Culture & Systems Advisor

Interdependent Healing
& Climate Resilience Facilitator

Penguin Author, Speaker
& Multilingual Educator

Photo taken at Central Festival Phuket.
Background illustration in photo is -
“The Genesis of the Ancestral Gurney’s Pitta from the Cosmic Consciousness” by artist Watcharin Rodnit

Image From Penguin Website Here

How I Work:
Culture,
Systems
& Healing

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MY APPROACH: Culture, Systems, and Healing

I work at the intersection of culture, systems, and healing.

My philosophy: Individual pain is shaped by social structures and cultural contexts. Healing is never just individual - it's interdependent. This commitment to systems thinking, grounded in deeper cultural literacies, informs everything I do. And it starts with an approach that together, we can reshape the systems and cultures that shape our pain, to heal together.

This systems and cultural literacy perspective informs everything I do:

• In teaching: I help students see how different disciplines, cultures, and knowledge systems connect—and how understanding these connections enables us to reshape them together, often using music, stories, and the arts as bridges between theory and lived experience.

• In music: I create spaces where revitalised heritage, reinvigorated and contextualised traditions, and modern healing practices bridge. Music from Black Sheep Breath brings my interdependent healing and systems work into sound, turning complex pain, heritage, and climate worries into embodied experiences of reconnection, resonance, and resilience.

• In facilitation: I guide organisations, teams, and communities to understand how systems shape their experiences, and how interdependence creates both resilience and the power to reshape systems together

My book *What Has Society Got To Do With My Pain?* explores this thesis

through lived experience and systems analysis.

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Release

Relearn

Reheal

Make Music, Make Magic

Train Heart, Work Whole

Play Well, Learn Well

BLACK SHEEP BREATH

“I Record My Music Live.

No Edits. Raw Videos.

On Mobile Phone.

Sing Your HeartSong With Me.

Don’t Follow If You Don’t
Black Sheep Breath.”

— @freesheart

BREATHE LIFE IN YOUR QUIRKY

" Both our families and friends really appreciate your great singing and emcee today. Many of my friends were so very impressed with how you kept the guests entertained throughout the lunch!! One of them said, "And oh I must say your MC/singer is so talented!! His mandarin is 👍🏼 Better than mine. I'm ashamed of myself 🤪 hahahah." Such amazing music should definitely be heard! "

from Mavis Wee & Gary Chong
for my role at their wedding as Mandarin & English Emcee & Singer Guitarist/Musician
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" Faris brought exceptional energy, enthusiasm, and charisma as the event’s emcee. His lively and dynamic presence kept the atmosphere engaging and vibrant throughout, captivating an audience of over 20,000 migrant workers. In addition to his role as emcee, Faris performed songs, leading singalongs that further enlivened the event and brought the crowd together in celebration. His ability to connect with the audience through music was a highlight of the day, making everyone feel included and appreciated. Beyond his professional skill as an emcee and entertainer, Faris demonstrated great kindness and generosity by volunteering his time and talent to ensure that migrant workers felt valued and recognised. His contribution is a testament to the values of HIA's "Together in Singapore" initiative, which seeks to bridge social distance and foster stronger connections between local and migrant communities. "

Excerpt of testimonial from Hope Initiative Alliance (HIA)
For playing a “vital role as an emcee and entertainer during the International Migrants Day 2022 celebration, organised by the Ministry of Manpower in collaboration with HIA and other partners at Little India”, “captivating an audience of over
20,000 migrant workers”
- Quotations above from testimonial by Hope Initiative Alliance which you can read here
" #NUSFASS alumnus Faris Ridzuan (#NUSSociology, ’15) and graduate student pursuing a Master’s degree in #NUSMalayStudies is a hobbyist musician performing at weddings, eateries and national celebrations, and most recently a string of competitions on the international stage! Among the accolades he has earned this year alone include silver medals at the 2022-2023 Canadian International Music Competition (Artist Category) and Euro Elite International Music Competition, a Special Award at the UK International Music Competition, and a bronze medal at the just concluded Grand Metropolitan Competition (becoming one of only two winners in the Professional category). Congratulations Faris, and all the best in your upcoming contests! #NUSAlumni #FASSAlumni #NUSBeyond #FASSBeyond "

Excerpt above from a Facebook and LinkedIn Social Media Post by the National University of Singapore
" *Stunning performance.* Faris brought a unique energy to our wedding that added so much heart to the day and left everyone in awe. His voice was flawless, and he knew exactly how to elevate every moment. We’re still getting compliments from guests about how amazing he was! Truly unforgettable. "

From Nur Qurratul Ain Binte Azhar & Haider Amir
For my role as musician & entertainer at their wedding
“ Faris was an inspiration during Club HEAL’s inaugural Healing and Recovery Conference. Together with one of our colleagues, he courageously shared his experiences and personal journey in navigating mental health challenges. Their segment provided a powerful and uplifting end to the conference, offering us a heartfelt glimpse into their worlds. Thank you, Faris, for inspiring us with your resilience and dedication! ”

