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Dua Lipa’s “Training Season” has been all over my Instagram feed – and maybe even yours as well. Like it or hate it, the live performance from London’s Royal Albert Hall features a more noticeable contrast between the lyrics, particularly between the pre-chorus and chorus, making listeners attracted to the song, which does not have such a dramatic pause between the two parts, as heard in the official music video. Genre(s)-wise, the song is disco-pop with Eurodisco influences.

Now, if you ever wanted a cheesier, but also one that will make you scream with excitement, perhaps, you can go ahead and have a listen to the Malay cover of “Training Season”. Mikaela Qistina, Malaysia’s vocalist, content creator, shared her version of it two days ago.

Similar to what Lipa intended the song to be, Mikaela Qistina wrote it for the females who are tired of teaching males how to treat females, ideally with respect, kindness, a certain kind of privacy and boundaries, and not be a toxic partner. However, instead of being angry about males, Lipa turned her frustration into confidence and something upbeat, making nearly everyone hooked and connected to the song, even if you’re tired of listening to it.  Lipa had the idea for “Training Season” after multiple disappointing dates. Notably, she is now married to British actor Callum Turner, marking the end of Lipa’s “Training Season”.

Mikaela Qistina quite creatively took, adapted and translated verse one, the pre-chorus, chorus, and post-chorus. Note that Malay and English and translating from one language to another (in general) isn’t always straightforward in that lines cannot be simply translated directly, and some lines become shorter or longer in Malay than in English, given the differences in syllable structure and word stress. So, given the fast-paced nature of the song, the phrasing can be tricky, which would make Mikaela Qistina’s fans even more curious about the Malay version.

The highlights of her cover version: -

“Bila kulelah

Pulihkanlah jiwaku

Bicara tak berpenghujung

Hingga lena berlalu”
 

« Andai ini bukan dirimu

Usai kumengajarmu”

According to the latest updates by Mikaela Qistina, she will be taking a hiatus from singing covers in Bahasa Melayu/Malay. So, this will be her last update with her singing before she takes a break, which seems like for a brief period.

Lipa released “Training Season” in 2024, which can be found in her album “Radical Optimism”, which was also released in the same year.

Lipa was born in London, England to Kosovo Albanian parents (Kosovo was formerly known as Yugoslavia). “Dua”, which means “love” in Albanian, was a suggestion of her grandmother.