In The Company Of Singapore's New First Family Of Fashion (And Fun)
Individually, the rapper Fariz Jabba, his comedian siblings Farah Lola and Fakkah Fuzz, model girlfriend Noelle Woon, musical partner-in-crime Yung Raja and songbird pal/Fuzz's flame Aisyah Aziz are among the brightest stars shooting up the popularity stakes in Singapore entertainment and style. Together they're a pop cultural juggernaut – and a reminder that your truest of kin will always be your number one fan.
By Noelle Loh,
Being on set with the posse made up of musicians Faris Jabba and Yung Raja; Fariz's elder bro Fakkah Fuzz and sister Farah Lola; his striking 1.78m tall Nigerian-Chinese model girlfriend Noelle Woon; and the equally magnetic, velvety voiced chanteuse Aisyah Aziz is like being in a real-life crossover episode of Empire and The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air.
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Everyone is crazy talented. Fariz and Raja (yes, call him that) are, of course, the multilingual rappers who've become the most-wanted poster boys of the scene here with their catchy, cheeky, feel-good verses and ability to pull off just about any runway look.
Fuzz (that's what everyone calls him) is one of Singapore's boldest and most well-known stand-up comedians; Farah – who started releasing humorous videos of her parodying personalities and everyday happenings on social media in 2018 – one of the most promising, Aisyah – who dates Fuzz and is BFFs with Farah – is the closest thing to Nina Simone born out of our millennial generation while Woon, the youngest of the group at 22, is quickly becoming Singapore's top models with her blossoming poise.
As one, they're a riot and the ease and connection that they have with one another clearly goes much deeper than the celebrityhood that they share. They finish each other's sentences and banter candidly as families do. Their answers are cosmically similar: All cite being creative and some "suuuper lit" parties as what helps bond them. That all six are proud champions of their own culture make their joint representation of kinship all the more heart-warming.
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Let funny girl Farah sum it up for us: "We are always comical and musical wherever we go, but I sometimes have to tell the boys to stop randomly breaking out into rap. We're at McDonald's, guys."
From left: Fuzz wears wool turtleneck sweater and corduroy pants, Dolce & Gabbana. Raja wears wool coat and pants, shearling vest, cotton shirt and silk tie, Prada, and leather derbies, Valentino. Noelle wears embellished silk dress, Miu Miu. Fariz wears wool vest and pants, cotton shirt and silk tie, Prada. Aisyah wears polyester coat and leather boots, Balenciaga. Farah wears embellished silk and mesh dress, Miu Miu
"Nothing is more important than family. I define family to be the life force." – YUNG RAJA
Fariz (in foreground) wears wool blazer and sweater with leather lacing, Gucci. Raja (in background) wears wool blazer and pants, cotton shirt and silk scarves, Dior Men
Aisyah (in foreground) wears silk dress and sequinned cotton-blend turtleneck top. Fuzz (in background) wears wool suit and knit top. All Valentino
"Close your eyes and think of the people whom you don't want to lose, and the first people who come to mind are the ones whom I would define as family. They are the closest to your heart and you would do anything for them." – FARIZ JABBA
Noelle (in foreground) wears Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello leather biker jacket, silk blouse and latex leggings, Saint Laurent, and her own earrings. Fariz (in background) wears cotton turtleneck top, polyester joggers and leather boots, Balenciaga
"We are always singing, mucking around and dancing – except that Fuzz can't dance." – FARAH LOLA
From left: Farah wears embellished viscose dress. Fuzz wears shearling bomber jacket, polyester turtleneck top and wool pants. Fariz wears wool sweater and pants, and rubber boots. All Bottega Veneta.
Photography Stefan Khoo Styling Chia Wei Choong Photography Assistants Alif & Daryl, Hair & Makeup Sha Shamsi & Fadli Rahman, using Dior & Kevin Murphy
This article first appeared in the Dec 2020 Be Yourself edition of FEMALE