The first Tamil artist to receive the Singapore Youth Award, Shabir won the first season of Vasantham Star in 2005, kickstarting his diverse career as a solo artist, playback singer, and composer. He was born as "Shabir Tabare Alam" in Singapore on February 28, 1985, and raised in a creative family with two artistic siblings: actor Elias Mikhail and filmmaker Abbas Akbar. Shabir began composing songs at 12 years old and eventually became an accomplished instrumentalist, too, trained in the Hindustani method on both violin and guitar. After his first-place finish on the TV singing competition Vasantham Star, he released his debut album, Alaipayuthey, in 2005. The album showcased his diverse influences, including alternative rock and world music. Shabir further explored that sound with 2008's TraffiQ and 2012's Swasam — Scents of Prose, serving as an international ambassador for modern-day Tamil music. One year after Swasam — Scents of Prose's release, he made his debut as a playback singer, performing "Ari Unnai" in the film Vathikuchi. After appearing on the soundtracks to 2014's Arima Nambi, 2016's Babu Bangaram, and others, he began composing his own musical contributions to films like 2017's Sangu Chakkaram and 2019's Sagaa. "Yaayum," the lead single from Sagaa's soundtrack, became an international hit. Now celebrated as one of the leading lights in Singapore's music scene, Shabir teamed up with Shezairi, Linying, and Shye for "The Road Ahead," a collaborative single that served as the 2021 theme song for Singapore's National Day Parade.
