From Malaysia to the US, get to know singer Heera Ravindran

Heeraa Ravindran is a talented Malaysian singer who has recently made a mark for herself in the international music scene.

The 23-year-old aspired to be a singer since she was five.

She kickstarted her singing career when she was invited to perform at a corporate show.

"I was unbelievably excited to be given the opportunity. I remember going through the plan with my band to come up with an engaging and unique performance for the audience. It was memorable not only because it was the first time someone had taken a chance on me and my team but also because it gave us the avenue to curate an experience for a new type of audience.

"It also showed how my goal of ‘changing the world of music could be applied to a new audience by bringing joy, fun, lessons, and entertainment to many hard-working individuals in an organisation.

"Today, each corporate show I perform at still makes me overjoyed with excitement as I see how much the audience is impacted and able to take the messages from my music and the positive emotion of my performance back to their daily lives," she told Sinar Daily.

With the curiosity to learn more about the business, psychology, culture, and technicalities behind entrepreneurship with the goal of changing the world of music, she pursued her undergraduate degree at Harvard University.

"I found that one of the 12 undergraduate schools at Harvard, the Harvard Extension School, actually offers a hybrid distance learning programme for students who wish to pursue their education while pursuing their careers full-time. This was a perfect combination of what I wanted to learn and a medium that would support my career," she explained.

She expressed her gratitude for being accepted into the degree programme at one of the most prestigious universities in the world.

"I remember walking around campus when I was there for a while last fall and speaking to professors, classmates, and faculty members about how much their help has aided me in seeing my career through a different lens.

"My years of experience in the industry before starting my degree also made what I was learning all the more meaningful, as I can now put concepts I learn in theory in class into practice."

Heera is not only a talented musician, but she also served as Vice President of the Harvard Extension Student Association (HESA) and was named to Harvard University's Dean's List Honors for 2021-2022.

Speaking on her parents' view of her career, Heera further added that she is forever grateful for having a mother who always supported her.

"As a single mother who had to put food on the table for her family, my mother rose through the corporate ranks with focus and dedication, becoming a finance director and a regional HR director at a multinational.

"Today, I would like to think that her faith and trust in me have been rewarded and that she and my family are always proud of my growth, with each award and accolade I receive being dedicated to them."

Heeraa's first R&B song, "Attention Island," which won at the California Music Video Awards, was a meaningful masterpiece for her. This song discusses the dangers of seeking fame and the spotlight if you are not anchored in your identity or grounded in your heart.

"I was inspired to write this song when some of my achievements got to my head and clouded my perception of what mattered. This song helps me stay grounded and hopefully give the same impact to those listening too."

Speaking of the ideal international and local artists to work with, she added that she admires Beyonce's voice and passion for music and that singing on the same stage with her would be a dream come true.

"Meanwhile, for local singers, Siti Nurhaliza is also one of my all-time favourite singers. She has a fantastic voice and so much experience in this industry. I could learn so much from her. I really hope one day I can do a song with her. That would mean the world to me."

Heera went on to say that she plans to continue writing and performing songs, and that she hopes to perform at business events in Malaysia and around the globe. In reality, she is now working on having my songs featured in films or TV shows, as well as traveling and performing all over the world and inspiring even more people.

Despite being a singer and a student, she co-founded Ascendance, an international youth organisation established in 2015 by four Malaysian teenagers.

"Ascendance empowers today’s youth by enabling them to figure out their passion and achieve holistic success while still attending school. Today, the team is managed by Gen Zs, aged 10 to 25.

"Ascendance’s vision is to provide the resources, guidance, and platform for the youth to discover themselves, create sustainable careers, and achieve holistic success while contributing to the sustainable development of society."

Ascendance received The Diana Award 2019, a prestigious international award presented to young changemakers globally to recognise their humanitarian work and social efforts, in this journey of developing youngsters to achieve success in their objectives.

While Heerraa considers herself too inexperienced to offer meaningful life advice, she does encourage young Malaysians to put in the effort if they want to accomplish their goals.

"Follow your passions no matter how crazy they are. There were many times I could have given up, but when you keep working on your goals every single day, you will get there."