Turning The Beat Around

Meet the new guard of music who unapologetically subverts conventional expectations as they dance to the beat of their own drum.

- NIKITA NAWAWI, HASSRUL ABU 

SHELHIEL (@SUPERSHELHIEL)

For someone who grew up in a predominantly Chinese church and also a self-proclaimed “typical Asian kid” who was sent for classical piano lessons, Shelhiel’s affinity for singing and playing music developed pretty organically. Music to him was a language that he used to communicate and connect with others, and it grew into a passion that led him to create his own sound to express himself better. Having landed his break with 8TV’s The Ultimate Song songwriting competition, Shelhiel has since honed his craft not only as an artiste but also a producer.

Looking back at your journey so far, was there something you wish you had done differently?

I was doing my Architecture degree in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia when I joined the competition and it delayed my semester for a while. But I went back to finish up my studies immediately after that, and not signing up with a songwriting or publishing deal was one of the best decisions I’ve made. It allowed me to further explore production, composition, beat cyphers, live sets, DJ-ing and grow into electronic music.

Who would you say are your music influences?

Lido, Dean, Kanye West, Jolin Tsai, Charli XCX, BewhY, James Blake, M-flo, Heize and so many more! My influences are mostly related to electronic music, because I started by playing PC games on Windows 98, XP etc. I didn’t realise how much “raving” I was already doing since I was 11 or 12 up until almost the end of high school, listening to hardcore, funky, techno or housy 8-bit music by Yuzo Koshiro. And no one can ever forget the classic Pokémon game BGM.

Tell us about your new EP.