Local singer Shazza learning to 'hold on to joy' after viral Crash Adams video: 'Grateful for any challenge that comes'

She went viral early this year, but it hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows afterwards.

AsiaOne recently caught up with local singer-songwriter Shazza, who shot to the limelight after appearing on Canadian pop duo Crash Adams' TikTok video, and is due to headline Marina Bay Sands' Sands For Singapore Charity Festival this month.

"The whole thing was completely unprecedented… When they (Crash Adams) reached out to me in January to do these videos, I wasn't sure where this was gonna go. All I could do was do my best and see what came out of it," the 23-year-old, whose real name is Shareefa Aminah, told us in an interview.

In the videos, which has since amassed over 63 million views in total, Shazza sang freestyle verses of Crash Adams' song Good Side.

"When the video came out, it caught me off-guard. I woke up to a slew of notifications and that has never happened to me so I was like, 'What's going on? Did I get cancelled?'" she laughed.

It's been about six months since the virality, and Shazza said it's been a "whirlwind" keeping up with everything.

"The virality had a big impact on my numbers on social media, which I'm very grateful for because that's something I was struggling with as a musician. A lot of us don't go into music wanting to become content creators, but because of the digital age that we're in, it's kind of a given at this point, you have to find a way to balance the two," she explained.

But living up to the hype hasn't been all that easy - she admitted that she has felt some self-doubt and pressure.

"When the video first blew up, most people knew me because of that, but they didn't know me for my own work, so the struggle was trying to divert their attention to my own stuff. It didn't always work because of the algorithm," said Shazza.

"That's when the self-doubt comes into play because I thought, 'Okay, what if people are only following me because of that video, not because of my own work?'"

@crashadams this song “good side” is out everywhere🌎🔥 I was not expecting that from this random rapper in Singapore🤯 @shazza ♬ Good Side - Crash Adams

Before the Crash Adams video, Shazza recalled having about 2,000 followers on Instagram. Now, she has over 178,000.

"When, like, 100,000 people are following you, then you feel like you have to give them something to consume… I was like, 'Okay, I have to find a way to capitalise off of this and make the most of it going forward, because if I don't, the only person I have to blame is myself," she said.

"There was quite a bit of pressure in that sense of trying to stay relevant, or I think, prove to people and myself that I was worth following beyond just that video."

However these "unhealthy feelings" are "all part of the territory," says Shazza.

"It's been a good learning process of overcoming and making the most of these thoughts. I know I feel this way for a reason, but the question is, what can I do with these feelings to chart my path a bit better and deal with this in a healthier way?"

She was also quick to highlight the positives, adding that she's trying to focus on the joy in her work.

"I wouldn't say there's been any particular downside because I think everything happens for a reason. I'm just grateful for any challenge that comes with it - also because I think it will only steer me in the right direction going forward on how to deal with more of these things as they come and I hopefully continue to grow."

While she mentioned that there might be people who "disagree" with the way she does "certain things", she declined to go into detail and place a spotlight on opinions of her.

"Not everyone is going to have the same opinion as you and that's perfectly fine. Everyone's entitled to how they feel about certain things. For me, I'm doing what feels right for myself. My intention comes from a good place," she firmly said.

"I just want to make people happy with my music and make them feel more seen and heard with what I can do. So I'll continue to do that and hope that it finds the right people."

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The more we spoke with Shazza, the more her charm and funny personality showed through.

While telling us about her funny encounters now that she's recognised by more people in public, she cracked a few jokes here and there.

"There is the occasional, 'Are you Shazza? Are you the girl from the freestyle video?'... A lot of people stare, that's maybe because I'm pretty. No, I'm kidding," she said cheekily.

"Whenever people come up and say hi, it's always very meaningful to me... It sometimes ends up being my favourite part of the day."

In her February interview with CNA, Shazza, who is a Communication Studies undergraduate at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), shared that she had taken a semester off school to focus on her singing career.

She told AsiaOne that she plans to take another semester off as recommended by NTU, sharing that she struggled to balance singing and her studies.

"It got very heavy to the point where I needed to see the school counsellor to manage my stress," she said.

Shazza however emphasised that she's also discussing with NTU on how to navigate going back to her studies later on as she doesn't want to delay her education or drop out.

"I do want to be able to finish my degree. I value my education, my parents value education, but it is a matter of finding a way to do it."

'I'm sowing the seeds and hoping to reap them'

When asked about the stress that may come with financial sustenance as a singer in today's climate, Shazza admitted that "money can be quite inconsistent", but she sees the hard work as an "investment".

"I might not see the returns right now but I'm sowing the seeds and hoping to reap them at some point. You have to have faith, I think that's the only reason why I've been able to take [the stress] and cope with it," she shared.

"I'm very privileged to have a comfortable life. I'm still living with my parents, so I don't have to worry too much about sustaining myself on my own. That's something I'm very blessed to have, which is a big reason why I wanted to start [my singing career] earlier."

Shazza is due to headline the three-day Sands for Singapore Charity Festival, performing on Aug 25, and she told us she feels both nervous and excited at the same time.

"I enjoy performing but there's always a lot of anxiety that comes with it for me, especially when I take on bigger stages," she said.

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"I just want to go and do a good job. It's very meaningful that I get to be a part of this charity event. I've always wanted to be able to use my music to uplift others and this feels like one of the perfect opportunities for me to be able to do that. I'm very grateful to have been brought on board for it."

A signature event for MBS, Sands for Singapore Charity Festival will be commemorating its 10th year of giving this month with 10 weeks of community engagement activities, culminating in the main festival held at the Event Plaza.

The ice-cream pop-up Scoops of Hope will run for 10 days from Aug 16 to 25.

The main festival, titled Where Hearts Come Together, will be held from Aug 23 to 25 and will feature 16 booths as part of a social marketplace for charity as well as performances by Shazza, Glenn Yong, Ben Hum, Shirlyn + The UnXpected, Supersonic and 53A.

Shazza will be running a 30-minute set with guitarist Ashlyn Yeo. "We are thinking of keeping it really stripped down because I wanted the meaning of the songs to come through first and foremost. The songs that we've chosen are some of my more upbeat works that are on the happier side."

'Giving a voice to yourself means giving a voice to others'

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It's been a year since Shazza launched her debut album Chapter One, and since then she's already had notable achievements.

Right Person, Wrong Time - one of her songs from the album - has reached over two million listens on Spotify, and Shazza has even been featured on a billboard advertisement at New York's Times Square.

She told us that she sometimes struggles to "keep up with all the learning points" from her career.

"I'm just trying to keep afloat and keep up with the next thing… It's a good problem, because things have been going well, but I think what I've learned is to keep holding on to the joy because a lot of the time, things can get very hectic and you can forget to savour the moment and reflect on whatever has been happening," she explained.

Despite the uncertainties and difficulties she's faced in Singapore's music scene, Shazza says young women who share the same dream should believe that they "deserve to be heard".

"Your music deserves to be heard and giving a voice to yourself a lot of time means giving a voice to others. You could never imagine the impact that you have on other people, so if it's something that you want to do, don't let it go because life is too short," she advised.

"It doesn't matter where you come from, or what people say about how much you can achieve because just because something hasn't been done before doesn't mean it can't be done."

Shazza reaffirmed: "The world is your oyster; there is a whole world out here beyond Singapore for you to go and chart your path and doing what you love is the first step."

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syarifahsn@asiaone.com

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