Shahfiq, who died in 2024 accident, remembered in brother Syaz' Smooth's EP

The Star

5 days ago

Before he died in a traffic accident in 2024 at the age of 27, Singaporean singer-songwriter Mohd Shahfiq composed several songs that he did not get a chance to record.
Two of them are now part of his younger brother Syaz Smooth's debut EP, Bersamamu. The EP was released on May 2, which would have been Shahfiq's 28th birthday.
Syaz, who turns 20 in June, says: 'When I wanted to start singing, he was the first person to help me. He was my first vocal teacher, my pillar of support, and the one who told me that I should start writing my own songs.'
Shahfiq, whose full name was Mohammad Shahfiq Irman, came to fame in 2017 after winning the 10th season of Suria's reality singing competition Anugerah . After releasing singles such as Maya (2018), he studied music in Singapore's Lasalle College of the Arts and planned to become a vocal coach.
He was among a group of Singaporean motorcyclists who were hit by a lorry in Johor in March 2024. Shahfiq and Mohd Firman Nordin, 26, died at the scene, while four seriously injured riders were taken to a hospital in Muar. Shahfiq and his then fiancee were due to tie the knot in December 2024.
Syaz Smooth's debut EP includes songs written by his late brother, singer Shahfiq (right). This photo was taken in 2017, the same year Shahfiq came to fame after winning Suria's reality singing competition Anugerah.
Syaz is also part of SUI, the home-grown vocal quartet that won Suria's reality singing competition Kaki Nyanyi in January.
Shahfiq's tragic and sudden death hit Syaz, who has two other older brothers and three older sisters, hard.
'He was always the first person I turned to when I needed advice. I trusted him with everything,' adds the singer.
The title track of Syaz's EP was written and composed by Shahfiq in 2020.
'He wrote it for me, and we had plans to record and release it,' Syaz, whose real name is Syah Riszuan, says of the orchestral-acoustic pop song.
'It was supposed to be a love song based on experiences that he went through. In my version, the way I tell the story, it's a personal tribute to him and the bond we shared.'
The other song in the EP written by Shahfiq is the bossa nova tune Ku Harap , which was part of his final-year project when he was in Lasalle. He also got Syaz to sing it at a Lasalle recital in 2019.
Syaz recalls: 'He was always trying out new music genres. It was very different from his other songs, but it kind of grew on me.'
Syaz penned and composed the remaining three songs on the EP. Berhenti Mengharap is about finally coming to terms with the loss of his sibling months after the accident took place.
'Sometimes, when I wake up, I would hope that I will see him again. But I have also accepted that he's no longer here, and I always pray that he's doing well up there.'
Another song, Baik Saja , is written like a letter to Shahfiq. 'I'm assuring him that everyone he knows is doing well, and that I will take care of them.'
When he was 16, Syaz Smooth was the youngest artist signed to music label Universal Music Singapore.
The EP opens with Doa Untuk Ibu , an R&B-tinged pop track which Syaz wrote for their mother to soothe her heart.
'It expresses deep gratitude and love for a mother's sacrifices and unwavering devotion to her family. When we lost Shahfiq, it affected her the most.'
Syaz developed a passion for music at the age of three. In 2017, he got his first big break when he reached the semi-finals of the second season of Asian reality variety series Asia's Got Talent (2015 to 2019).
Canadian music producer and hitmaker David Foster, one of the show's celebrity judges, had said then that he was impressed by Syaz's gift for singing.
In 2023, he graduated with a music production diploma from local private school The Songwriter Music College.
In 2022, at the age of 16, he joined Universal Music Singapore and was the music label's youngest signee. He left in 2024 so that he could chart his own path as an independent artiste.
His new EP is distributed by Malaysian music label Breaking Music.
Syaz, who recently enlisted for national service, says he will continue to write and record music during his free time and has plans to build up his audience beyond Singapore and the region.
'My dream is to bring Singapore's music to the global stage.' – The Straits Times/Asia News Network