Finding her Voice - AISYAH

Standing up for herself, trusting her own instincts and cultivating a confident independence, singer-songwriter Aisyah Aziz is bringing it all together as she charts her own path toward musical greatness.

- Kareen Tee

With a recently launched album of jazzy covers called Pearls, even more new music on the way, and an active Instagram presence that sees her musing on everything from financial independence to journalling, one thing is clear: Aisyah Aziz wants to be seen and heard.

But to get to this savvy, stylish, outspoken version of herself, the Singapore singer-songwriter had to lose her voice. Literally.

Between 2017 and 2018, there was an almost year-long stretch when the head-turning singer could not even talk, much less croon a tune. “I was in the space of transitioning from the old me to the new me,” says Aisyah, now 27. “And I think the uncertainty manifested as anxiety. I could not speak in long sentences, and it hurt so much that I could not even sing for 15 seconds for Instagram videos. I felt like I was losing myself.”

This took place during a time when her musical style was evolving. “I was surrounded by [people] who were not from my world – they were more liberal Malays and more Westernised people, while I came from the conservative side. It was an unfamiliar space for me to be in, but I chose to be there because I felt like it was going to make me grow,” says the Singapore chanteuse, who got her big break when she took part in Malaysian singing competition Akademi Fantasia in 2013.