Shabir

Shabir
Background information
Birth name Shabir Tabare Alam
Born (1985-02-28) 28 February 1985
Singapore
Genres Electropop, dance, world, ethnic
Occupation(s) Music producer, composer, arranger, songwriter, vocalist, actor
Instruments Synth, harmonium, keyboards, guitar, vocals
Years active 2005–present
Labels Shabir Music
Associated acts M Ghibran, Drums Sivamani, Emcee Jesz
Website

Shabir is an award winning singer-songwriter, record producer, music composer and performer whose works are predominantly in Tamil. He is the winner of the inaugural singing competition Vasantham Star 2005. The talent quest was hosted by MediaCorp Vasantham TV Channel.[1] The artiste's finest work to date is known to be Singai Naadu, the National Day Parade 2012 Tamil song that received rave reviews and a liking from the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong.[2]

Personal life

Shabir has his origin in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu. He is of mixed heritage from an Urdu speaking father and a Tamil mother from Chidambaram district in Tamil Nadu.[3] Shabir started songwriting at an early age and wrote & composed his first song at the age of 12

Career

Shabir started songwriting and song composition when he was 12 years old. Starting out as a self-taught keyboardist, he went on to learn Hindustani Classical Music under the tutelage of violinist Sri Veereshwar Madhri and guitar from Steeve Vatz. Shabir also pursued music production and audio engineering and is an alumnus of SAE Singapore.[4]

Shabir remains one of the leading recording artiste in Singapore with a strong fan following in the region having released three albums to date 'Alaipayuthey',[5] 'TraffiQ' & 'Swasam-Scents of Prose'. Shabir's music is known to be an eclectic concoction of various genres & influences that includes pop, electro and world music to name a few. Shabir's lyrical style consists of wordplay, metaphor and he often experiments with cadence.[3] His edgy vocal rendition marks a distinct style that owes itself to his early metal and rock influence.[1]

He is also working on his upcoming album titled "Town Bus" due for international release in 2014. Shabir sang two songs in the Indian film Vathikutchi produced by A.R Murugadoss.[6] He also wrote lyrics and recorded a rap based on a ragaa for one of the songs. Shabir received positive reviews from critics for his rendition of the song Ari Unnai.[7] The audio of the film launched on 13 Feb 2013 in Chennai.[8]

Shabir's music videos from his album TraffiQ (Dejavu & Nagaravaytai) play on both local and international channels including MTV Asia .[9] & Channel V.[10]

Shabir remains busy scoring music for various independent English, Tamil & Malay TV / film / advertisement productions.

In November 2010 Shabir took on a lead role in the 72 episode blockbuster crime series titled Vettai: Pledged to Hunt which earned him the Best Actor Award at the Pradhana Vizha 2011 awards. Shabir also collaborated with Tamil rap icon Emcee Jesz to create the official soundtrack for Vettai.[11] The song went on to become the most popular Tamil soundtrack in local television history. It also made waves in Malaysia and other parts of the world.[12]

"Swasam – Scents of Prose" produced by High Breed Media was released on 7 April 2012 to positive reviews.[13] The album has an eclectic combination of various musical styles & features poetry recitations by prominent personalities & luminaries from Singapore such as the nation's 6th President S.R Nathan, Minister S Iswaran, former NMP Viswa Sadasivan & many others.[14]

Shabir wrote, composed and sang the Tamil National Day Parade 2012 song titled "Singai Naadu". A music video was released by Mediacorp Vasantham on 19 July 2012 to promote the song.

Shabir won the Most Popular Song award at Pradhana Vizha 2012 for Vettai 2.0.

Shabir recorded his next film song titled "Yaaro Yaar Aval" from the blockbuster the movie Arima Nambi for Sivamani.[15]

Shabir is currently the CEO of Shabir Music Academy, a music school based in Singapore, which is affiliated with Rockschool UK.[16]

Controversy

Shabir has courted controversy since he took part in inaugural Vasantham Star competition in 2005. The singer received mixed reviews on his performances, and was under scrutiny for his pronunciation and slang when singing.

After impressing the judges during the quarter finals, he was eventually expelled from the competition altogether during the semis. This provoked an eruption among his growing fan base. His departure resulted in the local community writing a petition that was signed by more than 500 members of the public.

Understanding the dynamics of his participation, the producers for the first time in Tamil television history, introduced a wild card entry which made way for Shabir's re-entry into the competition.

Shabir eventually won the talent quest.[1]

Awards

References

  1. 1 2 3 Leong Wai Kit (January 2010). "Gangster turns Icon". NTUC Lifestyle Magazine. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
  2. ↑ Singapore – Lee Hsien Loong Most of us know Munnaeru.... Facebook (22 August 2012).
  3. 1 2 Tashny Sukumaran (19 July 2009). "The Urban Poet". The New Sunday Times, Sunday People. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
  4. ↑ http://shabir.com.sg/
  5. ↑ Sajini (9 April 2006). "Shabir's New Music Video Shoot". Our Truest Life Is When We Are in Our Dreams Awake. Retrieved 20 February 2010.
  6. ↑ Vathikuchi audio set to launch on February-13 | Preview – Movies. ChennaiOnline (7 February 2013).
  7. ↑ Vathikuchi Music Review Dhileban, Anjali, A.R. Murugadoss. Behindwoods.com (13 February 2013).
  8. ↑ AR Murgudos's Vathikuchi audio on Feb 13 [+ Trailer Video] | Tamil Cinema News › KollyInsider. Kollyinsider.com (8 February 2013).
  9. ↑ MTV Asia (1 January 2010). "Dejavu". MTV Asia.com. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
  10. ↑ Channel V (2009). "Shabir". [V]AMP.
  11. ↑ Vettai | Vasantham. .mediacorp.sg.
  12. ↑ Channel NewsAsia. Channel NewsAsia.
  13. ↑ Premium. The Straits Times.
  14. ↑ http://highbreedmedia.com/
  15. ↑ Audio Beat: Arima Nambi – Sivamani belts it out The Hindu – 31 May 2014
  16. ↑ http://shabirmusic.com/
  17. ↑ Hall of Fame – Vasantham on xinmsn Entertainment. Entertainment.xin.msn.com (19 September 2011).
  18. ↑ Tv Derana – Sri Lanka's Premium Entertainment Channel – Teledrama, Mp3, Music videos, Reality shows and Fanclub. Derana.lk.
  19. 1 2 Pradhana Vizha 2011 – Vasantham on xinmsn Entertainment. Entertainment.xin.msn.com (29 June 2011).
  20. ↑ Pradhana Vizha 2012 – Vasantham on xinmsn Entertainment. Entertainment.xin.msn.com (19 September 2011).
  21. ↑ சிங்கப்பூர்த் தமிழ் எழுத்தாளர் கழகம். Singaporetamilwriters.com (5 March 2011).
  22. ↑ sg-cafe – Timeline Photos. Facebook.

External links

News, reviews and interviews

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Taufik Batisah
with "Usah Lepaskan"		 Singapore in the ABU TV Song Festival
2013
with "Maybe" 		Succeeded by
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