100 Malaysians, 100 Milestones – LSA100 this year puts actor, poet and singer-songwriter Daiyan Trisha on the stage once again as we celebrate her biggest and most visceral year. With lyrics and poetry as antidotes, she makes up for her broken heart through music with the release of her second album, ‘Lovelorn’ that offers an emotional journey through the complexities of being in love, feeling heartbroken and moving on.
Manifest. It’s been almost full year since we our last conversation with Daiyan – then it was about her poetry book and her yearning to return to music. A few months later, she drops a brand-new album. And just like that, she has her second album Lovelorn out with 11 new tracks discussing the unspoken truths of love and torment.
This year, we see Daiyan as the bigger person. 38 minutes and 5 seconds into her album, at the very end after ‘The End’, I return back to ‘May’ searching for this very line – “It was good while it lasted”. The empath in me has just travelled years back to a poignant memory of broken relationships and lost friendships. I realise once again, how powerful words are, in speech, in writing and in music.
Her songs are genuine and real – most importantly they are relatable. These are not sappy love songs of the 90s or those tunes from the noughties that leave you with empty promises. We enter an era where these songs literally tell you to quit playing games with my heart. Listen to every word in Lovelorn and you’ll get the gist of it.
As she moves the needle in her career path as a multi-hyphenated independent artist – stealthily and truthfully – she is reminded to take things into her own hands. “It’s up to the little details,” she muses. “As an independent artist, I must make sure I take care of every aspect of my artistry and career trajectory.”
And she takes full control on set despite feeling under the weather. Turning up on set, she takes time to understand the brief and concept of the shoot and offers her best self even when she has very little to give. That’s Daiyan Trisha – a true professional, and icon in her own rights.
Here am I, manifesting… that what is written of Daiyan here will at least make a little impact to the master of words herself. Like her writings that have saved her life many times through the ebbs and flows of her tumultuous relationships, we are reminded once again that words can be such a powerful medium that can heal, hearten and hurt at the same time.
Huge congratulations to you on Lovelorn. Tell us a bit about the process of creating that album and what was the inspiration behind it?
Thank you so much. I’m so happy that my manifestation works, and talking about releasing my sophomore album, actually came into fruition. Lovelorn is a product of multiple personal heartbreak stories that goes back from 2019, to mid pandemic era in 2021 to this current year. I also like to think of it as my mature outlook on my own love life, or the absence of it.
Do you think the album showcased your growth as an artist, especially from your first foray into the music scene 10 years ago?
100%. I’m so incredibly proud of myself and proud of the album, it’s definitely the best body of work that I’ve ever released, and I’m happy I get to say that out loud!
We are so proud of you, and genuinely have enjoyed the album. In the music video for ‘My Home Is In Your Arms’ (MIHIYA), you got your co-star in Projek: High Council, Nadhir Nasar to direct it. Share with us the process behind it and working with your peers on such a big moment.
MHIIYA was the first single out of Lovelorn, and having worked on that with my peers was a cherry on top for sure. I wanted it to be a storyline that has a meaning, and that people can resonate to the point that they finally make a decision that could possibly alter their life.
Same goes to the music video of Lovelorn as well, which I made my directorial debut. I love everything about that music video, and how it came out exactly how I imagined, filled with people that I love. Lovelorn is a definite single lady power anthem for me.
What’s your biggest takeaway from that whole process of making and releasing the album?
Making the album was all love, and it felt so meaningful to me, working musically with my producers Kuizz and Raja Nazrin Shah who are two of my most favourite and talented people in the world. It also feels as though I don’t owe anything to myself anymore. Although the release had a few internal hiccups, I realised that, at the end of the day, nobody wants what you want for yourself as much as you do. So go do it, and do the extra mile for you.
I’m now taking things back into my own hands, up to the littlest details. As an independent artist, I must make sure I take care of every aspect of my artistry and career trajectory.
Your song “Pergilah” was featured in the new series Project: Exit — what was it like to return to the universe after Projek: High Council, but this time musically? Share with us that process of making and recording the song for the show’s OST.
I love it so much. The director, Zulaikha Zakaria, wanted me to come on board as one of the roles in the third series. Due to time constraints, I couldn’t make the part and so she was like, “Do you think you wanna write a song for the OST? I think it’d be great to still be part of Projek” and the rest is history. It feels really nice to channel my other artistry in music and weave it together in film.
Now that you’re back to churning music, do you think you’ll get back to writing poetry — or are you channelling your writing skills into music for now? Your songwriting is very easy to vibe with, it flows so well but there’s still such a clear narrative in it.
I’m a writer for as long as I breathe, whether it be through songs, poems, stories, and even film-making in the future… we’ll never know. I’m constantly writing, I just don’t force it out.
Do you have any plans to expand your music internationally, such as an album tour or live show — especially now that Lovelorn is out and well-received?
Definitely. I’m looking to grow and expand Lovelorn because I know there’s a space for it there, it’s all about moving strategically and staying committed to making more songs.
