MALAYSIAN singing sensation Yuna and Indonesian actress and songbird Bunga Citra Lestari (a.k.a BCL) have finally released their first music collaboration together.
The long-awaited single, 'Watak Utama', sees the two international talents join forces for a 1990's-cum-Y2K-inspired pop song.
The collaboration didn't come out of the blue and had been one that took years in the making.
While Yuna and BCL are acclaimed artistes in their own right, the two also share a unique bond - they are sisters-in-law.
"I initially wrote the song for my last Malay EP, 'Masih Yuna', but I decided to send it to BCL to see if she wanted to work on it with me.
"I thought that it could be a cute song to sing with BCL because a lot of our fans have been wanting us to sing in a song together," said Yuna.
BCL mirrors Yuna's sentiment and the two have been talking about collaborating for years.
"We're sisters (sisters-in-law) and we're both singers. But we've never had a project together and I'm someone that has always adored Yuna and her music" said BCL.
When BCL heard the song she thought, "this is catchy. I can sing this song".
Yuna responded promptly with, "you want?", and the rest was history.
Thrilled at the prospect of this duet, Yuna said: "I'm so happy BCL said yes! For me, BCL is an international artiste who has a certain versatility that transcends genres.
"She's remained relevant and effortlessly exudes a youthful vibe. I knew this song would be perfect for her and her voice," said Yuna.
In its original form, the song was written and sung in Bahasa Malaysia. It wasn't until BCL came on board that she added her verse in Indonesian and artfully married the two languages together.
When asked about the genre of the song BCL admitted that it perfectly sits between Yuna's and her style of music - "It's fun, exciting, catchy, simple and easy listening".
'Watak Utama' harks back to the nostalgic 1990s sound of Malaysian and Indonesian pop music the two grew up listening to.
Produced by Yuna's long-time collaborator and producer, Pierre Jamerson, the song's infectious chorus encapsulates the feeling of falling in love with someone oblivious about your feelings towards them.
"It's funny sometimes when you fall in love and have feelings for someone - this person becomes the main character in your story, you feel like you're the background character.
"Even though it's a song about unrequited love, I love that it's uplifting and upbeat, which hopefully makes people feel excited and embrace the feeling of love and the butterflies you get in your tummy.
"It's cute and should be celebrated regardless," said Yuna.
BCL added that "it reminds me of the type of love one would have had back in their younger days".
When it came time to record, the process was pretty seamless even though Yuna is based in Los Angeles and BCL in Jakarta.
It was just a matter of deciding which part of the songs each would sing and they respectively recorded their parts remotely.
However, due to their differing and demanding schedules, it took nearly a year for them to complete the project.
Their experience through it had also further solidified the pair's mutual admiration for each other not only personally but also professionally.
"I look up to BCL. I see her as my big sister. She's hardworking but knows how to have fun.
"I enjoyed my experience working with her, it's something I will cherish forever," said Yuna.
BCL added: "I was finally able to know Yuna the musician rather than just as my little sister. It isn't like working with just another singer, because our relationship is more personal, it's more special."
The official music video, directed, edited, and produced by Yuna's husband Adam Sinclair, is available exclusively on BCL's YouTube channel.
Check out 'Watak Utama' on all streaming platforms.