POWER-packed singer Mila Jirin does not want to waste her talent, and after 10 years of slowing down her singing career to focus on business, she is set to make a strong comeback.
Mila, 37, or Norsyarmilla Jirin, said that singing was always her first love.
The Akademi Fantasia Season Five champion recently released a new single, 'Sandera', complete with an interesting music video which starred her fellow Season Five champion, Sabahan singer-actress Nonny Nadirah Zainuddin.
Music lovers enjoyed the song, and it received lots of airplay on all major radio stations.
Mila said: "I received lots of positive feedback on my social media accounts, and many netizens urged me to return to the recording studio more often.
"In fact, netizens also urged me to get Sandera into Anugerah Juara Lagu (AJL) next year, as it is a power-packed single with a profound message."
'Sandera' is written and composed by Akademi Fantasia Season Three runner-up Amylea Azizan and Mila loves the song as it suits her vocal range.
Thanking her fans for their support and encouragement over the years, Mila said that she was going all out to land on the AJL stage next year.
"Who doesn't want to be on the AJL stage? It's a dream for every singer as a benchmark for how good their work is," she said.
"Amylea's song creates magic for listeners. What's important now is getting all the support we need to bring Sandera to the prestigious chart awards."
Mila promised that she would not stop singing because 10 years of staying away from showbiz in order to build up her wedding planning, catering and beauty products business was "more than enough".
"I recently shared a video on social media where I sang some new songs. Netizens loved it and urged me to make a comeback to introduce myself to new fans.
"Honestly, I've been trying to persuade my husband, Isz Mustapha, for a long time.
"At first, my husband was reluctant to allow me to be active in singing again, as he wanted me to focus on our business.
"My husband finally gave me permission."
Mila said that her immediate goal was to get her new song a place in AJL, by aggressively promoting it on social media.
"I hope to have a larger collection of songs to fulfil my dream of organising a showcase, A Night With Mila Jirin in Kuala Lumpur someday."
Mila said that 'Sandera' meant someone who was virtually held hostage by something beyond his or her control.
"I was delighted to read the lyrics of the song. Amylea is really good at using beautiful language in her work," she said.
"It feels like this song is made for me especially when I am getting more mature with my singing."
She said that the recording process took five hours.
"I guess my years of virtually 'spending the night' in the recording studio have paid off handsomely."
When asked about choosing Nonny for the song's music video, Mila said that she wanted to give space to her good friend to be active again in showbiz.
"Many support Nonny's return to acting. They think she is very talented and miss her as much as I do.
"This is a very good comeback vehicle for Nonny," said Mila.
Mila who hails from Teluk Kumbar, Bayan Lepas, Penang became the first female champion of Akademi Fantasia in 2007.
She has released two albums so far namely 'Persis Mutiara' (2008) and 'Mila Jirin' (2011).
Her famous songs include 'Siapa Tak Pertu Cinta', 'Jika Kau Ubah Fikiran', 'Persis Mutiara', 'Aku Lebih Tahu' and 'Bertemu Cinta'.
Mila is also a talented actress who acted in the movie 'Lu Pikirlah Sendiri The Movie' and 'Kami Hysteria' and the drama 'Kau & Aku'.
She represented Malaysia at the 2008 International Pop Music Festival in Varna, Bulgaria, where she won Best Song for 'Ilham Di Mataku' composed by Ajai with lyrics by the late Loloq.