The Final 1 takes her first big step with debut album “Aligned”

"The Final 1" winner Farisha Ishak says she has matured since her win, and this is reflected in both the songs in her debut album "Aligned", as well as its cover (pictured).

SINGAPORE: She had won “The Final 1” talent competition.

She had performed at the President’s Star Charity.

But it wasn’t until Singapore singer Farisha Ishak released her debut album “Aligned” recently  that it became clear to her she has become a full-fledged singer.

“It felt very strange, a good kind of strange though, to walk into the [music] store and see my face on the shelves.

“I had to pinch myself just to make sure I wasn’t dreaming!” said Farisha.

"People say that for good luck, you should purchase a copy of your own album and I did just that!"

“Aligned” represents a big step for Farisha, who described it as an album which “undoubtedly shows a different side of me”.

“I am not that shy and timid girl from ‘The Final 1’.

“I, like any teenager, am growing up and learning the ropes in life and I guess this album is my way of sharing with others what I'm going through,” said the singer, pointing out that the album was a very personal one.

Indeed, it doesn’t get more personal than this.

Farisha penned a Malay song and two English ones in the album.

Among them is “Life Is Beautiful”, a song she wrote during “The Final 1”.

While it was written some time ago, Farisha said it still holds a special place in her heart today.

“What inspired me to write the song was my own personal experience, and that's mainly why the song means so much to me.

“It was [about] a point in my life when giving up seemed like the only option, and my lack of motivation to do anything overwhelmed me.

“But I guess it's true what they say, that at the lowest point will one realise the most important things. For me, it was when I realised that negativity was a state of mind,” said Farisha.

“Thus, it all comes down to us making that choice - to give up and fall or to get back up and move on. I chose the latter and I had so much belief in it that I decided to ... write a song about it.”

Apart from her own compositions, “Aligned” also contains songs written by Singapore singer Taufik Batisah, while its title track “Aligned” was specially written for her by “The Final 1” judge Ken Lim.

“It is an honor to have such established names contributing to my first album. The moment I found out, I knew immediately that I was in very good hands,” said Farisha.

“Being very new to everything, recording was a whole new experience for me but both Ken and Taufik were very patient and guided me through the whole process so I'm still learning and I hope to get even better at it!”

Although “Aligned” has been completed, Farisha said there is still a lot more to be done like album promotions and so on.

But she’s looking forward to it.

“I am pretty excited for the album promotions because I will be going on campus tours!

"I love going to schools and sharing my experiences and music with the students,” gushed the singer.

“I hope that they will accept and appreciate my music. I also hope that this opportunity would allow them to know me better, beyond my music!”