Amsterdam artist Shizen Wong arrives to her exclusive cover shoot in LA’s downtown arts district as one of the most in-demand modeling musicians on the planet, an international whirlwind with the creative intuition of a fine artist and the stage storming instincts of a pure entertainer. The Pop-&-B singer’s debut song “Boundaries” comes equipped with a high concept video in which she, the lead actress, kills her lover in a cinematic plot twist she describes as: “Kinda like Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” says Shizen, referencing the hit Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt co-starring film, a soft Dutch accent italicizing her every word. “I change my mind about my mission to kill him, while he still goes for the kill and tries to poison me,” she concludes with the bottom line: “The message is - follow your heart.” With a follow up single and accompanying visual planned for a spring ’17 release, Shizen, 22 - a stunning spiral-curled blonde bombshell heritage-hybridizing Dutch, Surinamese, Chinese, Hindu-Java, French, and Jewish descent with runway model height, Tenzin Gyatso depth and rainwater purity - is well positioned to claim the breakout artist of 2017 slot. She’s refreshingly genuine and abundantly talented, all beautifully embodied by an Afro-Asiatic Blasian bunny cat: A beach-sand complected baddie in a throwback Baywatch bikini. Of equal allure is Shizen’s music: It’s good. And her artistic intentions - she aspires to inspire. This young lady muses on multiple levels.
Written by Tone Swep
Creative Direction by Rudy Flores
Styled by Gianni & Ajani
Hair/MUA by Anna Sharena
Images by Melissa Castro
Shot at The Ren Gallery in Downtown Los Angeles
As a professional model, Shizen has worked with such iconic brands, veteran entertainers, and fashion industry luminaries as BALR, Nike, Puma, Adidas, Zalando, Hunkemoller, Blinkbox, MTV, Christina Milian, Robin Thicke, and Karl Lagerfeld. Many a modeling musician has attempted to reside in the royalty spoiled binary success suite of supermodel and superstar. If any multifaceted two-talent walking this planet is capable of capturing that crown it’s Shizen. She’ll soon possess the keys to every city jets land in. In speaking with the global game changer on the verge of emerging into mega stardom, one instantly gathers the sense that although this serene altruist is indeed a DOPE mix of humility and ability, she is also introspectively competitive; trying tirelessly to outdo herself, beat her best time, consistently improve if only to prove the point that she can. A girl beaming with ethereal peace and yet owning of elite-athlete level hunger and tenacity, then too, a young woman rife with self-empowered drive while fiercely dedicated to her hardcore agenda. Shizen is here to succeed at achieving her identified goals. We caught up with the Netherlands’ hottest dual threat in downtown LA, just before her return trip halfway across the world home, to rap about staying on the grind, reading other people’s minds, and being kind to oneself… and others.
(Tone Swep: TS) Your early interest in music was inspired by such artists as Aaliyah, Missy Elliott, Justin Timberlake, and Christina Aguilera. What is it about these artists you were drawn to?
(Shizen Wong: Shizen) As a little girl I grew up watching these artists. The style and genre back then was way more funky and authentic to me. The thing that I was drawn to the most was their style. How I loved Aaliyah from her style to her music! Still unbelievable she passed away so young. Rest in peace to Aaliyah.
(TS) Three of those four worked extensively with producer Timbaland. He’s the common denominator. What about Timbo’s beats meshed so well with Aaliyah, Missy and Justin?
(Shizen) I think the funk and soul they all had, paired with his beats, became magic. Timbo’s beats always stick. I would love to work with him one day. That would be a dream come true.
(TS) Your latest release is intoxicating, really timely music. Set some boundaries up in this b!tch (Laughs!). What was the motivation for this new song?
(Shizen) (Laughs!) Yes, I had so much inspiration for this particular track. My motivation for these lyrics was my previous relationship; where I’ve been cheated on, on multiple occasions. For some reason I always felt it, but he kept denying it so I couldn’t be one hundred percent sure, which was so frustrating. Until this one night I had a dream about him and that girl. The dream was so strong that I had no more doubts. I woke him up and asked him again, and he finally admitted it. So these lyrics are to all the cheating boyfriends out there (Laughs!).
(TS) Is “Boundaries” leading up to a debut album or EP? When can we expect a full project from you? I really look forward to that.
(Shizen) Thank you, Tone! I am so excited. Boundaries was my first single ever, and definitely leading to an EP. I am currently working very hard on a few more singles that I want to drop before the EP comes out. My second single comes out next spring, for which we shot the clip in LA. It is a Dutch song so I am a little nervous, and also excited, about how my audience is going to react to it, especially the part of my audience that doesn’t speak Dutch.
