At just 18 years old, Heema Izzati is still figuring out her place in the world. From the outside however, it might look like there’s a cosmic path for the rising local musician and singer-songwriter, who wears her heart on her sleeve and sings of navigating teenagehood. In the past year alone, she’s released two songs out of her upcoming debut EP, spoken up about the magic of music through a TedxSingapore talk, and in just a few days, she’ll be taking over the stage for the first time at the National Day Parade.
“It’s just one of those days, the 9th of August. I never really saw myself as someone that was patriotic, but I was just left amazed by everything that goes on in the parade,” she quips. Nothing happened by chance though, because ultimately, it was her voice that Dr Sydney Tan—the music director for NDP 2025—was drawn to for the intended performance in mind: a soulful cover of ‘Room at the Table’, a cherished song by yet another beloved and veteran singer-songwriter, Charlie Lim.
“The song is about inclusivity. And creating community, and the importance of community in Singapore, which is something I really care about. So I’ve also been emotionally preparing myself to carry a song with so much depth and nuance, because I feel this overwhelming responsibility to make sure that I really convey the lyrics and its message to the audience,” Izzati muses.
“I’m still learning about what kind of role model I want to be. And what I want to represent or share with the world. Because I’m so grateful to even be given a platform like this. I’m starting to realise how many girls that look like me are coming up to me after shows and rehearsals and telling me that I’m beautiful or sing well. It’s a big responsibility, having to represent a community, but I’m more than happy to be that for someone because I didn’t have that growing up,” she says thoughtfully.
With an entire universe that awaits in her evocative sound, the local musician is on the cusp of even greater things. But first—a life-changing solo run at NDP 2025, where she’ll also be leading the National Anthem this year. Here, Heema Izzati gets candid with Vogue Singapore about tapping into her emotions when she sings and writes, preparing for her NDP segment, and representation in the current music scene in Singapore.
Tell us more about your sound. How did you start out in music and how has your journey been?
Sonically, I think I have a very interesting background in music; I started out as a competitive cellist. But everyone’s got that classical music trauma story so that didn’t end up following through for me. In school, I joined an acapella group that’s influenced me in terms of how I craft my vocal lines, and I was also in this rock band for quite a while, which I formed in secondary school. My dad too, used to play classic rock songs all the time in the car. So it’s all informed the music that I create now, and the the way that my sound is forming.
I mean, I’m a completely new artist, and the singer-songwriter stuff is still new to me. But when I did start writing at the age of 15, it felt like a natural next step to me, since I’ve always just been finding different mediums to express myself since young. The people I’m collaborating with too, like my producer are also a huge part of my music story. I’m someone who considers myself as a multi-instrumentalist, and it’s great because my producer has a very similar background to me and can really view the different aspects of each instrument. She taught me the importance of being intentional with certain sonic choices you make for a song.
I care a lot about storytelling as a whole, and I look deeply into my past to get the tools to craft better stories in my songs. So like, in ‘Foreigner‘, for example, there’s a sad part at the end where I feel uncomfortable in my mind, but it comes with this tone of acceptance. And I decided to play cello for that part, because that was the root of a lot of my pain. It was how I realised that I loved music, but it also gave me so much struggles, after all. Being a musical theatre nerd, I think I’ve picked up the ability to emote when singing; people say this to me a lot, how I an really emote while singing and it’s my version of acting. My voice goes directly to my soul and I hope to touch part of people’s souls with it.
How do you feel about performing at NDP 2025?
Overwhelmingly grateful. I think I’m at this age where I’m quite fresh on the scene, but I’m also very young. So on top of discovering myself, I’m learning and absorbing all these things. And it’s been a complete blessing to be able to meet and work with all these industry pioneers and veterans.
You’re performing in Act Two this year. Tell us more about your segment and how you’ve been preparing for it.
So I’m doing a cover of Charlie Lim’s ‘Room at the Table’. At its core, the song is about inclusivity. And creating community, and the importance of community in Singapore, which is something I really care about. There’s a lyric that goes ‘I’ll be living for the day when our differences make us whole’ and the reality of it is that we aren’t fully there yet, but we can be. So I’ve also been emotionally preparing myself to carry a song with so much depth and nuance, because I feel this overwhelming responsibility to make sure that I really convey the lyrics and its message to the audience. I feel this urge to play a role in creating a Singapore that I want to be a part of, you know? So it feels so intense because every rehearsal, 27,000 people are just sitting here and I’m thinking about how I want to emote the song.
It’s also an act with special needs dancers, from Maya Dance Theatre, so I’ve been working a lot with the choreographers too, who are giving me moments where I can connect to the audience more or even turn around to the dancers and enjoy their beautiful performance. It’s such an emotional act because it’s about truly embracing our differences.
Being a featured performer at NDP also often means stepping into a role of national representation. What does this mean to you?
I’m still learning about what kind of role model I want to be. And what I want to represent or share with the world. Because I’m so grateful to even be given a platform like this. I’m starting to realise how many girls that look like me are coming up to me after shows and rehearsals and telling me that I’m beautiful or sing well. It’s a big responsibility, having to represent a community, but I’m more than happy to be that for someone because I didn’t have that growing up.
Maybe my aesthetic is visually a lot more progressive compared to others who might look the way I do. But I think with social media everywhere, there’s so many girls that I’m sure dress like me, but not necessarily a lot of people who look like me—and by extension, these girls—and dress like how I do. So I’m grateful I even have this stage to be physically in front of all these people, and I’m glad I get to be that for someone.
What are some of the fondest memories you have from your journey to NDP 2025?
There are so many. One that involves the audience though, is the first time I ever wore my costume. It’s been through a few iterations but my costume now is this shiny blue dress with a lot of layers and it’s beautiful. It originally had a white coat with it, and when I got off stage, there were so many people screaming ‘Elsa!’. I’ve also just grown so fond of everyone, like the volunteers, and the whole crew. Week after week, they’ve really been taking care of me and I’ve become so comfortable and close with some of them. So when this ends, I’m going to be very sad to leave.
What are you most looking forward to on the actual day?
Wow. I mean…definitely my act, but I actually think I’m going to be most excited and nervous about singing the National Anthem this year, because I’m also starting it this year. Like it’s really crazy that I’m 18 and I get to sing the National Anthem in front of the whole country. So I really hope that I get to inspire other people with it too. Because that’s not only for the people in the stadium, it’s also for everyone, who’s watching the broadcast from home.
