Although 18-year-old Yazmin Aziz wrote the R&B track Heart & Soul two years ago, the Malaysian artiste never got the chance to release it as a single.
On July 24, Heart & Soul became available on digital platforms including Spotify and Apple Music.
The Help University student – whose dad is Filipino and mum is Malaysian – got to revisit the song when movement control order was placed back in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"It was about that time too that Kris Lawrence reached out to me to do a collaboration," recalled Yazmin of the Filipino American singer-songwriter's participation.
Lawrence then introduced Yazmin to JayR, who is behind the independent record label Homeworkz Records.
"It was all done remotely, with me recording it at home in Kuala Lumpur, Debani producing the track in Libya, and JayR and Kris Lawrence working on the distribution and promotion from the Philippines," shared Yazmin, who had released a Malay track, Lihatlah, in 2018.
She shared that the lyrics, inspired by a previous relationship, conveys her heartfelt emotions when she was in love.
In a press statement, she shared: "Heart & Soul is perfect as a dedication song to your other half especially at weddings and anniversaries."
The teenager first gained fame when she represented Malaysia in a number of singing competitions such as the World Championship of Performing Arts in California, United States, the Global Pinoy Singing Idol in the Philippines as well as the World Karaoke Championship in Tokyo, Japan.
"I am deeply grateful and honoured that I am able to collaborate with internationally renowned producer and artistes JayR and Kris Lawrence, for my first English single," she said of Heart & Soul..
"It may have taken two years since I wrote the song’s lyrics and melody, but it's worth the wait. I hope Heart & Soul will be well received by music lovers in Malaysia and around the world."
Heart & Soul is OUT NOW - Listen to it on Spotify, Apple Music and more! Produced by: @debanimusic Distributed by: @homeworkzmusic Artwork by: @mohdnuky Stream it now, hit the like button and add it to your playlist! Relaxing, Romantic and Sets the mood #HeartAndSoul #YazminAziz #HeartAndSoulYazminAziz #NewSong #NewSingle #NewSongRelease #MalaysianArtist #MalaysianSinger #FilipinoArtist #MalaysianFilipinoArtist #Spotify #AppleMusic #Pop #Lofi #AcousticPop #Deezer #InternationalCollaboration @spotify @spotifyasia @applemusic A post shared by Yazmin Aziz (@yazmin.aziz) on Jul 23,2020 at 1:07pm PDT
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
