IT only makes sense for songstress Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza Tarudin to feature her 2-year-old daughter Siti Aafiyah Khalid in her latest music video Kuasa Cintamu, released recently.
After all, the lyrics of the song are penned by the 41-year-old artiste herself.
In a nutshell, the lyrics can be described as a monologue where she reflects on how Aafiyah's presence has been a miracle for her.
Siti also expressed her contentment and the feeling of being complete with Aafiyah in her life.
In the lyrics, Siti expressively mentioned that being blessed with her little daughter after a long wait, has been one of her most treasured gifts from God after 12 years of marriage with businessman Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Jiwa.
"I dedicate Kuasa Cintamu and its music video to my little girl," she says, adding that Aafiyah also makes an appearance towards the end of the 4.32-minute music video.
Making this music video was entirely a new experience for the famed singer.
"It was filmed in a single non-stop sequence, which meant I only had a few seconds for costume change.
"The music video requires me donning two sets of attire. To make it work, I had to wear two sets of clothes, including the inner head covers, on top of each other. And we managed to make the transformation in 11 seconds!
She says filming the one-stop sequence was difficult, more so when her little toddler is also featured.
"Aafiyah was cooperative and able to follow instructions at times. One time, everything was going perfectly from the time the camera started rolling, but nearing the end when Aafiyah was due to be on camera, she did the opposite of what was told to her.
"Aafiyah was supposed to run towards me but that didn't happen," Siti says with a smile, adding that they had to re-take the whole shoot once more.
Filmed in August, it marks Aafiyah's second appearance in her mother's music video, the first being
Comel Pipi Merah which saw her still an infant.
"She was only three days old during that music video, and it was shot at the hospital where I delivered her," recounts Siti.
An instant hit
In less than a week of its release, the official music video of Kuasa Cintamu, composed by Indonesia's multi-talented singer-songwriter Melly Goeslaw, has been viewed more than a million times on Siti Nurhaliza YouTube channel.
It is the seventh music video from Siti's album ManifestaSITI2020, her 18th solo album released in July.
Proving that physical album is still relevant in this digital age, the album sold more than 5,000 copies as of October, qualifying it for a Gold Award from Universal Music.
Consisting of 11 tracks, five were released as singles prior to the album launch. They include
Anta Permana, Terang and 7 Nasihat.
There is no denying Siti's powerful musical aura.
In October, a UK-based international research data and analytics group YouGov revealed that Siti is Malaysia's most admired female individual.
Also in the same month, her music video Siapa Tak Mahu reached a million views under 72 hours.
In fact, the video took top spot for Most Trending Music Video on YouTube Malaysia.
Recently, Siti was announced by Spotify Wrapped as Malaysia's Most Streamed Local Artiste Of The Year (2020).
She was also listed as one of The World's 500 Most Influential Muslims 2021 in The Muslim 500 book published by The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre in Amman, Jordan.
Baby N.2 on the way
After giving birth to Aafiyah in 2018, Siti has always made it known that she hopes to one day gift her Mini-Me a sibling.
During the launch of two new products from her Beausiti label — Beautessence and BeauNest — recently, Siti confirmed her pregnancy rumours to her fans' delight.
"Thank you again to everyone for your understanding and to those who have not stopped praying for me. I am very grateful to have fallen pregnant again," she says, adding that her pregnancy this time around was also achieved via In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF).
Now in her second trimester, Siti says during the first few months of her pregnancy, she experienced fatigue and an uncontrollable outpourings of emotion.
"It must be the challenges of being pregnant in your 40s. Even watching a sad scene on TV leaves me all weepy," she says, adding that she is, however, thankful that there has not been any serious allergic reactions.
Meanwhile, Siti admits feeling concerned about being pregnant during the Covid-19 pandemic.
"The fear is there, especially when pregnant women have higher risks of being infected," she adds.
On Aafiyah's reaction towards the pregnancy, Siti says her daughter is most thrilled about welcoming a new family member.
"I'm not sure if she really understands it but she knows that there's a baby in my tummy and she will kiss my belly every time I ask where the baby is. I've also been showing her the ultrasound photos of the baby," she says.
From storyboard to screen
Taking cue from Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza Tarudin's personal story, director Adriana Tunku focuses on Siti's journey from a young and naive child who turns into a superstar, right up to the birth of her firstborn.
Explaining the idea behind the concept for the Kuasa Cintamu
music video, Adriana says: "If you analyse the lyrics, they are about universal love.
"It can refer to any form of love that exists in our lives, the love for God, the love for one's life partner, and the love for parents and family.
"We went for a broader theme in describing the power of love in one's life. Using Siti's own life story as the main focus for the music video, we try to highlight her journey from childhood to adulthood, and focusing on the various forms of love she experienced."
Adriana adds: "To illustrate her continuous journey, we recorded the entire music video in one sequence.
"This one-shot filming technique requires careful planning as it is recorded from the perspective of a single camera in the same time and space.
"Every little detail involving any changes in front of the camera needed to be carefully planned so that viewers do not realise what is happening behind the camera. To get that perfect 'shot', we had to film it over and over again until we get it right," she says about the creative approach taken.
Producer Razlan Shah describes Siti as the most professional singer he has ever worked with.
"Working with her has been a very valuable experience for our team.
"She was very committed during the making of this music video and gave her best in front of the camera.
"Her humility and professionalism qualify her to be the country's No.1 singer.
"I'm very grateful to Siti for giving our team the opportunity to work with her in this project.
"I'm also glad to have worked with Denhouse production team, Studio Selepas Ribut and the stylists Kel Wen and Abu Shaef Hamza who helped a lot in realising the artistic vision of this music video."
