to the main road to set up a small stall. She commented that all the hardships have not only helped her to be more frugal when spending, but also to be more confident when communicating with the public. She also jokingly said that the whole experience has helped to improve her vocal skills as she has to shout to call for customers. Apart from participating in singing competitions, she also used to follow her uncle, Abdul Rahim Bachik, to invitational shows like wedding ceremonies and dinner parties, which have helped to expose her to performing live. Although she has a good SPM results, Siti Nurhaliza decline to pursue her tertiary education to focus on her music career. Career Early commercial success (1995–1996) Siti Nurhaliza's family performed at many public local ceremonies in their hometown, such as weddings and public soirées. At the age of 2, Siti began to learn traditional songs from her mother and went on performing the same music genre during special occasions and events. She was also the vocalist for 'Family Group', a small band founded by her uncle, Abdul Rahim Bachik. She started to improve her singing skills by participating in numerous local singing competitions. When she was 14, she went for the audition for Asia Bagus but failed to go through. Despite her frustration, she did not give up. Two years later, she participated in 1995 RTM Bintang HMI competition at the age of 16 where she auditioned with a song made famous by Ruth Sahanaya, Kaulah Segalanya. In the competition, she met Adnan Abu Hassan, the music composer who tutored and helped her with her vocal performance, before she finally won the contest with the song by Aishah, Camar Yang Pulang. She signed a contract with Suria Records thus rejecting four other offers from different international recording companies, including Sony Music, BMG Music and Warner Music. In 1996, Suria Records released her first eponymous self-titled debut album, and the first single, Jerat Percintaan won the 11th Anugerah Juara Lagu In that year too, she won Most Popular Television Entertainer, Most Popular Female Singer, Most Popular Teen Artiste and the top award Most Popular Star in Anugerah Bintang Popular 1996. Career development (1997–1998) In 1997, Siti started to become a well-known figure in Indonesia's music industry when her story appeared in one of the most popular magazines in Indonesia, POS Kota, in April 1997's edition.