Inspired by his late brother, singer-songwriter Syaz Smooth continues his musical journey
The TL;DR: Singer-songwriter Syaz Smooth is only 19, but already has eight years of experience in the music industry. He is inspired by his late brother, who was also a musician.
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R&B singer-songwriter Syaz Smooth performing at the Esplanade Outdoor Theatre on Oct 31, 2024.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF DIYANA
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R&B singer-songwriter Syaz Smooth credits his late brother – singer Mohammad Shahfiq – for his own success in the industry, and will be releasing an EP inspired by Shahfiq.
The 19-year-old, whose real name is Syah Riszuan, started singing and jamming when he was only five years old, accompanying his older brother who was playing the guitar.
They had a close bond and shared a common passion for music. It was a terrible shock to Syaz Smooth when Shahfiq, who was 26 at the time, died in a car accident almost a year ago, in March 2024.
“When that happened... I didn’t know what to do. Everything was blank and it took me some time to start again,” said the up-and-coming artiste, who has two other older brothers.
Just before Shahfiq died, he had encouraged his younger brother to join Kaki Nyanyi, a Mediacorp reality singing competition involving 24 singers and music content creators.
“My brother was still around when I got the call and I was told I was one of the contestants, so I did it for him… I had to force myself to turn up for the competition, but it kind of helped as well,” he recalled.
“He’s what is really holding me on this music journey. What I’m doing right now is carrying on his legacy.”
Syaz Smooth said his brother, who was known in the Malay entertainment circle, had encouraged him to take part in competitions. In fact, Shahfiq, who participated in and won Malay talent competition Anugerah 2017, gave his younger brother the opportunity to sing in an interview for the competition.
This allowed the show’s crew to notice Syaz Smooth, and they started calling him to act and perform in Mediacorp shows like Raya Oh Yeah, a live Hari Raya performance.
Watching his brother perform in the 2016 edition of annual charity concert ChildAid also inspired Syaz Smooth to take part in the concert’s 2017 edition. This led to him taking part in four subsequent editions of ChildAid, in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2024.
Syaz Smooth started singing and jamming when he was only five years old, accompanying his older brother who was playing the guitar.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF AG7 (ANGELINA NURMULIANI)
In 2019, he performed at the National Day Parade (NDP) where he sang Our Singapore, the NDP theme song that year.
Syaz Smooth achieved another of his childhood goals when he was signed to record label Universal Music Group (UMG) Singapore at 16. The label had noticed his growth since his NDP gig and offered him a contract deal. After that, local producers taught him to write songs from scratch.
Initially recording covers of other artists’ songs, Syaz Smooth grew to enjoy songwriting the more he did it. He participated in the writing of his R&B single Menunggu – which means “waiting” – released by UMG in 2022.
He said: “I’m so in love with it right now that I can’t stop making music. Songwriting has just become a part of me and I always want to improve.”
In 2023, he graduated with a music production diploma from The Songwriter Music College, a local private school where students learn from lecturers familiar with the industry. He is now a full-time singer-songwriter.
Syaz Smooth performing at the Peace Centre for Peace Out Festival on Jan 27, 2024.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF HAKYIEM
In January 2024, Syaz Smooth decided to strike out on his own and went independent. He said: “It’s stressful that I have to complete everything on my own but I feel more free in terms of creating and finding my artistry.”
Syaz Smooth released a single in June 2024 titled No Label, his self-proclaimed “baby”. He is currently a “one-man team”, with the self-written song being his first independent release since his departure from the label.
His upcoming EP will be a tribute to his brother, including songs written about him, as well as some of Shahfiq’s own unreleased music.
Awaiting enlistment this year, Syaz Smooth hopes to pursue a music production degree in Australia after he completes his National Service.
