hamid, was a film editor and singer who in the 1950s was known as the Nat King Cole of Singapore. Her mother was the actress Mariam Baharom. An uncle was Ahmad Daud, a popular singer and actor in the 1960s and 1970s.

The eldest of four children, Rahimah was just six when she landed a role in the 1961 film Korban Kasih (Love Sacrifice). Other film roles included Masuk Angin Keluar Asap (1963) and Kasih Ibu (1965) and a Malay sitcom Pak Awang Temberang, and she also sang on several variety shows.

Her singing career got underway when she was about 14 and began to sing with her father at nightclubs. He had to smuggle her in because the clubs were off-limits to children under 18. When there were spot checks, she would hide under the grand piano or run outside. After leaving school in 1971, she regularly sang with him. In 1972 her first extended play, Mana Ibu Mu, was released.

Her big break came in 1974 when she took part in the Kimi Koso Talentime held in Tokyo, Japan. She beat more than 100 singers from across Asia to the top prize, which included a three-year recording contract with Warner Music. Rahimah would have liked to have stayed on in Tokyo, but returned to Singapore at her mother’s insistence.