Kilafairy Channels Grief Into New R&B Track Featuring Rohana Jalil’s Voice
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 26 — Singer and actress Kilafairy says the absence of her late mother, Rohana Jalil, still feels close to home even three years after the veteran artiste’s passing.
Kilafairy, whose real name is Syakila Nisa Jahangir Khan, 33, admitted that the sense of loss has not faded with time, largely because her mother had been deeply woven into her everyday life — not only as a parent, but as the person she instinctively turned to for the smallest things.
That lingering ache has now become the heart of a deeply personal musical project. Kilafairy revealed she is in the middle of recording a new R&B song dedicated to Rohana, describing it as a tribute shaped by love, memory, and the kind of longing that refuses to disappear.
What makes the track especially emotional, she said, is that it will include Rohana’s own voice through sampling. Kilafairy has taken a vocal snippet from one of Rohana’s well-known songs and woven it into the new production, creating what she feels is a symbolic way of bringing her mother into a collaboration they never had the chance to complete in real life.
She explained that recording a song together had long been a quiet dream of hers, but circumstances never allowed it to happen while Rohana was alive. With this release, she hopes her mother’s voice can continue to “exist” alongside her — not as a replacement for what was lost, but as a way to keep the connection tangible.
The project also carries a family touch, with Kilafairy’s sister contributing as the lyricist. Still, Kilafairy admitted the recording sessions have been emotionally demanding. She said the song is only halfway done because she struggles to get through certain lines without breaking down.
According to her, there is a particular section that repeatedly leaves her in tears, forcing her to stop mid-take. The emotional weight of the lyrics, she said, is so intense that she even questioned her sister about why the words were written in such a painful way.
Beyond the studio, Kilafairy shared that adjusting to life without her mother remains an ongoing process. At times, she still calls out “Ma” at home out of habit — moments that often happen when she is looking for clothes or needing something fixed, especially since she still wears some of Rohana’s clothing.
While she said she has accepted the reality of her mother’s passing, she admitted that acceptance does not automatically erase routine. What is hardest, she added, is retraining herself to remember that the person she keeps calling for will not answer.
Kilafairy also confessed she is afraid of losing the details that matter most — her mother’s voice, the everyday memories, and the feeling of having her close.
The song is expected to be released after Aidilfitri, and Kilafairy hopes it will resonate as an honest portrayal of grief and devotion — a daughter’s attempt to preserve what time threatens to blur.
-wilayah.com.my
