The first time local musician Shazza made a song, she was eight years old. Her studio was her living room, and her equipment? A family MacBook Pro. Using GarageBand, Apple’s music creation software, she began piecing together beats and melodies on her own. “The beats I made were really bad, but I loved every second of it,” the 24-year-old recalls with mirth. “It was such a fun thing to do, and for free!”
Shazza’s journey from playful experimentation to professional artistry is inseparable from the Apple tools that shaped it. During her polytechnic days, she began creating demos with real intention, armed with little more than her voice, a guitar, and Apple’s music software—first GarageBand, and later, Logic Pro.
These were the early sketches of songs that would eventually find a home on her albums. “One demo I put together then remains one of my proudest works,” she says. “It’s actually the demo for the last song on my sophomore album, I Let Somebody Go, one of my favorite songs I’ve ever made.”
Even today, Shazza’s Apple devices and apps remain her creative Swiss Army knives. But to her, they are not just productivity tools; these are archives of memory, growth, and self-discovery.
As Apple celebrates 50 years, Shazza’s story is a reminder that technology can be more than a tool. It can be a companion, a stage, a sketchpad, and a diary—helping us create, remember, and grow. In her exclusive interview with GRAZIA Singapore below, Shazza looks back on her earliest memories with Apple devices, and shares how they’ve become an integral part of her creative process and artistic evolution.
GRAZIA Singapore (GS): What were some of your first Apple devices?
Shazza (S): [Besides my family MacBook Pro], I also had an iPod Nano, one of my favorite devices at the time. I don’t actually remember ever putting music into it myself because I was too young, but my family would add songs, and I would just listen. It was a blue one—I think we still have the box! I loved that device very, very much.
Following that, I had my very own iPhone for the first time when I turned 12. It was a present from my parents after PSLE because I did well. We had a deal: if I did well enough, I’d get an iPhone 5C, and I got it in blue. That was my very first iPhone, and I’ve not gone back since.
Later on, we upgraded to an iMac—the thick version, not the thin one they have now. That was our family computer. I played video games, explored Barbie.com, and started recording some of my first demos when I began writing songs.
GS: So in a way, these Apple devices are very intuitive to use?
S: Extremely intuitive. I really enjoyed using them because I’m not classically trained—I can play the piano a little, but not well enough, which is why you don’t see me playing many instruments at my shows. I self-taught myself the guitar, just enough to write songs. The nature of Apple devices, like GarageBand, made it very easy to create music and experiment even at a young age. I had access to this world where I could explore my sound.
It wasn’t just the iMac—GarageBand on the family iPad also allowed me to play guitar and experiment. Being touch-screen made it even more intuitive. The ecosystem really helped me explore my artistry at a young age. It was a soft place to land while experimenting and falling in love with songwriting—the first art I truly loved. Growing up with these devices was magical, and I was very lucky to have that experience.
GS: Can you describe a project that was particularly meaningful to you because of the role Apple technology played in it?
S: Sure! Taking it to something more recent: after using GarageBand for years, around polytechnic, I started working on demos for my career in music. I had my GarageBand, a guitar, my voice, and a dream. The demos were bare-bones, but it was when I really leaned into pursuing music.
Eventually, I bought Logic Pro in 2021. I usually work with producers because my strength is in songwriting, not production. But having that demo to take to my producers and say, “This is what I want the song to sound like,” was a proud moment.
Experimenting with Logic Pro opened a world of possibilities. Even though I wasn’t perfect, I got close to what I envisioned, and I’m proud I could create that myself.
GS: Your career now involves singing, producing, songwriting, and marketing. What workflows, apps, or rituals on your devices are essential to your process today?
S: I edit most of my videos myself, even now. My graphics, visuals, and campaign materials are usually done by me. I care deeply about my output and have a very clear vision. Devices have always been instrumental in that process.
For example, for Shazzafest last year—a community event to launch my second album—I edited all the videos myself and made most of the posters and visuals. I use Canva for many of these because it’s intuitive on the MacBook Air I use.
I also use Final Cut Pro for video editing. One recent project, a collaboration with a Japanese rock band called I Don’t Like Mondays., involved conceptualising, directing, shooting, and editing the video entirely myself. Using Final Cut’s new features, including the multi-cam feature, cut my editing time down to a day.
For planning, I use Freeform to storyboard and map out ideas—my brain is messy, so it helps me organise. For songwriting, Notes is my go-to, sometimes alongside Freeform. Voice memos are another key tool; I’m up to number 2000-something.
GS: Are there memories attached to your devices—like photos, playlists, or projects—that you still look back on fondly?
S: During the pandemic, I spent hours at my MacBook recording demos and intentionally creating music for the first time in my life. Looking back fills me with gratitude. I’m thankful the younger version of me was brave enough to take those steps, armed with a MacBook, GarageBand, and a dream. Look where it’s gotten me today! I never would have imagined.
GS: What’s coming up for you in 2026? Any new releases or special projects?
S: My view of success has evolved. It used to be about winning a Grammy; now it’s more intangible. Success is being content with what I do while pushing myself out of my comfort zone. Building community is huge, too—projects like Shazzafest and my sophomore album have shown me the value of a community around my art.
In short, success now looks like my older self making my younger self proud. I’ve worked so hard and wished so deeply for so many things I’ve been blessed to experience, and I never take that for granted.
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