You may remember her as a teen host on Malaysian TV. Today, she is pursuing her dreams in the Big Apple, Shayna Zaid, a 22 year old talented artiste.
Her life story..Where do I begin??
Well…Her parents met romantically on a Subway in Philly while still in college, decided to get married a year later and then she became the second product of a mixed parentage family of now, seven! Second of five lovely ladies! From two separate worlds, merged a culture and background in which she grew up identifying herself as…”Amerasian”…Her mother is from a small town right outside of Philly and her father (my uncle) grew up in a village (literally) in Terengganu, a beautiful state on the East coast of Malaysia. She grew up on the West coast, in Kuala Lumpur. Her mother, Ginny Kime-Wan Zaid is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her father was the only lucky child in his family of 65 to get a full scholarship for Actuarial Science studies in the United States, where Shayna’s shot of existence became a reality and of course where both her parents caught eyes!
At age 6, she scored a bunch of shows at school, charity functions and birthday parties but it didn’t end there. As she grew up winning awards for various art and singing competitions, she realized a career doing what she love would be her ultimate dream! Being judged in school for being “white” and not wanting to be a doctor or lawyer was an everyday challenge for her but well worth it! Aunty Ginny started sneaking her into Jazz Bars so she could sing with the house band when she was only 14.
Shayna Zaid’s unique vibe and signature sound encompasses many culturally diverse influences stemming from her childhood in Malaysia to her coming of age in the United States. Shayna’s soulful voice is unmistakable; powerful yet tender, strong yet sweet, and mature beyond her years. Combining very catchy hooks, heavily textured background vocals, clever lyrics, and beat driven music, Shayna’s music can compete with anything on radio today. Charisma and personality pour out of Shayna and her music, making it remarkably commercial, yet authentic and unique. From her childhood days of acting, dancing and singing in live theater and performance events, entering and winning a stream of singing and art competitions, and gracing the TV screen in numerous advertisements, Shayna has delivered her creative talents in a variety of venues. After her debut as a challenger on a singing competition television show Asia Bagus, she then met up with a singing partner and was offered recording contracts by both SONY-Malaysia and EMI- Malaysia. At the same time, she was offered a live television show host spot, for a daily show called Speak Up, where she interviewed many international stars at primetime on a major TV network. She chose this instead, and by the age of fifteen, she became a TV celebrity in Malaysia. It was the epitome of her career in entertainment when she was known to be the youngest live talk show host in Malaysian telecasting history! She soon graced the cover of several national magazines and gained exposure and fame in modeling for advertising giants such as Coca-Cola, Dove, Holiday Inn, and Nokia, among others.
This 22-year-old has done a lot more than host TV shows, though. She emceed events, danced, did jingles and appeared in stage plays like Arthur Miller’s The Crucible (in which she played the lead role of Abigail Williams), Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Ernest (as Gwendolen Fairfax), and Lepak, written and directed by Joe Hasham of Actors Studio (for the opening of Legend Hotel in Kuala Lumpur).
Premature of further success, she decided to pack her bags and continue her education in the United States. In 2000, together with her parents and siblings, Shayna moved to Boston, Massachusetts. Shayna got a full scholarship to Emerson College, the communications school which late-night talk show host Jay Leno and many others in the entertainment world went to. She enrolled to do TV and video, with some singing (her biggest passion) on the side. Midway through the course, she thought about doing an audio engineering programme and attended a recording session at Berklee College. Shayna attended the famous Berklee College of Music where she consumed more musical knowledge and cultivated long-lasting relationships with other talented musicians. She quickly became a gem in the eyes of her peers and professors who recognized her powerful abilities and her driven personality, so with support and encouragement from her mentors.
Shayna decided it was time to launch her career as a singer with a difference. Shayna decided to pursue her dream in New York, where her boyfriend, producer Jay Deasel, had set up his own production and recording company, under the Deasel Music (DM) label. Since leaving Berklee for New York City, Shayna has completed recording her first album Beyond Borders and has successfully gained wide support from her listeners. She continues to work on new songs for her next album. Meanwhile, back in her first home country of Malaysia, in July of 2006, Shayna’s first single Sweet While It Lasted started spinning on two national hit radio stations, HITZ FM and XFRESH FM. While still pursuing her career here in the United States, Shayna’s hit single gained momentum very quickly and on its own merit, sans promotion, made it to Number 1 on the Top 10 charts on XFRESH FM in just a mere two weeks. Still holding on to number 1 for five weeks and counting, Shayna is determined to make her mark and climb up the International radio charts. Shayna delivers an amazing and dynamic live show that displays her captivating power and personality, her exotic beauty, and her incredible musical prowess. Shayna Zaid is positioning herself as a new force in the music world that is sure to be enrapturing.
Support our local artiste and my very dear cousin, Shayna Zaid
On behalf of Deasel Music,
Jihan Halim
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