IT can be hard to stand out in a sea of new talent, but young singer Aqeesh Aleeya is up for the challenge and remains in high spirits.
The 20-year-old artiste, whose full name is Nur Balqis Aleeya Shahrom, intends to continue and dares to seek out opportunities no matter what.
She is also grateful and happy to now be able to release her latest track, 'Lelah' (which means tired or exhausted), created by Sharon Paul and Mim Hamzah.
Commenting on her fourth single, Aqeesh said she is satisfied with the ballad that also combines elements of modern and classical music.
"This song tells the feelings of a woman who is exhaused from the bond she has with her partner or lover who always hurts her and ultimately destroys the relationship.
"I noticed that many singles produced before this contain their own unique qualities and for 'Lelah', there's a little difference by including a combination of modern and classical music aspects.
"I admit that I feel quite lucky to be able to work again with a songwriter of Sharon's calibre, which has also been a truly valuable experience for me," said Aqeesh, who also does a little acting and hosting on the side.
She added that she appreciates Sharon's willingness to share her knowledge.
"This was my second time collaborating with Sharon to record a song, and I was happy and calm throughout because she's a good person and I learnt a lot from her. She's also an easy person to work with.
"It's just that I had a small challenge. I was down with the flu the day before the song was supposed to be recorded.
"I also had to rush up to the recording studio in Kuala Lumpur after a lecture at the campus in Negri Sembilan," she said.
Her effort has paid off and Aqeesh is grateful that 'Lelah' has been chosen as the theme song for the 20-episode drama series, 'Rindu Kasih 2', which aired on the Samarinda slot on TV3 in February and March.
"My hope is that 'Lelah' will be accepted by all music listeners with an open heart and that they will appreciate the emotional leanings and feelings that I try to convey in this song," she said.
Published by Nova Music, 'Lelah' can be streamed on all digital music platforms and its music video is also available on YouTube.
Aqeesh, who hails from Selangor, started actively singing since the age of 9 and participated and had participated in 'Bintang Kecil 2013'.
She was crowned as a runner-up in 'Bintang Kecil 2014'.
In 2017, Aqeesh won the online talent search competition 'Bakat Ohsem Malaysia'.
She then released her debut single 'Aku Malu', created by DJ Fuzz and Hez Hazmi, at the age of 13.
This was followed by 'Kau Ada' in 2022, which was a collaboration with Momo of Unknown, who gained popularity with the tune 'Jangan Marah' (Baby Sayang).
Aqeesh's talent and vocal capabilities were noticed by Nove Music, which signed her on and produced her third single, 'Retak' — composed by Firdaus Rahmat with lyrics by Firdaus and Arisz Ab Rahman.
