INTERVIEW  Soulful, blessed with vocal prowess. Najwa Mahiaddin, a 29-year-old talented Malaysian singer-songwriter became the talk of the town last week after belting out her newest single, 'After The Rain' on Facebook.

Her music video featured JUNY and the video has garnered more than 12,000 shares and 150,000 views since Aug 6.

Speaking to Malaysiakini in an exclusive interview, Najwa said  she  always wanted to inspire Malaysians through her music.

“When I first listened to it, I was really touched by the lyrics. I knew I wanted to be a part of it. We sat down and completed the project together with JUNY and our producer, Maveriq.

“We recorded the song in November and the video was shot in December last year. All of us agreed that the main message of the song was about hope and positivity and we agreed to release it in August this year in conjunction with National Day,” Najwa said.

When asked about her wish for Malaysia for the upcoming National Day, she hoped that Malaysians will keep their heads high despite the trying times.

“My wish for Malaysia is for all of us to self-reflect and look within one's self. It requires one to spread to spread the goodness around us,” Najwa noted.

Love for music started young

Najwa Mahiaddin, who hails from Johor, began her journey in music at the young, tender age of three. She picked up the love for music when she saw her elder sister taking piano lessons.

While being the daughter of the former deputy premier Muhyiddin Yassin, she is also widely known for her talent in the local music industry.

“It was fascinating! I’ve always wanted to learn piano like her. That’s how I started piano when I was three. Then I took up vocal lessons at nine years old. Family and friends will always encourage me to sing during gatherings,” Najwa said.

Najwa later took up an engineering course in Australia but her inner love for music changed her mind and she instead pursued her studies at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston.

“After doing some research on various music programmes, Alhamdullilah, I was accepted into Berklee College of Music and graduated in 2012. From then on, I have been active in making music,” Najwa said.

Her parents were initially skeptical with her choice to shift from engineering to music but were finally convinced after seeing her passion.

Najwa also revealed that she has been writing music since her schooldays and has published these on MySpace, one of the social media platforms of the early 2000s.

Bridging the East, West gap

“What I was trying to achieve was basically to try and bridge that gap,  that juxtaposition of the old and new. I noticed that this was something important when I was studying in Berklee.

 
Teaser - Wawancara bersama Najwa Mahiaddin

Teaser - Wawancara bersama Najwa Mahiaddin - "Got To Go"

Posted by Malaysiakini (BM Version) on Wednesday, 12 August 2015

“When people came to me and asked where do I come come from? That made me think and realise that the question was about my traditions in Malaysia. I sang ‘Seri Mersing’ and they loved it,” Najwa said in sharing her experiences of her college days in the States.

'Seri Mersing' was one of the singles in Najwa’s second album ‘Aurora’ which was released in the year 2014. A tribute to her roots in traditional Malay folk music, Najwa mesmerises her listeners with elegant vocals through the singles.

“Looking at where we are coming from, I think it is a good idea to put it in a context younger Malaysians can relate to. They tend to think that traditional music is old and boring.

If you could somehow, somewhere combine the two elements, you can try to make them understand and make it current and contemporary,” she said.

Between singing and her aspirations, Najwa has always been a strong supporter of more collaboration between ‘indie’ (independent) and mainstream singers.

“I have seen a number of collaborations between the two groups but I do wish they can work together to become one.

Understands search for 'true voice'

“They (indie artists) are just as creative as the mainstream ones. They go to the grassroots and they are willing to venture into something new and different.

“I have seen a lot of mainstream artists are very genuine and passionate in their work and both are equally creative in their own ways,” she added.

When Najwa was asked about local young artists who are unable to find their ‘true’ voice and are often said to be imitating others, she said she understands such situations when one first st arts as an artist in the industry.

Najwa pointed out that it takes time for an artist to discover a true voice and the journey is not easy.

“It is something innate for people to gravitate towards the style of their idols and you do not realise this at times,” she said.

In the local music scene, Najwa first gained popularity through her collaboration with Malique from Too Phat in ‘Kau Yang Punya’.

Her first debut album 'Innocent Soul' was released in 2011 followed by her second album 'Aurora' in March 2014.

She also scored a mjor success in winning Best New Artist and Best English Song at the 18th Malaysian Music Industry Awards (AIM) in 2011.

Interview conducted by Al-Abror Mohd Yusuf, Norman Goh and Nadia Azam.