Beyond Borders and Half a World Away...

by Jay Deasel

Shayna Zaid's unique and mesmerizing vocal chords will captivate you. Her soulful voice is unmistakably powerful, yet tender, strong yet sweet, and mature beyond her years. Her genuine ability to draw you into her lyrical world will leave you grounded, uplifted and inspired.

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 international stars at primetime on a major TV network. By the age of fifteen, she became a TV personality in Malaysia and soon graced the cover of several national magazines and gained exposure in modeling for advertising giants such as Dove, Coca-Cola, Pringles and Nokia, among others.

Shayna attended 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. After leaving Berklee for New York City, Shayna completed recording and released her first debut album 'Beyond Borders' in February of 2006.

In July of 2006, Shayna's first single 'Sweet While It Lasted' started spinning on two national Malaysian hit radio stations, HITZ FM and XFRESH FM. While still pursuing her career here in the United States, Shayna's 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. This sparked the first collaboration with two local artists Shazzy and JFK on a song called 'Kali Pertama'’; one of a few singles released from her second album 'Half A World Away'.

In March 2007, Shayna returned to her homeland Malaysia for a four-month promotional tour to release and promote her second album 'Half A World Away". Through generous media and press exposure, live performances, public appearances, together with her warm personality and her fresh new sound in the music scene, she managed to captivate the hearts of many. Both her Malay singles 'Kali Pertama' and 'Percayalah Impianmu' began climbing up the charts very quickly on multiple national radio stations while her English single 'Endless Love' landed the Number 1 spot on HITZ FM - the Number 1 English radio station in the nation.

After only 3 months of releasing and promoting her second album 'Half a World Away,' Shayna was nominated for 3 categories in the 2007 ERA Awards for 'Best Pop Song', 'Best Female Vocals' and 'Best New Artist'.

With the release of 'Half A World Away', recent features on TV shows and film, along with her current (work in progress) 2008 EP project under her belt, Shayna is determined to make her mark and climb up the International radio charts someday soon.

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.

For Licensing, Booking and General Information, please contact:

shaynazaidonline@gmail.com