Testimonial from Club Heal for my role as speaker and poet at Club HEAL’s inaugural Healing and Recovery Conference, 2024
" Faris was so amazing at my wedding banquet. Guests were asking for the volume to be louder so that they could enjoy his music. Even myself, as the bride, I stopped taking my table photos just to be in the moment and enjoy Faris’ (& Nurul’s) performance. Whether you knew Faris or not, you could feel the love in that room. So just sharing how appreciative I am that he shared his gifts and talents with my guests. He went beyond my simple requests and brought such a great energy and vibe to the room with the multiple songs he performed. "

Testimonial from Beverly Kannangara for my performance and role as musician at her wedding. Nurul accompanied me with sign language for my performance of two songs, adding much beauty with her musical interpretation through sign language at Beverly’s wedding.
His musical talent recently gained attention when he won a silver medal in the Canada International Music Contest. The contest was held online where participants were asked to submit videos of their performances. To celebrate his achievement, the first-class honours graduate from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and currently working as an academic tutor at the university, recently took the time to perform a song at the Berita Harian studio. He chose the song Bukan Kerana Nama, a song popularized by Ramli Sarip. Despite never receiving formal education in music, Faris ventured into the field in 2022 as a singer and songwriter. "This competition gives me the opportunity to showcase my talent at the international level," he said. Faris can also play the guitar. Apart from that, he can not only sing in Malay but also sing Arabic, Mandarin and French songs. Excerpt from Singapore Malay National News , Berita Harian - Translated from Malay to English

Translated Excerpt from News Feature in Malay National News Berita Harian, “Menang pingat perak di peraduan muzik antarabangsa”
For the (National University of Singapore, NUS) Outstanding Young Alumni Award, two individuals were celebrated, Dr Izzuddin Mohd Aris in the field of Science and Mr Faris Ridzuan in the field of Arts and Social Sciences.... As an academic tutor at NUS, Faris Ridzuan also hopes to contribute more to the wider society in Singapore. "The important thing is, I want to learn from those who are far more luminary, wise and ethical, and contribute to areas where I may have a modicum of knowledge and capability of service that I hope can contribute to the benefit of all parties," said Mr. Faris. At the same event, an appreciation video was also shown as a tribute to Puan Halimah Yacob.

English translated excerpt from news article by national Malay news BeritaMediacorp for being awarded the NUS Outstanding Young Alumni Award.
"Faris Bin Ridzuan played key roles in several VARIASI initiatives, programmes and key offerings. Some of these include Akar 2023: Tak Kenal Maka Tak Cinta, Projek Jalinan 2023 and Pertapis Ramadan Iftar Event."...In the preparatory stages for Akar 2023: Tak Kenal Maka Tak Cinta for example, he employed his research skills, ground-sensing and network connections to collaboratively create the panel topics to be dialogued with his team and VARIASI team members. This ensured groundedness and relevance to beneficiaries and participants involved. His skill to cross-pollinate ideas with the panel speakers promoted both divergent and convergent perspectives, mutually enhancing ideas with positive emotions and vice versa with the team, on challenging and complex topics."...“Faris’ role to prepare, anticipate and fluidly craft responsive questions as a moderator ensured the inclusivity of the interaction of participants in a shared socio-aspirational space.”...“This helped to create deeper appreciation, acknowledgement and affirmation of Malay heritage, tradition and culture.”...“Faris’ skilful mitigation of conflicts that steer audiences and panel speakers away from shared and agreed upon common objectives and values allowed respectful integration of perspectives for a fruitful discussion.”...“Despite unexpected events that disrupted the initial flow, Faris demonstrated improvisation skills to professionally keep the event running smoothly with subtle and respectful humour, while allowing supporting team members to step in and help out.”....“As several topics were rather complex and abstract, touching on themes like theatre, arts, music and culture, Faris leveraged excellent scaffolding and communication skills.”...“He pre-engaged key partners who were tasked to lead these conversations as thought leaders and helped to scaffold and collaboratively mould the flow of content and how it is communicated to suit the audiences present.”...“This required Faris to dynamically adapt to the flow of conversations while acknowledging expertise and new ideation from participants, seamlessly transitioning between topics and themes, and proposing plausible linkages for coherence.”...“Faris is a key contributor and galvaniser for organisations seeking someone who is rigorous in stretch assignments for challenging, potentially sensitive, yet vital topics such as in culture, tradition and heritage, with complex and unclear definitions and outcomes.”...“These skills and competencies are especially beneficial in the fields of intercultural and intracultural dialogue and co-creation, and the concerted and creative flourishing through the arts to benefit individuals and groups within and across communities and societies.”

