Malaysia’s newest pop princess returns with the release of her brand new single, not one but two, ‘Anima’ in Malay and ‘Anima Bella’ in English, co-written and composed by female rap sensation, Kayda Aziz, with renowned fellow composers such as Aiman Rijal, Christiana Chai and Alwani Badaruddin, and published by Deep Faith Entertainment.
Prior to the single’s release, the 19-year-old Malaysian-Kiwi singer and dancer had just released another single, ‘Nothing 2 Prove’, showcasing a brilliant contemporary dance number with upcoming male actor, Nadhir Nasar.
Mia started to dabble into singing at the age of fifteen by producing cover songs just for fun with her close friends and everything took an interesting turn when she was later enrolled in professional vocal classes at the Suara Academy by her mother, which then led to the birth of her first single entitled ‘Hujung dunia’, and recently ‘Nothing 2 Prove’.
“At a very young age, I’ve always been so passionate when it comes to singing and dancing, and when these two combined, it’s just pure magic,” Mia shared.
“ ‘Anima’ and ‘Anima Bella’ are both my coming-of-age songs, highlighting the more matured side of me while ditching that teenybop image. Nowadays, I prefer to spend my time experimenting with music in the search for that Mia Lateefa’s signature sound.”
Anima is not another term for Anime, but comes from the Italian word which means ‘soul’ which became the title for her latest dance pop single.
“There’s a line in Anima and Anima Bella that goes ‘Sei la Mia anima gemella’ which translates to ‘Mia, you are my soul’, that’s often uttered by every ‘player’ all around just to make a girl stay with him.
“This song wasn’t inspired by my own personal experience, but to those who have, you guys gotta read through the lyrics and you’ll understand what I’m talking about,” she added.
Music producer, Dua Dua, first gave the music demo for “Anima” to her and it was love at first ‘hear’ for Mia. The rest as they say is history.
“Working with some of the best names in the music industry definitely gave me a boost of confidence while learning a lot at the same time, taking in plenty of priceless experiences that money can’t buy.
“The recording process for Anima and Anima Bella went on smoothly without any glitch,” she said. The music videos (MV) which are launched together with the songs, Anima and Anima Bella come with an intriguing storyline filled with amazing choreography by a professional dancer.
“There will be a two-part MV for Anima, part one and two, and only one for Anima Bella.
“So picture this, a girl’s trust who's been betrayed by her boyfriend is then turned into a ‘fantasy’ payback, she then marches over towards the ‘player’ with her girl posse and starts busting into this energetic dance routine,” she continued.
Apart from singing, Mia is an excellent dancer and has produced an MV on YouTube showcasing her ability to dance beautifully, she mentions:
“Hujung Dunia is a far cry from Anima and Anima Bella because it was a more slow-paced dance pop number compared to my latest tracks which are more upbeat and will make you wanna dance to it.”
“I hope Anima and Anima Bella will make a lasting mark, and leave an imprint in the local music scene. And I too hope that music enthusiasts will enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed making it.”