Sheila Majid shares her thoughts on daughter Kayda’s music, writes Aznim Ruhana Md Yusup
‘GO Hard or Gostan’ goes the title of Kayda’s song with Hunny Madu — gostan being the colloquial term for “go astern”. It’s a hip hop number with a catchy chorus and lyrics like ‘Semua haters I belanja five star holiday, sebab I faham it is the end of the day.’ It’s hard to imagine Kayda’s mum singing something like that. Mum is none other than Sheila Majid, one of Malaysia’s classiest singers. Her lyrics tend to be, shall we say, more elegant.
Sheila admits that she’s sometimes exasperated by Kayda’s choice of words in her songs. “She’ll write something and I’ll say that that is not proper. Can you imagine it? I try to change a word that she’s using and she replies, ‘but it doesn’t sound hip hop, mum!’”
It’s all part of their playful banter. Sheila is clearly proud and supportive of Kayda’s musical choices, different as they may be from her own. Kayda herself grew up in the music industry so she’s well aware of the path she’s taking.
“I used to follow her around to rehearsals and sound checks when I was younger,” Kayda tells me in a separate interview just before the recent Goodvibes Festival. “So there was a lot of running around, a lot of travelling and going to airports. A lot of sneakers and jeans.”
The jeans story is part of the latest campaign by Levi’s called Live in Levi’s, which seeks to document how people’s life experiences have been shaped by denim. Kayda and Sheila were chosen for the campaign. ”Just so you know, I’m wearing my mum’s jeans,” adds Kayda. “Growing up I would see her all the time in jeans, going to rehearsals and meetings. I did not know any other brand but Levi’s.”
Meanwhile, Sheila says her first pair of Levi’s came courtesy of her stylist Chelek, who had it made to fit her tiny frame. “Levi’s jeans are just classic and to me, they’re like the Rolls Royce of jeans,” she adds.
STAGE ACT
For stage performances, Kayda adheres to her mother’s philosophy of putting on a visual show for the audience. She had to cut short our meeting to pick an outfit for the Goodvibes event.
“Hip hop now is very glam and chic. I’m very much into the Beyonce look, with that kind of cosmic outfits with glitter and sequins. I’m also into crazy headgears, the stuff that Lady Gaga wears.”
”For shows and photo shoots, I usually get clothes loaned to me by local designers, so it’s about mixing my style with theirs. For example, Andy Bandy. He does a lot of big shirts and fluffy skirts, so I would add accessories like chunky necklaces, high heels and earrings.”
Sheila says she doesn’t intervene with her daughter’s sartorial choices. “We’re two different genres and I don’t understand what they wear. But I guess she doesn’t understand what I wear either. But I must say that her dressing is not too sexy, she’s not inclined that way. But I don’t know, if one day she dresses up with her behind showing, then I would definitely say something.”
With her 30-year experience as a singer, Sheila believes that it is important to look the part when performing. Michael Ong is her go-to designer for stage outfits and she confessed to being bewildered at some singers’ casual approach to the stage.
“Maybe I’m a traditionalist or old-fashioned but I always feel like on stage, you must have a bit of sparkle. Some of the younger singers, they look like they just came back from the supermarket,” says Sheila.
“Maybe it’s part of their act to look casual, where they say ‘this is me, take me as I am’. But I’m old-school. When you’re on stage, it’s showtime. And that’s what the audience wants to see.”
DRESS DOWN
At other times, both keep it casual. After all, no one goes around in ball gowns or glittery skirts while buying groceries. Kayda wears wedges a lot, mostly because she’s tiny, she tells me. But also because she likes to be slightly taller than mum.
While Kayda likes to accessorise with costume jewellery, Sheila goes for the real thing. Even for rehearsals, she would at least have on a pair of diamond stud earrings. Sheila says it’s something that she picked up from her own mum and sisters, having been dragged to the goldsmith at a young age.
“How long can you look at a bracelet?” was her typical reaction at that time. Nowadays, she reckons that diamonds are a better investment for women, far above designer handbags or even a car.
She likes the idea that her jewellery can be handed down to her children, and even her grandchildren. And she’s pleased that Kayda has started to show interest.
”If we have weddings for instance, she would ask if she can borrow something,” says Sheila.
THE NEW SCENE
As for music, Sheila says she tries to keep up with the contemporary scene. She likes Bruno Mars and is a big fan of the late Amy Winehouse, and she “doesn’t mind” Katy Perry. But, not Nicki Minaj.
She recounted her horror when her daughter played Dance (A$$) Remix by Big Sean featuring Nicki Minaj.
“In my day, everything was symbolic. It’s supposed to be art. Nowadays, the music is not all that memorable. You know when you’re listening to the radio in the car but when you reach your destination, you don’t remember any of the songs,” she says.
Sheila feels that music has become impersonal. It can no longer stir the soul due to audio machines and other forms of technology.
“When people are involved, they will interpret the music according to their emotions. It’s great that we have technology, but we must not forget the fundamental element in art and music is the human touch.”
Celebrating life’s special moments
LIVE In Levi’s is a campaign inspired by the stories of its wearers. It aims to celebrate those special moments, from first dates to first-borns to new jobs and road trips, and how denim has been with us all throughout.
In Malaysia, the campaign looks at personalities as varied as social activist Marina Mahathir, singer Sheila Majid, photographer Chuan Looi, tattoo artist Lynda Chean and illustrator Najib @ Art:Tech.
Marina recounted how she bought her first pair of jeans as a 16-year-old in California, where the sizes were all too big for her tiny Asian frame. Looi likes to wear his jeans on bike trips, favouring them over leather pants.
Chean had her pair of cut-off Levi’s shorts for so long that she forgot whom she got it from. And Najib’s denim jacket reminds him of Back To The Future — one of his all-time favourite movies.
The campaign also highlights Levi’s new Autumn 2014 collection, with the 511 slims for men and Revel jeans for women. Iconic Levi’s pieces such as the 501 jeans, western shirt and trucker jacket have also been updated for the collection.