Except of Testimonial from VARIASI - Pursuing Excellence Through Arts
I am honored to recommend Faris, an exceptional person whose multifaceted expertise and unwavering support have left a great impact on my personal and professional journey. As a multilingual and multicultural trainer, coach, mentor, musician, songwriter, emcee, moderator, facilitator, and poet, he utilizes a rare blend of skills and charisma that leave a lasting impression on everyone he meets. I had the privilege of connecting with him through AEYN, and since then, his guidance has been a cornerstone of my growth. He has taught me invaluable lessons about setting meaningful goals, maintaining a positive focus, and working toward societal betterment. Through his mentorship, I developed a deeper understanding of community engagement and gained profound insights into climate action, and my inner self, and taught so much about indigenous rights and issues. Even after mentorship, he has been a great help and connected me with a few opportunities. In one word, he is a gem. - Recommendation from Sagar Koirala (He/Him/His) Sagar Koirala (He / Him / His), Agriculture and Climate Researcher, DRR advocate, Intersectionality, Food Systems Champion, COP delegate, Educator, Agribusiness

LinkedIn Recommendation from Sagar Koirala (He/Him/His) Sagar Koirala (He/ Him/His),
Agriculture and Climate Researcher, DRR advocate, Intersectionality, Food Systems Champion, COP delegate, Educator, Agribusiness
Faris was an incredible mentor during the AEYN mentorship program. I thoroughly enjoyed his insights, heartfelt facilitation and constant guidance throughout the entire journey. Faris is an excellent communicator, allowing him to bring across his points-of-view while still being very respectful of the other perspectives present. I benefited much from his mentorship and wish him the very best for the future! - LinkedIn Recommendation from Dr. Ian Chew Forbes 30 under 30 (We create low-carbon computer code)

LinkedIn Recommendation from Dr. Ian Chew Forbes 30 under 30 (We create low-carbon computer code)

PerA感想Saan

Thoughts & Feelings

on

Teachings of Faris

Image Credit: Singapore Sports School

🎵On Style & Vibes 🎵 I love your energy (sassy mildly Gen Z energy) 🎵 I love... how you tell us quotes in different languages 🎵 I love how you start off some lessons with a song that's related to something you want to teach us... 🎵 how you pepper your tutorials with personal anecdotes 🎵 Every lesson was mind-blowing 🎵 Every tutorial was an enlightenment 🎵

💭 On Thought & Reflection 💭 His teaching inspired me to think more 💭 Challenge normative way of thinking 💭 He allows us to reflect deeper on how different topics link to our lives 💭 Gives advice on how to think in everyday scenarios that is helpful for us in the future 💭

🌟 On Knowledge & Insight 🌟 Helps to broaden my knowledge 🌟 He is like a walking encyclopedia. 🌟 He synthesises knowledge across disciplines seamlessly 🌟 Synthesises everyone's sharing on the spot to produce a coherent whole 🌟 Interdisciplinary 🌟 Good at broadening concepts and general knowledge 🌟 Allows us to see how we are all interconnected 🌟 Wide spectrum of insights 🌟 Knowledgeable about different races and religions 🌟 Connects concepts and value adds seamlessly 🌟 Link numerous topics together 🌟 Diverse knowledge 🌟 You're really knowledgeable 🌟 Certainly, what you say is true, no strategies are free from flaws, but we can evaluate and take the good parts of each strategy and make our own "plate" 🌟

🧠 On Teaching & Mentorship 🧠 He is a mentor 🧠 He relates to our everyday life 🧠 He inputs a lot of his stories and history with the themes (of the lessons) 🧠 He doesn't rely solely on texts or PowerPoint, shows us videos and some of his past experiences 🧠 He is able to create an environment where students can freely share their opinions 🧠 He facilitates class discussion very well 🧠 Fun way of learning 🧠 His approach to teaching helps us feel safe 🧠 Able to create conducive and enjoyable environment for all students to learn effectively and happily 🧠 Flexible 🧠 Kind to students 🧠 The male teacher is superb... 🧠 he inculcate songs and create his own songs to get participation and attention 🧠

💬 On Gratitude & Impact 💬 I appreciate a lot for letting us send you our thoughts that might be a bit too personal to mention in lessons 💬 Giving us consultations for us to approach you made it easier 💬 Really appreciate you taking time to film the farewell video and to write to your tutorial groups although you didn't have to 💬 Super grateful for your presence 💬 Thank you for sharing on your experiences with your own trials and tribulations 💬 I can tell you care about us 💬 Thank you for sharing your expertise and knowledge in tutorials 💬 I have learnt a lot from the tutorials and I enjoyed them 💬 It is such an honour to be your student 💬 You're really knowledgeable 💬

🌍 On Purpose & Inspiration 🌍 I realised during the tutorial that I wanted to do something to help the community 🌍 Nice to know that we are all working together to turn the power of knowledge into something meaningful for this world 🌍 I am glad I reached out to you and got some feedback on how to navigate the rigors of undergraduate life 🌍 This was one of my favourite modules this semester... 🌍 I think it's partially because how great a teacher you were 🌍

Image Credit: Boon Lay Secondary School

Let’s

- Create - Connect - Commune -

Through Our Socials!

Image Credit: GIYSCC, Science Diplomacy Centre, UNITAR

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Image Credit: Social Media post by Future Earth; Science Diplomacy Centre, UNITAR; GIYSCC

Book a Call

Email at faridz@singingourheartsongs.com

Culture & Systems Advisor

Interdependent Healing
& Climate Resilience Facilitator

Penguin Author, Speaker
& Multilingual Educator