Famed singer Zainal Abidin has finally received payment for his performance in the closing ceremony of the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games 2017.

In a statement, his law firm Thomas Philip said that Zainal had instructed them to cease any further action against event management company Memories Entertainment Sdn Bhd.

The singer had previously planned to file a summons against the company.

“Zainal is pleased to announce the outstanding amount has now been paid by the company. Accordingly, Zainal has instructed the law firm to cease any further action.

"While Datuk Zainal is pleased that the matter is settled, he hopes that all other artistes in the SEA Games are paid. This is not a matter of money, but a matter of principle for all the artistes concerned," the statement read.

Zainal was represented by lawyer Matthew Thomas Philip.

The artiste, known for his evergreen song “Hijau”, was previously reported as saying that he felt neglected because he had yet to be paid the balance of his dues two months after the event had ended.

He said that although artistes did not rely on a single source of income, their hard work should have been compensated as per the agreements signed between them and the organisers.

He said he had been informed that the government had appointed a company to deal with the payments for the performers.

The issue of late payment for celebrity performers at the SEA Games closing ceremony came to light when singer-actress Adibah Noor posted about it on Twitter on Oct 28.