Ahmad Ja'afar was a Malay pop icon who came to Singapore in 1946 and embarked on an eventful career that saw him become the famed conductor of the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation Orchestra and a prolific composer of many well-loved Malay songs in films including the titular song for P. Ramlee’s Ibu. Dubbed the "Father of Modern Malay Pop", Ahmad was honoured with the Meritorious Award by the Composers and Authors Society of Singapore in 1996 and the Cultural Medallion in 1981 for his contributions to music in Singapore.

Born in Binjai, Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), Ahmad Ja’afar was the son of silent-movie operators. A young Ahmad first learnt to play the bugle as a boy scout in school, then moved on to the piano, violin and drums which he played in various cinema orchestras, performing also in his parents’ silent movie cinema.

As a teenager, Ahmad learned the violin from his uncle, and then joined the Medan Amateur Orchestra which comprised Indonesians and Dutch musicians performing a variety of music from brass band music to symphonic band music. During the Japanese occupation of Indonesia in World War II, the orchestra was prohibited from performing and thus disbanded. Ahmad and several former band mates then formed a new group that performed Malay and Japanese music.

When the war ended in 1946, a 27-year-old Ahmad decided to leave Indonesia. Accompanied by his wife, he travelled by boat to Singapore buoyed by the dream of working at the newly established radio station Radio Malaya. Arriving in Singapore, he first worked as a saxophonist with the Cecil Wilson Band playing at the Great World Cabaret. Two years later, he joined the Harry Hackmayer Band at the Cathay Restaurant. He also played in the Raffles Orchestra led by Gerry Soliano.

In the 1950s, almost a decade after he had arrived in Singapore, Ahmad clinched his dream job. He took on a part-time position with Radio Malaya, composing musical soundtracks for Malay film companies such as Cathay-Keris Studios. It was there that he wrote famous evergreen tunes such as Selamat Hari Raya and Ibu. He became a full-time employee at Radio Malaya in 1958, and began performing with his first professional orchestra, Malayannaires, in which he played the clarinet, flute and tenor saxophone.

When Singapore became independent in 1965, Ahmad was appointed deputy conductor of the newly established Radio Television Singapore Orchestra. Two years later, he became its conductor, a role he would play through the broadcaster’s transformation into the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation in 1980 and until his retirement in 1982. In this period, Ahmad arranged music for Talentime contestants, and continued writing Malay pop music. After his retirement, he continued in his passion for music by being a trainer and advisor to various school bands in Singapore.

Ahmad was honoured with the Pingat Pendatbiran Awam (Gangsa) (Public Administration Medal [Bronze]) in 1970 and the Meritorious Award by the Composers and Authors Society of Singapore in 1996. In 1981, he received the Cultural Medallion for his contributions to music in Singapore.

Ahmad passed away in 2009 in Singapore at the age of 89. He is remembered as a beloved Malay music icon whose repertoire consists of over 60 original compositions, many of which are still popular today. His song Selamat Hari Raya continues to be heard every year during Hari Raya.