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#Showbiz: Aishah's new single hits home

GETTING the right lyrics for her new ballad from one of the country's renowned lyricists is one thing.

But to really get them to hit home makes for a pleasant welcome.

The lyrics in singer Datuk Aishah's new song,

Ketentuan Takdir is penned by none other than renowned lyricist Datuk Habsah Hassan, who is responsible for many hits by Sudirman Arshad, Noorkumalasari, Anita Sarawak, Francissca Peter, Datuk Jamal Abdillah, Datuk Siti Nurhaliza and Misha Omar, among others.

"The lyrics are well written and moving, very introspective and have deep meaning. And they described my feelings at the time," says Aishah, whose real name is Wan Aishah Wan Ariffin.

"It is as if Habsah has a sixth sense. When I received her lyrics, news about my failed marriage wasn't out yet. And here I was reading the lyrics which talked about fate, the anxiety within one's heart and emotions," recounts the 57-year-old songstress, who went through a divorce in December.

Aishah says Ketentuan Takdir is like a four-minute story about the adversity she faced.

"There is definitely something different about this song (composed by Chevy Amri and arranged by Azlan Abu Hassan), which will give listeners a new and unpredictable sound.

"When I received this song, I was drawn to the tune and found how fitting the song is with the sombre lyrics."

Aishah says sometimes one hears a wonderful song with a good melody, but it falls short when the emotions are missing.

"I suspect this is because the singer has failed to get listeners to feel the emotions in the lyrics. So to me, the storytelling is obviously missing in the delivery part.

"In order to sing well, a singer should have the ability to understand the 'plot' in the verses.

"Only then will he or she be able to perform the song and narrate the story to the listeners well. It's a challenge all singers face," she says.

Despite having been a singer for more than 35 years, Aishah admits there is always room for improvement when it comes to her song delivery.

"I always strive to do better in all my performances. I hope I've done some justice in interpreting this song," shares Aishah, who hopes that listeners will also get the message in the lyrics.

Facing obstacles

The recording process for Ketentuan Takdir went well, says Aishah, except the day when she had to travel to the studio to record her song.

She faced obstacles on that fateful day last December when heavy rains were wreaking havoc in the Klang Valley.

Travelling from her home in Ampang to the studio in Puchong would usually take 40 minutes, but she only reached her destination after more than two hours being stuck in awful traffic. This was due to the closure of several roads that were inundated.

"I was supposed to begin recording at 8pm, but only arrived sometime after 10pm. And all drenched too," recounts Aishah, who wrapped up recording two hours later.

No drastic changes

Aishah adds that while she wants the song to be a little different from her previous work, she admits the changes should not be too drastic.

"As someone who has been singing for more than three decades, I need to offer music lovers something different.

"But it can't be too drastic a change either. Fans who have been supporting me all this while may not like it if the song is totally different from my signature sound.

"Back then, singers would have their own unique sound, which is distinct. It is that uniqueness which makes singers in the past easily recognisable," she explains.

"So while I want to give something new, I still need to balance it with my signature sound," says the singer, whose upcoming

Aishah & MPO: A Symphonic Rendezvous concert is slated for Aug 6.

While thrilled to perform with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Aishah is a little disheartened because her show is coinciding with the concert by popular singing siblings Ziana and Anuar Zain.

"I really want to go and watch them in action," shares Aishah.

"After a long hiatus from the stage due to the pandemic, it would have been better if our schedules didn't clash.

"After all, we are not trying to compete with each other and most concert-goers are all the same people," laments the award-winning artiste, who was also the Gegar Vaganza 4 champion in 2017.

Ketentuan Takdir is available on all digital platforms, such as Spotify, JOOX, Apple Music, DEEZER and YouTube Music. The music video can be viewed on Universal Music Malaysia's YouTube channel.

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