(TS) Define your sound, describe the messages and themes in your music. What are your intentions as an artist?
(Shizen) My sound is universal. I am inspired by Aaliyah and Jhene Aiko a lot at the moment, because I think I have a similar sound. My messages are very real. It’s how I feel and what I think about life and love or what I’ve been through. Sometimes I sing about things I don’t dare to talk about. This is what I love about music the most, it makes me feel so invisible and powerful at the same time. My intentions as an artist are to inspire others, make them want to dance and celebrate life, and believe they can be or do whatever they want to.
(TS) The “Boundaries” visual really tells a story, with your character poisoning the male love interest in the end, though in the beginning it seemed like you two were young and in love. What did homie do to get the kill dosage? He must have messed up irreversibly.
(Shizen) So I get this question a lot (Laughs!)! In the beginning of the video I get a text with a picture of him saying ”target” and he gets a text with my picture saying ”target”, so its kinda like Mr. & Mrs. Smith. But we end up really liking each other and I change my mind about my mission to kill him, while he still goes for the kill and tries to poison me, which I luckily notice and swap our drinks. The message is.. follow your heart, forget society, be who you wanna be. Do not follow orders at all, because he was going for the kill instead of following his heart and ended up taking his own life. I had no choice but to save my own. So yeah, he messed up big time (Laughs!). His fatal final mistake.
(TS) You’ve worked extensively as a model. How do you like having a career in modeling? How does it coincide with your music?
(Shizen) Oh, I love it! Modeling is just great and the most fun to me because I feel very comfortable in front of a camera. The camera is actually one of my best friends. If I make him look good, he makes me look good.
(TS) You are strikingly attractive, with chiefly royal ethnic features drawing from heritages as diverse as Surinamese, Chinese, Dutch, Hindu-Java, French, and Jewish. How do you feel the hybrid diversity you internalize informs your work as an artist?
(Shizen) I think it makes me look and feel different and more worldly. I can incorporate all cultures into my own style which makes it way more fun and universal. It also makes me naturally identify with all citizens of the world. I do not feel our differences. I feel our equality.
(TS) How does being beautiful empower a young woman?
(Shizen) I think being beautiful comes with both positive and negative energies. If you know how to stay humble knowing you are attractive and beautiful from the outside, that makes you even more beautiful from the inside, the only place where true beauty comes from. I also think it brings more self awareness, because of the extra attention that comes with it that needs to be put in the right perspective constantly. It’s best not to be aware of your outer beauty too much. It will distract you from the really important stuff in life.
(TS) You seem to enjoy creative freedom, there is a sense of boundlessness present within the aura of your art work. What is freedom, artistically and otherwise, to you?
(Shizen) Freedom to me is being able to express yourself exactly the way you want to in any way. In my case I express myself in my music and style, I love to be edgy but still feminine in everything I do. When I am in the studio with my producer Qlocsound, I feel so free. The musical chemistry we have, and me being able to write my own emotions to his beats, is just everything. It gives me so much satisfaction. I honestly think that when you find your true passion, you find freedom.
(TS) You’ve said that you don’t feel at home most of the time, compelling a strong feeling of wanderlust; always wanting to move to a new place. Why?
(Shizen) I have no idea. I wish I knew. I know that my sign, Sagittarius, is very adventurous. I’m almost addicted to adventure and new places. So I know that has a lot to do with it. But I don’t know why I can’t seem to settle. I always feel like I need to be challenged. And being somewhere too long makes me feel too comfortable, which makes me feel like I can’t grow any further at that point. So I always seek for new places to go and people to meet with the same mindset. I guess I’m just still young and curious.
(TS) You’re a mind reader, those Asiatic eyes can see straight through people and know their intentions. How early did you realize this gift? Share a related mind reading experience with us.
(Shizen) Yes! How did you know (Laughs!)? The craziest experience I had with reading minds was when I was in Portugal with one of my friends. We went out and I randomly started talking to this girl who just looked so sad. I knew exactly what was going on in her mind, because she was thinking about it and I could read her every thought. She started crying and asking me for advice. She was so upset. After our conversation she felt relieved and grateful but was so shocked that I knew what was going on. I was in shock too (Laughs!). This was the first time I realized I could read people.
(TS) Why are you such an emotional human being?
(Shizen) I am very sensitive to energy from people. If someone feels sad, for example, I feel it right away. I can immediately sympathize with a person’s feelings.
