It is hard to master any instrument, but the piano requires key concentration, a keen ear for sound and quick fingers. Shereen Cheong nailed these attributes she has been gifted with and has become a pianist, composer, arranger, producer, and educator. She took to the piano at the age of three and made it her business to be up early every day practising on the piano.
“I started learning the piano at the age of 3, and I fell in love with the instrument ever since. It was my first time being exposed to music, and it felt amazing to be triggering sounds as a 3-year-old. So, after the first piano lesson, I was up every morning at 8am, practising the piano on my own. I fell in love with music more and more by the day. By the time I was 10 years old, I was very certain that music would be the only career choice that I ever wanted for myself. Music is my passion and a very huge part of who I am today.”
Studying jazz piano with veteran musician, Michael Veerapen in her native Malaysia put her on the right path. Shereen would accompany Farah Sulaiman & Friends on the Sparks of Broadway Tour as a pianist in Malaysia. With this knowledge, she ventured to New York and studied at Berklee College of Music where she earned a dual degree in Contemporary Writing & Production (CWP) and Music Business & Management (MBus). She has mastered so many aspects of music it is difficult to just love one over another as she explained.
“I can’t say which one I feel more in touch with than the other, because these
are all the roles that define me as a musician in the industry. But if I had to
pick one, I definitely feel most in touch with me being a pianist, because that’s
where it all started. Because I am a pianist, I’m able to compose, and
also arrange and produce music. When you learn to compose, arrange and
produce, you play the instrument differently too. You understand soundscape,
texture, colour and contrast. And over the years, I have found a very meaningful purpose through teaching. Being a music educator has also taught me to be a better piano player. It all comes back full circle to me being a pianist because that is where it all started for me as a kid. No matter what, I love playing the piano.”
Growing up she was inspired by music of her youth with the likes of Bee Gees, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, and Chinese pop music. Even though those were in her younger years she has presently gravitated to other musical tastes like artists like the Weather Report, Pat Metheny Group, Jaco Pastorius, Lyle Mays, Joe Zawinul, Gonzalo Rubalcaba and Chick Corea. Sheeren has arranged, orchestrated, and conducted with such artists as Wang LeeHom, Kaki King, Chelsey Green, and Grammy-winning artist Pablo Ziegler. Her talents have been recognized and utilized on world tours with such notables as Victory Boyd, Grammy-winning jazz artist Gregory Porter, Grammy-winning artist Lauren Daigle, and well-known jazz artist Kamasi
Washington. As we mentioned earlier, besides being a pianist she is a composer and arranger. With these two disciplines, she used working with artists Jamilah Abu Bakar, Amni Musfirah, Carmi Harris, Chan Luxe and Keithian when they were working on their albums or singles. Shereen is so versatile in her talents she also took part in music festivals like the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, ESSENCE Music Festival and LEAF Music Festival where she performed. An accolade she can brag about was appearing on ABC’s Good Morning America Live Show and radio station Sirius XM Heart & Soul. Her star was slowly rising and getting brighter.
Only recently she performed and recorded with award-winning electropop/rock artist Marina, for her newest single “Ancient Dreams Live from the Desert”. Of course,
Shereen didn’t stop there she also performed on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers and offered her skills as music director, arranger, and keyboardist for Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, Jackie’s Boy.
Shereen not only works with artists but also produces her own work. She released a Christmas EP titled “2512” which featured various up-and-coming artists and frequent collaborators like Amni Musfirah, Anthony Muthurajah, and Jamilah Abu Bakar to name a few. She followed this one up with a second EP titled “Amygdala” which was released in January of 2022. Shereen is currently working on her first full album with all original compositions which will be a world/jazz fusion album. She has been on a musical mission for some time and is showing no slowing down. Be on the lookout for her first full album due out in 2025 where she will be performing her own work for the first time.
