Sezairi | |
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Born | |
Nationality | Singaporean |
Alma mater | LASALLE College of the Arts[1] |
Occupations |
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Years active | 2010–present |
Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) |
Spouse | Syaza Qistina Tan (m. 2016) |
Musical career | |
Genres | |
Instruments |
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Labels | |
Website | www |
Sezairi Sezali is a Singaporean musician and singer-songwriter. Sezairi rose to prominence after winning the third season of Singapore Idol in 2009.[2]
Sezairi signed with major label Sony Music Entertainment in 2015. In 2016, he released his self-titled EP.[3] On 30 January 2020, he released his latest EP Undertones.[4] In 2022, he became the first Singaporean artiste to achieve more than 100 million streams on Spotify.[5]
Early life
Inheriting genes from his father who is an avid audiophile, Sezairi first discovered music at the age of 5 years old. His very first song was "Isabella", a Malay rock song popularised by the band Search in the 90s.[6] He soon found himself sharing the same love for music. At the age of 14, he picked up the guitar to accompany his singing. That led him to form the band Juxtapose with him as frontman. With the band, Sezairi was first able to hone his skills as a musician, as well as a songwriter. It helped prepare him for what was to come in the Singapore Idol series, a nationwide televised singing competition in 2009.[7][8]
Personal life
Sezairi solemnised his marriage to long-time girlfriend Syaza Qistina on 23 January 2016.[9][10] The closed door affair for 150 guests was held at the Timbre Music Academy Hall in Old Parliament Lane, with many of them from the local entertainment scene, including The Sam Willows' Benjamin Kheng, rappers Sheikh Haikel and Kevin Lester.[11]
In August 2016, a grand wedding dinner at the SAF Yacht Club in Changi was held to celebrate Sezairi’s nuptials with his wife. Members of homegrown bands were spotted at the wedding, including The Sam Willows, 53A, composer Jeremy Monteiro and 987FM radio DJ Tabitha Nauser. Comedian Fakkah Fuzz was the emcee for the evening and singer-songwriter Charlie Lim performed a song for the couple.[12]
Career
In 2009, Sezairi participated in the third season of nationwide televised singing competition series, Singapore Idol. He won the season, winning the hearts of many with his boy-next-door charm. He released his debut album "Take Two" in June 2010, with good reviews. "Broken", the first single of the album, was the highest ranking Asian song of 2010 on 987FM, one of Singapore’s top pop radio stations.[13]
He was signed to Sony Music Singapore in 2014 and has released his self-titled EP, SEZAIRI, featuring his first hit single "Fire To The Floor".[14]
In 2020, he released the EP Undertones, featuring evocative ballad ‘It’s You.’[15] The song has surpassed 10 million listens online and has acquired GOLD certification since its release. ‘It’s You’ was featured Apple Music’s “Best of 2018: Editors’ Picks” Global Playlist, where it sat on the 3rd spot amongst some of the year’s most identifiable and noteworthy songs.
Sezairi has branched out into acting too, with his acting debut in the local historical feature film 1965,[16] and he appeared in W!LD RICE's December pantomime, The Emperor's New Clothes as well.[17][18]
Sezairi released his third album, Violets Aren't Blue, on 8 July 2022.[19]
Filmography
Movies
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | 1965 | Adi | Singaporean historical thriller film directed by Randy Ang and Daniel Yun | [16][20][21][22][23] |
Discography
Albums
Title | Album details | Track list |
---|---|---|
Take Two[24] |
|
List
|
Title | EP details | Track list |
---|---|---|
SEZAIRI[25] |
|
List
|
Title | Album details | Track list |
---|---|---|
Violets Aren't Blue |
|
List
|
Extended plays
Title | EP details | Track list |
---|---|---|
Undertones[15] |
|
List
|
Awards and nominations
Year | Award Giving Body | Category | Work | Results | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2009 | Singapore Idol Season 3 | Singapore Idol Season 3 | Himself | Won | [26] |
2015 | Anugerah Planet Muzik 2015 (Regional Malay Awards Show) | Best Collaboration Song | "Jangan Coba Berlari" | Won | [27] |
References
- ^ "STAR ALUMNI > SEZAIRI SEZALI". LASALLE College of the Arts Singapore. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
- ^ Yeo, Melissa (3 February 2016). "14 Singapore Idol Stars: Where Are they Now? - Must Share News". Must Share News. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
- ^ "Sezairi Fires Back!". The UrbanWire. 22 August 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ hermes (6 February 2020). "Breezy, beguiling numbers". The Straits Times. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ Eddino, Abdul Hadi (10 March 2022). "Sezairi is first S'pore singer to have a song hit 100 million streams on Spotify | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
- ^ "Exclusive Interview with Sezairi: Singapore Idol Bukan Loncatan Karir Saya". creativedisc.com. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
- ^ "Sezairi Sezali for ZALORA Singapore". zalora.sg. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
- ^ "Sezairi is "domesticated and old", and that's fine by him". todayonline.com. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
- ^ "Singapore Idol Sezairi Sezali marries long-time girlfriend". tnp.sg. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
- ^ "Singapore Idol 3 winner Sezairi Sezali holds wedding dinner for 200 guests at waterfront venue". straitstimes.com. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
- ^ "Singapore Idol 3 winner Sezairi Sezali solemnises wedding to longtime girlfriend". straitstimes.com. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
- ^ hermesauto (21 August 2016). "Singapore Idol 3 winner Sezairi Sezali holds wedding dinner for 200 guests at waterfront venue". The Straits Times. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
- ^ "Idol Winner Sezairi Sezali Sets New Direction". republicanpost.sg. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
- ^ "Sony Music signs S'pore musicians Sezairi, Trick". TODAYonline. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
- ^ a b "Sezairi releases Undertones EP featuring new song, She Moves". Bandwagon Asia. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
- ^ a b "Sezairi debuts Selamat Pagi from the movie 1965". tnp.sg. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
- ^ "Theatre Review (Singapore): 'The Emperor's New Clothes' at Wild Rice". blogcritics.org. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
- ^ "Sezairi - About | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
- ^ Singh, Surej (28 June 2022). "Sezairi announces release date and tracklist for new album 'Violets Aren't Blue'". NME. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
- ^ "1965". Box Office Mojo. IMDB. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
- ^ Loh, Genevieve (2 September 2014). "SG50 film 1965 to start filming in November". Today. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
- ^ Ng, Gwen (8 October 2014). "Lim Kay Tong to play founding PM Lee Kuan Yew in the movie 1965". The Straits Times. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
- ^ Yip, Wai Yee (29 July 2015). "Challenge playing Lee Kuan Yew". The Straits Times. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
- ^ "Sezairi Sezali – Take Two". discogs.com. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
- ^ "Sezairi Fires Back!". theurbanwire.com. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
- ^ "Sezairi Crowned Singapore Idol". theurbanwire.com. Retrieved 28 December 2009.
- ^ "Singapore punk rock trio Iman's League makes history at Anugerah Planet Muzik 2015". kwiknews.my. Retrieved 13 October 2015.