Exclusive Interview with 'SHA¥AN'

Producer/DJ SHA¥AN, who was born in Ottawa, has always had a connectio1n to music. When SHA¥AN was younger, his father and he would frequently listen to The Prodigy in the car. He quickly developed a taste for house music and started to delve deeper into the genre after repeatedly listening to their greatest hits. This included taking in music by other artists like Real McCoy, Tiesto, and Robert Miles.

SHA¥AN uses each song as a chance to express himself creatively and to bring his love of music to life. With each idea, he begins with a blank canvas and paints a beautiful picture. Tchami and Malaa are just a couple of the artists that SHA¥AN listens to these days for inspiration. He then adds his own unique style to every project, giving it intense bass lines, groovy drums, and pure energy.

SHA¥AN’s specialty is taking listeners on a journey full of turns and turns to complement a driving bass line. You’ll be on the edge of your seat as a result of the unexpected drops in many songs. It’s the ideal time to dance when the beat drops. The music of SHA¥AN uplifts your mood, keeps you inspired at the gym, and inspires you to face every obstacle in your way to success. Check out his single ‘UnderGround’ and the exclusive interview below:

1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?

SHA¥AN: Ottawa-born Producer/DJ SHA¥AN has been connected to music for as long as he can remember. Growing up, SHA¥AN and his dad would always listen to The Prodigy in the car together. With the repetition of listening to their greatest hits, he quickly started to enjoy house music and began to explore further into the genre. He is always listening to music, but once he got over his fears he slowly began to learn the basics of music production. It was the ongoing melodies/beats flowing in his mind that eventually made him realize he could not wait any longer and began to bring his musical ideas to life.

2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?

SHA¥AN: I have been self taught from the start. However with that being said I couldn’t do it all on my own. Through many youtube tutorials, advice from friends and other producers I’ve been able to see progress and keep going.

3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘SHA¥AN’?

SHA¥AN: Definitely would say : Malaa, The Prodigy and Tchami to name a few. Their music has always hit me right in the soul and made me feel so alive. To be honest, finding an alias has been quite difficult from the start, so eventually I came to the point where I should just be comfortable with my name and use that as the main artist label. There isn’t really any particular reason why the “Y” is different, I just thought it looked cool!

4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?

SHA¥AN: To compliment a driving bass line, SHA¥AN’s specialty is taking listeners on a journey filled with twists and turns. Many songs have unexpected drops that will keep you on the edge of your seat. When the beat drops, it’s the perfect opportunity to dance.

5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as EDM?
**SHA¥AN:**
SHA¥AN brings his passion for music to life by approaching each song as a story, as a chance to be creative. He starts out with a blank canvas and begins painting a picture with each idea. Nowadays SHA¥AN listens to a wide range of artists including Tchami and Malaa as inspiration, he then infuses his own spin on every project filled with powerful bass lines, groovin drums and pure energy!

6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative and entertainment?

SHA¥AN:

SHA¥AN’s music lifts your spirits, keeps you motivated at the gym, and encourages you to tackle each challenge on your road to success.

7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfilment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?

SHA¥AN:

At first I was scared to get into making music. I feared of the judgement I would get for it, I feared I would not be good enough and that it would be a waste of time. It took me a while to learn and get the hang of creating music, but once I got to that point I realized how much fun I was having. I learned how freeing it was to get as creative as possible and express any feeling that I had during the process. Now, I’ve come to realize that it does not matter to me how much success I gain from it because at the end of the day I will still make music that I enjoy. Making music helped me find happiness!

8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?

SHA¥AN:

I usually like to listen to the vocalist singing until I find chord progressions/melodies/drums that goes well with it. Then, I try to get creative and carefully mix while continuously recreating ideas that my mind is coming up with throughout the whole process. If it is a single with no collaborations then the process is similar, however I like to first get as creative as possible with my drums and then begin to slowly build around them with groovy basslines and synths/pads/chords/melodies that I think are interesting/captivating and continuously build the song till I think it sounds perfect!

9. What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?

SHA¥AN: I won’t lie, the whole process has been difficult from the start. Learning how to mix, produce and DJ took a while for me and I still have so much to learn. But If I had to highlight the main difficulties of this journey thus far, it would have to do with getting recoginzed, creating a fan base and being more social. I think I am a hard working, driven and focused individual who will do anything to achieve my goals. However, I feel that I struggle with not being a big enough presence on social media. The goal for 2023 is to definitely get out of my introvertedness and begin to start connecting and networking more!

10. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?

SHA¥AN: 2022 was big for me. I would say so far it has been the year where my producing skills have become a lot better. This summer I had received the best news and got signed to a record label called “G-Mafia Records”. “CaliSmoke” was released on the label last August. It was such a huge milestone and gave me so much more motivation to keep going on this journey. I have three more songs that will be released on more record labels during these upcoming months too! I also have been getting gigs to play live sets at artshows and bars recently and I will be playing more shows in the near future. It seems as though the doors are starting to open up, I just have to walk through them and keep moving forward.