KUALA LUMPUR: Singer-songwriter Najwa Mahiaddin strongly believes her father will win his battle with the Big C.
In an interview yesterday, Najwa, 32, said her father who is also her biggest fan, Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was “a very positive thinker” who always inspired her.
“When he fell ill, all of us became worried, but he told us it was a ‘test’ and we all must think positively and pray hard,” she said when met Lubuk Bangku D Cabin Cafe in Bangsar Utama here, yesterday.
Najwa added that her father always reminded her that every challenge in life could be overcome with postive thinking and perseverance.
“As a public servant of the nation, he battled many challenges and triumphed. And all along his journey, he showed me by example that I must never give up in pursuing my dreams — this is why I’ve chosen to go global with my music.”
Najwa, the third of four siblings, said her father was in good spirits and confident of winning his battle with cancer.
When asked about her decision to rebrand herself as NJWA early this year, Najwa said it was aimed at making her stand out in the international crowd.
“I actually made the decision late last year when I was recording a duet with Imran Ajmain titled Sentiasa Merinding. My name is pretty long and not easy to remember, so I decided to shorten it.”
Besides, she added, there were already many “Najwas” from West Asian countries on social media.
“NJWA has always been the name I use all this while in Short Messaging Services (SMS) too,” said Najwa who will be performing in four music showcases in Tokyo, Japan over the next two weeks.
Her latest project, a duet with fellow singer-songwriter Khairil Ridzwan Anuar or more popularly known as Loque titled Chinta saw its music video launched at the cafe.
Chinta is a single from Loque’s album Lagu Perang and features gamelan musicians from Pahang’s Royal Gamelan Orchestra.
Muhyiddin, who was Deputy Prime Minister from 2009 to 2015 is undergoing chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer, and recently said he was well on the road to recovery.
He said he was 60 per cent recovered after undergoing a surgery to remove a growth on his pancreas and several sessions of chemotherapy, and was ready to continue working and serving the country.