S1E12: Meet Shazza, the Singaporean singer whose music has the attention of Coldplay’s Chris Martin and PM Wong

The Straits Times Podcasts

Home-grown singer and songwriter Shazza is the 12th guest in this music channel.

Synopsis (headphones recommended): Each month, The Straits Times invites music acts to its podcast studio.

In the 12th episode of Music Lab, ST's music correspondent Eddino Abdul Hadi hosts Singaporean singer and songwriter Shazza.

The past year has been quite eventful for the 22-year-old - her music caught the attention of several high profile personalities, including Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Chris Martin, the frontman of popular British band Coldplay.

A video that she did with Canadian pop duo Crash Adams went viral worldwide, earning her new fans from as far as Brazil.

As one of the artists fronting Spotify’s Equal campaign, her face was featured on a billboard at Times Square in New York City.

In July 2023, she put out her debut album Chapter One, a release that includes Right Person, Wrong Time, a song that has clocked over two million streams in Spotify alone.

The hijab-wearing singer, whose real name is Shareefa Aminah, speaks about how people assume she makes Malay music because of how she looks, as well as her drive towards inclusivity in the pop music world.

She also sings for our Music Lab Podcast, a live rendition of her latest single Rain In Manhattan, a duet with fellow home-grown singer-songwriter Umar Sirhan.

Highlights (click/tap above):

0:58 On having to turn down an invitation to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s swearing-in ceremony

3:25 How singing in the viral Crash Adams video made her famous worldwide

5:28 Chris Martin calling out her name at one of Coldplay’s Singapore concerts

9:45 On being featured on New York’s Times Square billboard

11:24 Being a hijab-wearing singer making English pop music

13:26 Realising her calling for music at a young age

16:00 On choosing the unconventional path of music as a career

20:39 How juggling school and a music career can get overwhelming

27:58 On plans to nurture new artistes in the future

Watch the special live performance and video podcast version of this episode on the Straits Times’ Podcast YouTube channel: https://str.sg/b5za

Listen to Shazza’s live performance of Rain In Manhattan with Umar Sirhan here: https://str.sg/B3cx

Discover home-grown artiste Shazza at:

YouTube: https://str.sg/JS8i9

Spotify: https://str.sg/wKh4d

Instagram: https://str.sg/uoqd

Produced by: Eddino Abdul Hadi ([e-mail]), Ernest Luis, Eden Soh, Hadyu Rahim & Amirul Karim

Recorded by: ST Podcast Team

Edited by: Amirul Karim

Follow Music Lab Podcast here every month:

Channel: https://str.sg/w9TX

Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/w9TB

Spotify: https://str.sg/w9T6

SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/

Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts

Feedback to: [e-mail]

Read Eddino Hadi's articles: https://str.sg/wFVa

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Special edition series:

True Crimes Of Asia (6 eps): https://str.sg/i44T

The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuZ2

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Kapitel

1. Meet Shazza, the Singaporean singer whose music has the attention of Coldplay’s Chris Martin and PM Wong (00:00:00)

2. Getting Prime Minister's invitation (00:00:58)

3. On that viral Crash Adams video (00:03:25)

4. Chris Martin calling out her name in concert (00:05:28)

5. Featured on New York’s Times Square billboard (00:09:45)

6. Being a hijab-wearing singer in English music (00:11:24)

7. Realising her calling for music at a young age (00:13:26)

8. Choosing a different path of music as a career (00:16:00)

9. Overwhelming? Juggling school and music (00:20:39)

10. Planning to nurture new artistes in the future (00:27:58)