KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 — Award-winning singer-songwriter Shila Amzah today released a new single, Kita to spread patriotic vibes through her music in conjunction with Merdeka and Malaysia Day.

The single, available in both Malay and Mandarin, is the first collaboration between Shila and local songwriter and composer Monsterz Lee as well as songwriter Amylea Azizan.

"My initial idea was to write a song about friendship for Shila, but then, we thought it would be fun to produce the song in Malay version too,” said Lee.

The new single reflects pride of our nation in embracing multicultural diversity.

In the single, the 30-year-old singer expresses her fond memories of school life with her sentimental vocals.

"The song is to celebrate the precious friendship we built during school days.

"We have since become good friends despite our different backgrounds.

"This song is also a reminder to treasure everything around us. We may grow apart, but never forget the dreams we once shared,” said Shila.

She added that the song brought back many nostalgic memories of days spent together with her schoolmates and teachers.

"There were many jokes and laughter whenever I spoke Mandarin with my Chinese classmates.

"I have learnt so much and improved my Mandarin from them. I am still grateful till today and remained friends with them,” she said.

Nicknamed "Asia’s Sweetheart”, Shila first rose to fame when her single Patah Seribu won multiple awards at the 19th Malaysian Music Awards.

She later became the first and only Malay artist to break into Chinese-speaking market after winning Chinese reality singing talent show Asian Wave in 2012, where she beat more than 20 contestants from across Asia.

Both Malay and Mandarin versions of Kita will be available on major platforms such as Apple Music, Spotify and KKBox.