Kayda recounts her hip-hop journey on latest single ‘Autopilot’ – NME.com

Malaysian rapper Kayda reflects on her early days as an artist on her latest single ‘Autopilot’, featuring US-based newcomer Ish.

Kayda – real name Wan Nur Khaleda Aziz – had also worked with composer The Cxdy on this self-produced track, which dropped on October 16.

“’Autopilot’ is about my journey in music, from performing at hip-hop gigs in my teens, to putting out my music on MySpace and staying consistent in making more music without thinking too much about it,” Kayda said in a press statement.

Kayda said the track which took only a few hours to complete after she met her friends at the studio, chose the beats, and recorded what was pre-written at home.

“Everything seemed to gel. And after that, a friend approached me wanting to sponsor the music video, and the whole project felt like it was on ‘Autopilot’, hence the title.”

Watch the music video below.

The song recorded at Kaya Butter Studio and had already been completed along with the accompanying music video in July last year, but Kayda had put the release on hold based on advice from her management.

Kayda also explained she met Ish during the second season of rap cypher series 16 Baris, and who wanted to learn to rap in Malay.

“Ish gave a lot of creative ideas in songwriting, a mad freestyler to boot and probably one of the best rappers I came across that’s able to freestyle so incredibly well,” she said.

The main message of ‘Autopilot’, Kayda said, is to encourage people to persevere in whatever they want to pursue.

In late September Kayda – who is the daughter of Malaysia’s jazz sensation Sheila Majid and composer Roslan Aziz – was featured in a collaborative single ‘Skills 4 All’ alongside Yusry (of Malaysian pop/rap group KRU), and W.A.R.I.S.

In 2013, Kayda was also nominated for Best New Artist at the Malaysian Hip Hop Awards, while her first single ‘Down With Me’ feat. Bem won Silver at the Voice International Music Awards (VIMA) the following year.

Kayda’s debut album ‘Love for No Reason’ produced by Emir Hermono, Bem and Puffietop was released in 2018.