Singer-songwriter Shane Shu was born in the Canadian town of Kamloops, British Columbia, the only child to a Dutch father and Dutch/Chinese mother. Shane's start in music came with a miniature keyboard he got for Christmas when he was 5. The kind where you follow the dots that light up in red. Both parents were musical: Dad played guitar, Mom sang. Every weekend his parents had people over who played music together.
In elementary school Shane danced to Elvis, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry and the rock 'n rollers of the Fifties. Of his preteens he remembers: "I was a sucker for romance. My next-door neighbour was classically trained so we spent a lot of time practicing and singing together. We learned every pop tune of the Eighties: "Shout" from Tears for Fears or movie soundtracks like Dirty Dancing, Footloose, and Stand By Me."
After high school, Shane spent a summer in the Netherlands. He returned at the age of 21 after finishing college back in Canada. Europe was an undeniable attraction. 'I used Amsterdam as a base for my adventures throughout Europe. I wrote and read poetry, met new and interesting people from all parts of the world, photographed professionally and played and wrote music.'
2008 saw the release of Shane's self-titled debut album. The first single, "The Way She Talks to Me," received critical acclaim and went into wide rotation on MTV Europe. Shane was given a considerable amount of airplay on Radio 538, named Serious Talent by 3FM, and played live with Lionel Ritchie on Paul de Leeuw (The Dutch David Letterman). Shows throughout and outside of Holland followed, among which a tour supporting singer Ellen Ten Damme. His second single, "All of Me," was used as a staple crowd pleaser on DJ Don Diablo's world tour.
In June 2010 Shane released the single "Push Me To The Ground." The song was very well received by Dutch radio stations -- a number of DJs going as far as naming it one of the best pop songs of 2010. An acoustic version, a duet with Anneke van Giersbergen, performed live in Giel Beelen's 3FM radio show followed a stir of praise.
Shane is now back with his new single. A catchy, up-beat and playful pop song with a deceptive twist called, "I See Sheep Fall From The Sky." It's a song in search of that hidden black sheep in all of us. The single is accompanied by a hilariously animated video clip and exclusive video game where Shane, a Warholesque cowboy, rides into a city to round up white sheep and drive them into a giant car-wash where they then, after having their wool sheered off, transform into an army of black sheep.
Shane's sound and writing are unlike any other Dutch artist. His music can be best described as timeless Indie Pop. Comparable contemporary acts include MGMT, Empire of the Sun, and Yeasayer. Yet, when Shane performs his acoustic sets, with his songs stripped bare, the mood quickly changes to that of Adele or Ryan Tedder. His voice, an impressive mezzo-soprano is reminiscent of David Bowie, David Byrne and Robert Plant. But Shane is Shane. His catchy hooks, clever writing and diverse range make him a fresh, unique and incendiary live performer to look out for.
