Shila Amzah

Biography

Nurshahila binti Amir Amzah (born 13 August 1990) better known as Shila Amzah is a Malaysian singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, she began going to recording studios at the age of four with her father and recorded a pop studio album five years later. With the help of a famous Malaysian record producer, in 2005 Shila released her second pop studio album, Sha-Hila. Her single "Patah Seribu" (2011) received Pop Song of the Year and Song of the Year at the 19th Malaysian Music Awards. She continued her singing career by breaking out to Shanghai, China and eventually won the Asian Wave. As a result, Shila received the Kembara Award (International Music Breakthrough Award) from Malaysian Music Awards making Shila the youngest Kembara Award honoree. Afterwards, Shila continued her singing career in mandopop industry by breaking out to Hong Kong in 2015 by releasing some new singles, doing an international press conference and establishing her second record label and global management company, Shilala (HK) Limited. Her success on international stages has gained her honorific titles such as Asia's Sweetheart, Princess of Music, and National Treasure of Malaysia. Shila was the first runner-up of Bintang Kecil RTM in 2000, first runner-up of One in a Million (season 2), winner of Asia New Singer Competition in 2008, second runner-up of I Am a Singer (season 2) in 2014, and first runner-up of Anugerah Juara Lagu in 2011 and 2015. Before the Asian Wave, she performed a duet with Miley Cyrus called "The Best of Both Worlds" to promote Hannah Montana in Malaysia. In 2013, Shila was the first and only Malay artist to be invited to the Global Chinese Music Awards (GCMA). She is the first and only Malay artist to have success in Chinese-speaking countries and Chinese record charts with her Sina Weibo account having more than 2.3 million followers. She was listed in the Forbes' 30 Under 30 Asia (2018), recognizing young leaders, entrepreneurs and game changers from across Asia under Entertainment and Sports category. Shila used the stage name "NurShahila" name when she was a child. In 2004, she changed her name to Sha-Hila as her record company, EMI, wanted her name to be shorter. When she joined the One in a Million singing contest she needed to make her name even shorter. The organiser of One in a Million (Season 2) truncated her name to just Shila. After coming in as the first runner-up of One in A Million (season 2), she was called "Shila OIAM". She didn't like the name, so she added "Amzah" to her stage name, as her father's name is Amir Amzah. In Chinese-speaking countries, Shila's name is 茜拉 (Xīlā).

== Early life == Nurshahila binti Amir Amzah was born on 13 August 1990, in Setapak, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Her father, Malay: Amir Amzah Salleh, who used the stage name ND Lala, was a recording artist in the 1980s and her mother, Fauziah Sarman, was an actress. She comes from a musically inclined family: her younger sister, Nur Syuhada, whose stage name is Syada Amzah, is also a performer. She attended Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Setapak Indah, Kuala Lumpur.

== Career ==

=== 2000–2007: Early commercial success === Before Shila made her debut appearance as a child, her father struggled to get her a chance to showcase her singing. At that time, there were no recording companies that wanted to sign children as recording artists as they did not want to take the risk. So her father used his own money to produce her first album. In 2000, Shila's debut album, Terima Kasih Guru that was launched in the presence of Tun Dr Siti Hasmah, wife of Malaysia's fourth Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir. She later signed a contract with EMI. With EMI, she released the album Sha-Hila with the hit song "Yang Teristimewa".

=== 2007–2009: Career development ===

After her contract with EMI ended in 2007, she joined One in a Million (Season 2) and emerged as first runner-up of the competition. The nickname "Shila" was given by the organisers of One in a Million as her SMS voting code and name during the singing competition. On the night of the Grand Finale of One in a Million (season 2), Shila was assigned to sing a new song called "Memori Tercipta" (Memories Created). She lost to Norayu Damit, but both of them were given recording contracts from Monkey Bone Records. Throughout the competition, Shila sang:

Top 12: "Tak Ada Logika" Week 1: "Too Little Too Late" Week 2: "Stuck" Week 3: "Oops!... I Did It Again" Week 4: "Di Bawah Pohon Asmara " Week 5: "I'll Be There" Week 6: "Car Wash" Week 7: "Khayal" with Alif Satar Week 8: "Contigo en la Distancia" Week 9: "Bukan Milikmu and Love Like This" Grand Finale: "Contigo en la Distancia", "Memori Tercipta" and "Oops!... I Did It Again with Stuck" Medley She produced the album Bebaskan (Set It Free) during her stint with Monkey Bone Records. The album was launched in 2009. With 12 songs, featuring the works of Malaysian composers such as Aubrey Suwito, Audi Mok, Kieran Kuek and Mode, as well as Australian composer Jamie Huber.

=== 2010–2012: Career expansion ===