Draft:Farisha Ishak

Farisha Ishak (born 11 May 1994) is a Malay-Singaporean singer, songwriter, actress, host, media personality, and youth advocate.

Farisha first came onto the national scene by winning the inaugural season of The Final 1 in 2013, a Singapore reality singing competition similar to American Idol. The win included a $50,000 prize and a record deal, resulting in the release of her first album, Aligned, in 2014.

During her time at the record label, Farisha not only performed, but also acted and hosted.

In 2016, Farisha became an independent singer-songwriter. During this time, she sang the Singapore National Anthem and performed at the 2017 Singapore National Day Parade, performed at the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2017, performed at Rapsodi 2019 in partnership between Singapore and Brunei, and wrote and sang the theme song for Mediacorp Suria's television drama, Tekan Minyak, which was nominated for the Pesta Perdana Best Theme Song Award 2021.

In addition to her media pursuits, Farisha become a youth advocate. Farisha hosted a series called Taboo, which highlighted sensitive topics in Singapore society; interviewed the Mufti of Singapore as part of a series "Adab in Advocacy"; participated in AMP, a national convention centered on the continued progress of the Singapore Muslim community; joined the youth panelist show I Have A Question, which focused on civil discussion on hot button issues in Singapore; participated in closed-door discussions with the Singapore government on sensitive community issues, such as the Tudung issue ; participated in the Young Leaders Programme as part of the International Conference for Cohesive Societies, which is a global conference hosted by the President of Singapore and centers on interfaith and intercultural dialogue; and much more. Above all, Farisha focused on empowering girls and young women, through events with PPIS, MSF, the Ministry of Education, Victoria Junior College, and more.

Farisha is currently obtaining an MBA from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. She serves as the President of Carolina Women in Business, the largest MBA student club at UNC Kenan-Flagler.

Early Life and Education
Farisha was born and raised in Singapore. She attended Marymount Convent School, Raffles Girls' Primary School, Singapore Chinese Girls School, Victoria Junior College, and the National University of Singapore. . She obtained her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Global Studies in 2019, after taking a 2 year leave of absence to focus on her music

Her love of music began with her family. Her dad was a talented musician and former band member, and her brother shared the same talent. At SCGS, she joined the choir and formed a successful a capella group with 4 classmates called Rhythmist V, including performing at the 2009 ChildAid concert.

Music
Farisha's music includes her debut album "Aligned", released in 2014, as well as other collaborations such as the Hari Raya song "Kemenangan Hari Raya", SG50 The Gift of Song contest's winning song "These Are the Days", and the duet "Engkau Semalamku". Farisha also originally wrote and recorded the theme song for local show Tekan Minyak

Farisha also continued to publish original songs and covers through her YouTube channel.