AFTER slowing down her pace in the local music industry for several years, singer and composer NJWA is now embarking on a new chapter in her artistic journey with a more mature phase, including plans to release new works.
The return of NJWA, previously known as Najwa Mahiaddin, comes after about five years of focusing on her family, a period that required her to balance her personal life and artistic career.
“People may think I disappeared, but actually I didn’t. I was just quieter over the past five years after COVID and after having my child.
During that time, I focused a lot on being a mother and trying to find balance between being an artiste and a mum. I really had to learn how to balance both.
“Now that my child is five years old, I feel more comfortable and able to manage both.
There’s time to be a mother and time to work.
Alhamdulillah, so far everything has been okay, and now I feel ready to return with my own new works,” she told Bernama recently.
NJWA, 40, said that although she has not appeared frequently in the mainstream scene, she never stopped creating and has remained active writing songs behind the scenes.
She is now collaborating with several young producers to create fresher and more contemporary works, while also exploring broader musical ideas and sounds in line with the current industry landscape.
“Maybe I have been working with some young and talented producers.
Maybe for now I can’t reveal too much about the project, but I have written new songs.
When the time is right, I can release the new songs,” she said.
Apart from those collaborations, NJWA has also written songs for several other artistes, with the latest being for Ernie Zakri through the single ‘Tak Berlagu’, which serves as the soundtrack for the horror film ‘Khadam’.
Among other artistes who have recorded songs penned by the singer, who won the Best New Artiste award at the 18th Anugerah Industri Muzik, are Anuar Zain, Sheila Majid and Dayang Nurfaizah.
Asked about the change in her stage name, she said the move was made to better suit the increasingly global digital music industry, while also making it easier for audiences to recognise her and avoid identity confusion on streaming platforms, which are now among the main channels for music consumption.
“I shortened my name so it would be easier to recognise and more suited to today’s world,” she said, adding that the change also allows her to move more comfortably in rebuilding her brand identity as NJWA. – BERNAMA
