The Malaysia-born, London-based singer took a winding path towards music, stopping first to pursue a psychology degree before realizing that she might not be cut out to be a counselor. Instead, she mastered the art of the wry, all-too-real pop song on the subject of modernity and its many dating horrors. After years of posting cover songs to social media, Qisha was discovered by producer Rob Milton (known for his work with The 1975 and Holly Humberstone) and released her self-titled debut EP in 2024. On its follow-up, Modern Romance, the 26-year-old lands somewhere between Chappell Roan and indie sleaze with ’80s-leaning synth-pop jams that swoon, groan, and roll their eyes at love in the 2020s. “Now this could be hyperbole/But I’m afraid I might die/If I’m not here by your side,” Qisha sings on the lust-drunk disco number “21st Century Cool Girl.” She opens “Sex, Drugs & Existential Dread” with a drawn-out “ughhh” of despair before launching into a cowbell-happy funk jam which concludes: “The world is on fire/Let’s order Taco Bell.”