Buzz Music Fan Favorite: ShyBoy Is on a Roll of Releases This Year!
Residing in Los Angeles, ShyBoy’s upbeat club music focuses on empowering the LGBTQ+ community and beyond. ShyBoy is a vocalist, songwriter, producer, and DJ whose music has been featured in America’s Next Top Model, Sex And The City, and many more. ShyBoy has performed throughout North America and in Europe, sharing the stage with artists such as Amanda Palmer, Meiko, and Flo Rida. An array of writers and artists have collaborated with ShyBoy, including Emmy Award-winning drag superstar RuPaul, hip-hop legend SlimKid3 (The Pharcyde), pop vocalist Nicole Scherzinger (The Pussycat Dolls) and more! He also is the main resident at Bootie LA (the longest-running mashup dance party in Los Angeles) and the co-creator of MaDonna Summer, a critically acclaimed tribute event celebrating the music of Madonna and Donna Summer.
As a multi-talented artist, it’s no surprise that ShyBooy has garnered so much success this year. He began with the release of his hot, seductive single “Backroom”, with a sexy music video to match. This was quickly followed up with the “Backroom” remixes to really hype up the dance floor vibe. During this time ShyBoy released a gorgeously pure rendition of “In The Air Tonight” and more recently released his new single “U Can Get It”. It’s incredibly admirable that an artist is able to write and create so consistently. That being said, ShyBoy has more new music on the way! “Lottery” is a slice of bouncy, alt-synth pop that makes a social commentary questioning the importance of money's influence on happiness. Check it out below!
Listen to “ShyBoy’s music here.
Welcome back ShyBoy! We’re still bumping “U Can Get It” on repeat! What would you say was the most enjoyable part of creating this track?
It's always a blast to work with my collaborators, Jeff Hoeppner and Mark Nubar. We are all huge music geeks and have a great time bouncing around ideas and coming up with new ways of constructing pop songs. When we wrote and recorded “U Can Get It,” I’d just binge-watched season two of Mike Judge’s hilarious animated series, Tales From The Tour Bus. I was very inspired by the stories of Morris Day and Rick James and some of their interactions with my favorite artist, Prince. It was really fun to channel that vibe into the song.
In your opinion, which remix of “Backroom” is the most lively?
I love all the mixes, but the extended one is my favorite because it contains a fun extra verse and a keyboard solo. It’s an ode to the maxi-singles that artists frequently released in the 80s.
We love your Phil Collins cover song! You made it completely your own. Why did you choose to cover “In The Air Tonight”? Is this song close to your heart?
I've always loved that song, Phil Collins' vocals and production are gorgeous. I actually recorded the cover during the sessions for my first solo album, Water on Mars, but we went with a different cover on that release, Nik Kershaw's "Wouldn't It Be Good."
Through your recording and production process, how were you able to make it seem like there were two vocalists on “Backroom”?
We were actually inspired by Prince’s alter egos: the high-pitched "Camille” and the low-pitched "Bob George.” We thought it would be fun to create two of my own, "ShyGirl" and "ShyMan," lol. Jeff had the idea to capture some of the vocals on "Backroom" using a vary-speed technique where we recorded at different tempos and then sped up/slowed down the tracks, changing the timbre of my voice. So many people ask who the other lead singers are. They’re all me!
What's the most integral element to your music that you find is always integrated into every track you create?
The lyrics and melody are of primary importance. I love a hot track, but you need to have the right topline that can connect to the listener. Pop songs have to be universal and personal at the same time. It's a fine balance.
Thank you for catching up with us! We’re so excited for new music! What can you tell us about your upcoming single “Lottery”?
It's always a pleasure - thank you for your support!
I wrote the primary verse and hook for "Lottery" A cappella. It was a little ditty that kept swimming through my head. I sang it to Mark and he fell in love with it. When we showed it to Jeff, he laid down an electric piano track over a click and then had me sing over it. He built the music around my voice. From there, we added the bridge and background vocal hook. I've read that Stephen Lipson produced Annie Lennox’s Diva album in this way, creating the music arrangements around her vocals. It's a good method because it allows each moment to be intentionally crafted.
Mark also just made a fun visualizer for the song, which highlights the message of how money, even though it's essential for survival, isn't everything.
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