LOOKING at the title of singer Ezlynn’s latest single without listening to it, one may be forgiven for thinking that is a dangdut song. But it isn’t.
The singer-actress, known for her pop rock offering in her early days as a singer in the Noughties, is keen on upbeat songs.
“Once you’ve listened to Goyang, you’ll know that it is not dangdut,” says Ezlynn. Besides her hit number Hi Hi Bye Bye, she is also known for the singles Pening, Jikalau Aku and Sengsara.
Goyang, released last December, is an upbeat ska number, composed and written by a husband-and-wife team, Farique Nadzir and Adah Kahir.
“I recorded it last February,” adds the 37-year-old artiste, whose last release was Dusta in 2012. The singer ,whose real name is Azline Ariffin, says that the eight-year void was due to her focusing on her marriage and family.
“I believe in giving my all to my songs. Why bother releasing a single if you do it half-heartedly? When I offer a new song, it must come from my heart.”
And on matters of the heart, her return to showbiz comes after her divorce. Her six-year marriage (to her former manager Adam Fahmy Shamsudin) ended in October 2017. Ezlynn felt that it was high time for her to refocus on singing, her lifelong passion.
“I knew that one day I’d return to showbiz. What better time than now?”
SHAKING OFF BAD VIBES
Goyang is intended to brighten up the listener’s mood.
“I don’t like to sing sad songs. We need chirpy songs to lift our lives. What’s the point of wallowing in sadness and then getting even more depressed by listening to mushy sad love songs?
“Goyang means shaking off bad vibes. The message is also to empower women to take control of their lives,” says Ezlynn. The song is an anthem for her to rise and take on new challengese, she says.
It is also her first single as an artiste under Universal Music Malaysia. “I recorded the song first, before looking for a label to distribute it.
“Farique, Adah and I approached several labels and when Universal offered more than what we had looked for, both Farique and Adah encouraged me as it also offered a talent management deal.”
It took Ezlynn only 2 1/2 hours to record Goyang. “I was only given the lyrics a week before the recording. I took time to understand the lyrics,” adds Ezlynn who also provided backing vocals.
The music video was launched last month at Red Box Karaoke at The Gardens Mall, Kuala Lumpur.
Directed by Zalhilman Ismail from The Malaya TV and the creative team from Lokalab, Ezlynn’s new image includes a brightly hued wardrobe and collection of wigs.
“To mark my comeback, I decided on a new image,” adds Ezlynn who has some 50 wigs inspired by her favourite international artiste Nicki Minaj.
“That’s the only thing I can borrow from her image of course. There’s no way I can wear what she does!” she jokes.
Goyang is vailable on all digital platforms like Spotify, iTunes, KKbox, Deezer, Joox and Apple Music.