Kamahl has spoken about being made painfully aware of the colour of his skin after moving to Australia from Malaysia as a young man.
The 86-year-old singer gave a candid interview on Tuesday’s episode of Anh’s Brush with Fame, where he spoke about his experience with racism.
After moving to Australia at the age of 19, Kamahl confessed that it was ‘the first time I really realised that I was black’.
Standing out: Kamahl (right) has spoken about being made painfully aware of the colour of his skin after moving to Australia from Malaysia as a young man. Pictured with Anh Do (left) on Anh’s Brush With Fame
‘Being black was never any good,’ he added, explaining that he took up a variety of sports in an attempt to fit in.
Kamahl confessed that it was many years later that he finally felt accepted thanks to a chance encounter with Prince Harry.
He said he’d been invited to perform at the Invictus Games, where Prince Harry approached him with a huge, warm smile on his face.
Speaking honestly: The 86-year-old singer gave a candid interview on Tuesday’s episode of Anh’s Brush with Fame, where he spoke about his experience with racism
‘It’s the insecurity, the inferiority, that I was black and useless. All of that stored up there,’ he explained to host Anh Do.
‘You know, you don’t forget that. So suddenly, this was like a royal seal of approval. I’m ready to die happy.’
Kamahl added that judging someone based on the colour of their skin is ‘absolute bulls**t’.
‘Being black was never any good,’ he said, explaining that he took up a variety of sports in an attempt to fit in
‘It’s not the colour of your skin, prejudice is a “pigment” of your imagination. At the end of the day it is what goes on inside your head and inside your heart,’ he said.
Kamahl has recently spoken out about how he often felt ‘humiliated’ during his appearance on the TV show, Hey Hey It’s Saturday.
The Malaysian-born singer often found himself the butt of racist jokes during his stint on the long-running variety series.
Reality check: After moving to Australia at the age of 19, Kamahl confessed that it was ‘the first time I really realised that I was black’. Pictured at Doncaster Day in Sydney in April 2009
During a 1984 skit, he was smacked in the face with a powder-puff covered with white powder.
He was then told: ‘You’re a real white man now Kamahl, you know that?’
Kamahl said he found the skit ‘quite offensive’, and confessed friends were upset for him after viewing it.
Controversial: Kamahl has recently spoken out about how he often felt ‘humiliated’ during his appearance on the TV show, Hey Hey It’s Saturday
‘I didn’t realise it was going to be a minefield of sorts,’ he told The Guardian in March of the now defunct show.
‘There were a number of instances where I felt humiliated, but I didn’t want to raise any objections or protest about it. I kept smiling and pretending all was OK.’
Former Hey Hey It’s Saturday host Daryl Somers recently apologised for the racism Kamahl experienced on the show.
‘There were a number of instances where I felt humiliated, but I didn’t want to raise any objections or protest about it. I kept smiling and pretending all was OK,’ he said, pictured with Hey Hey It’s Saturday host Daryl Somers (right)
‘I want to make it very clear that I and all members of the Hey Hey team do not condone racism in any form,’ the 69-year-old said on Facebook last month.
‘I have always considered Kamahl a friend and supporter of the show, so I deeply regret any hurt felt by him as a result of anything that took place on the program in the past.
‘I wholeheartedly support diversity in the Australian entertainment industry and I am committed to continuous learning and development in that regard.’
‘It’s not the colour of your skin, prejudice is a “pigment” of your imagination. At the end of the day it is what goes on inside your head and inside your heart,’ he said