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“The word ‘penat’ itself carries a universal meaning and is inclusive of everything we’re all feeling at this point of time. It isn’t patah, pedih or sakit but simply penat.” – Daiyan Trisha
Over and over again, we’ve heard countless people say they’re penat in the past 18 months. Be it in terms of the current pandemic, never-ending issues at work and in life, financial worries, love and relationships, our country’s political situation and then some; almost everyone we’ve crossed paths with would most probably have said that they’re all kinds of tired in their own way.
Hands down to Daiyan for going the extra mile to produce a song called Penat which many of us would have heard by now and been able to relate to instantly. Written and produced by Daiyan herself with the musical arrangement done by fellow artiste, Kuizz, the song revolves around a heartbreak that the singer/songwriter went through recently. In a short chat with Daiyan, she revealed to us everything about her latest release… and more.
What was the inspiration behind Penat and what made you decide to release it?
“To start off, I went through a tough phase when I broke up with my ex during this pandemic and that incident was my main source of inspiration for Penat. The word ‘penat’ itself carries a universal meaning and is inclusive of everything we’re all feeling at this point of time. It isn’t patah, pedih or sakit but simply penat. It’s a meaningful word for me and it can be used by everyone who’s going through their fair share of burden during this time. It’s a form of emotion that’s so deep that it hurts a lot and I did have my fair share of emotional breakdown as well.
When I felt the need to record the teaser, I wanted to put it out there for everyone to know that although I look like I’m doing well on Instagram, it wasn’t the reality of what I was going through. This song was meant to treat my broken heart as writing is one of the many ways for me to heal in any situation; it’s a coping mechanism and like oxygen for me.
There are times when I write to feel better. That’s how I went to my piano and started to write this song to cope with the pain that I was feeling. While the heartbreak was one of the factors, the other reason I came up with this song was because it’s a feeling that everyone’s going through. Even though we’re stuck at home, everyone’s energy on social media can be easily felt, and just by looking at everyone’s expressions and understanding how everyone felt, I knew that I needed to do this.”
What was the process of producing the song like for you during this pandemic, and how long did the entire process take?
“This is something that I wanted to share with everyone. Penat is the first heartbreak ballad in BM that I’ve released and although before this there were other ballads, it was never about a heartbreak. To my surprise, I realised that songs that revolve around heartbreak are very popular in Malaysia. The question of why I didn’t do this earlier did cross my mind but it just so happened that Penat is my first. To be honest, it was one of the hardest songs I’ve ever written. I finished writing it in an hour plus, but there were many times when I stopped during the process as it made me tear. In a way, it was both easy and hard at the same time. Easy because you would’ve seen how I cried in the music video. It was very easy for me to cry and for my emotions to overflow, but it was equally hard to control those emotions.”
“My only hope for those in the creative industry is to not give up. Quitting temporarily is fine, but please, don’t quit for good.” – Daiyan Trisha
After this whole incident, you mentioned that your emotional health wasn’t at its best. At the moment, how are you feeling about everything that’s going on?
“Now I’m fine after writing the song about a month and a half ago. It’s getting better with time, although releasing the song was quite hard at first as I was putting my vulnerable state out there for everyone to hear. However, I do know that this will somehow help others who’ve gone through the same thing as well. Now there’s a new song that others can relate to during this time. In a nutshell, I’d say I’m doing fine and I’m very happy with the release as it has in a way released half of my burden too.”
As an artist, what were some of the challenges that you faced during this pandemic?
“Not being able to socialise was very challenging for me as I’m a people person and I love meeting new people. Not being able to perform was challenging too. The energy on stage is different and I really miss that and being able to sing live for people. I know how it feels like for others as well, and my only hope for those in the creative industry is to not give up. I know how hard it is for all of us to keep producing; with our current mental state and the financial issues that we’re all facing. Quitting temporarily is fine, but please, don’t quit for good. When things start getting better, please work your way back in because we need one another in this industry.
Every film and drama production has been put on hold, and the one thing that’s very worrying as a creative person is that we don’t know what the future holds for us. We don’t know if the creative industry in Malaysia will still exist in five years. If it does, will we have the resources to create quality productions? That said, please don’t let this dampen your spirit. We need one another to make the creative and arts industry in Malaysia survive and reach greater heights.”
“I’ll never get tired of love, loving and being loved. Although it can hurt at times, it’s still a wonderful feeling and the one thing that brings us all together.” – Daiyan Trisha
Can you tell us three things that you’re super penat of and three more that you’ll never get penat of?
“The three things that I’m extremely penat of are wearing a mask (although I do understand the importance of it and have been diligently wearing it), taking life before the pandemic for granted (I mean, seriously, who would’ve thought that in 2020/2021, we weren’t allowed to dine out with our friends?), and not being able to travel, because in the past, I used to have the luxury of visiting many places due to my line of work.
On the other hand, I’ll never get tired of the creative industry because it’s my passion. That means, I’ll never get tired of singing, writing songs, acting and more. I’ll never get tired of my cats who’ve been accompanying me throughout this fiasco. Lastly, I’ll never get tired of love, loving and being loved. Although it can hurt at times, it’s still a wonderful feeling and the one thing that brings us all together.”
Lastly, when it comes to mental health, what’s your advice to others out there after having gone through a breaking point yourself?
“All I have to say is that it’s okay to feel down at times as it’s a normal thing in our current situation. I’ve also felt down and I won’t say that I’m doing well all the time, because times have changed from how we were in the past. In current times, to not feel okay is very normal, and to me, I feel that you should allow yourself to not feel okay sometimes. Feeling down is something that we need to overcome, and by acknowledging its existence, it’ll help us move on better. Personally, talking helps me a lot. When I narrate stories to others, whatever I feel is released and therefore, I no longer carry that burden in me. My advice to others is to simply talk to people. Let your emotions go rather than keeping it to yourself.”
Watch the official music video of Penat here and its lyrics video here. The single can also be downloaded on Apple Music, Deezer, Joox, KKBox and Spotify now.
Photography: Warner Music Malaysia
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