PETALING JAYA, Nov 17 — Malaysian singer Poovaa has marked a new beginning in her music career with the release of her first Malay single Karya.
Fresh off her run on Michael Bolton’s reality show Asian Dream, Poovaa brought out all the stops for the powerful ballad that tells the story of a romance ruined by lies and empty promises.
Poovaa, whose real name is Poova Sri Rama, told Malay Mail that Karya was the right track to follow-up her equally moving cover of Sudirman’s Warisan that ushered her into the spotlight last August.
“Karya just had the ‘it factor’. The lyrics are so beautifully written, it’s very poetic, and it has such a beautiful melody.
“The more I listened to it, the more I fell in love with it because it had all the drama and the emotion that I wanted for my first Malay single,” said Poovaa.
Set against the lush greenery of Puncak Rimba in Bentong, Pahang, the music video was filmed over an 11-hour shoot that saw Poovaa stepping outside her comfort zone and being more vulnerable with her emotions.
“My producer Gbam felt that I needed to show more emotion and that was hard for me because I tend to be reserved and I always try to remain as composed as I can be.
“My personality also leans towards being more goofy and smiley and to be so serious in the music video really brought out another side of me.”
The music video also brought back Poovaa’s memories of being on Asian Dream, where she and other aspiring singers got to hone their acting chops in a workshop where they learned how to connect with lyrics on an emotional level.
Poovaa won her fair share of fans throughout the competition, which saw soft rock legend Bolton praising her for “setting the bar” for other contestants with her long-standing experience as a singer.
Viewers were outraged when Poovaa was sent home on episode five after belting out a powerhouse rendition of Heart’s Alone, but the shocking elimination has worked out in her favour as many Asian Dream fans continue to cheer her on in her journey.
“I was surprised when I got booted out of the show because I felt that I gave my best performance in that episode.
“But I think that worked to my advantage in a strange way. I have many fans from the Philippines who supported me on the show and are still supporting me with my music.
“I realised that sometimes we have to let things take their own course because you never know how things are going to turn out.”
Fans can look forward to even more music from Poovaa before the end of 2020 as she’s set to release an English single called Loners Club this December.
The song will see Poovaa exploring a more upbeat, pop sound which she hopes will get listeners on their feet and onto the dance floor.
“This song is about being single and happy but suddenly you meet someone who makes you feel all sorts of things and has you questioning yourself.
“After Karya, I want to release something that people can dance to instead of another big, grand song so Loners Club will bring out yet another side of me.”