(TS) The name or word “Shizen” is deeply rooted in Japanese aesthetics, closely linked to Wabi-sabi Buddhist principles such as asymmetry (irregularity), simplicity, nature, being unbounded by convention, living without pretense, and subtly profound grace among other things. How is it that you are essentially the embodiment of your name? That’s pretty powerful.
(Shizen) I am very happy with my name and it’s wonderful how only a few people in the world are called by this name. My mom and dad were having dinner in Amsterdam one night just before my birth. They didn’t know whether I would be a boy or a girl, while reading through a newspaper they saw an add for a Japanese restaurant named Shizen. Instantly charmed by the word and it’s meanings they chose Shizen as their girl-name. And Lee as their boy-name. So I decided to be born as a girl (Laughs!). Thanks mom and dad!
(TS) You grew up in Amsterdam, known for it’s legalization of marijuana long before most nations, but also for its beauty, art, and history. Talk a little about life as a Dutch girl growing up in the Netherlands.
(Shizen) I had the best childhood growing up in Amsterdam. Since smoking was always legal in my teenage years I never had the urge to smoke. So I don’t smoke marijuana at all. I feel like Amsterdam really keeps anybody humbled, it is a peaceful place with so many different cultures. That makes you feel at home easily. Of course we have the same racial, cultural, and religious issues as all other multicultural society’s do, but in Amsterdam you don’t have to be confronted with it all the time. Amsterdam has a very old history and was built upon water like the whole of Holland. The center of Amsterdam is still preserved in its original state and dates back to the 16th century. Full of old houses by the canals built around our central station and the IJ lake. It’s great to take a canal boat-trip to see our beautiful city from the water. Gosh I love the canals! I will always come back to Amsterdam for the holidays no matter where I live.
(TS) How would you describe your parent’s philosophy of raising you? What mindset did those two send this talented young woman into the world with?
(Shizen) My parents are so supportive. They always have been. I love my parents like crazy, they are literally my best friends. They’ve always let me be free without neglecting me. I have been able to learn from my mistakes or lesser choices because they’ve given me the chance to make them myself. This gave me a lot of confidence and a sense of responsibility without feeling alone or unwanted, because my parents have always been there for me and always are. Their mindset is that anything is possible as long as you believe in it and are willing to work hard for it.
(TS) You and your mother are very close, almost like sisters, mother-daughter, and close friends all wrapped in one. How did you two develop such a positively connected vibe?
(Shizen) I think that is because I was always honest about everything, I never lied to her even though I knew she was gonna be mad about the truth. So she trusts me and I trust her and we discuss everything with each other.
(TS) You are currently an indie artist, but this rare combination of looks, talent, modeling, and overall creative ability will be the eye of every label head if you aren’t already. What will a major label need to offer in order for you to sign?
(Shizen) This label will have to respect and guard my freedom and creativity as much as possible and make me able to work with and learn from great artists. That will enable me to become a better artist. So I am very willing to sign with a major label if it will guide me in a truly positive way.
(TS) You seem to have a clear vision of who you are as an artist and person. Where does that sense of confidence and self-direction derive from?
(Shizen) I used to be different when I was younger. But I didn’t like myself back then so I decided to change and become the better me, which is an ongoing process that will probably go on forever. It takes a lot of adventure and being uncomfortable to get comfortable and being sure about who I am and where I want to go grew from that. I think traveling and being alone helps you to find yourself.
(TS) Let’s talk about money. Love of it is of course said to be the very root of all evil, that said, the more of it you have the better your quality of life. Or so it seems. What’s your take on the all mighty dollar?
(Shizen) I think money is such a game, its so sad that we all act like money is the most important thing in life. It really is not. I feel so rich with all the love and positive energy I get from life and people around me, that is truly being rich to me. Of course, you need money to survive. That is just the way it is unfortunately, but I am a gazillionaire without it.
(TS) Is real love still attainable? Can we still build love with another person, get married, raise a family, and live happily ever after? Or was that fairytale assassinated with the advent of social media bullying and Love and Hip Hop reruns?
(Shizen) (Laughs!)… I for sure think real love is still attainable even with the social media ruining and disturbing our natural instincts. We just shouldn’t give up on finding it. It just takes a lil’ longer nowadays. Everybody thinks they need to look a certain way, or be a certain person while in fact you just gotta be the best you can and you will find your soulmate.
(TS) Let’s conclude this convo on an abstract note. Asking the same question once with you answering it twice - first physically and again metaphysically: Where are you coming from, where are you now, and where are you headed?
(Shizen) Physically: I just came from LA, I am in Amsterdam now, I’m headed to any place where its sunny. Metaphysically: I come from a fairy forest, I am on a soft cloud, I am headed to my golden throne.
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