“The celebration in our city kicked off with Bootie LA’s Madonnapocalyspe at El Cid in Silver Lake at the start of the tour. Bootie’s famous R.A.I.D. (Random Acts of Irreverent Dance) dancers and DJ ShyBoy playing Madonna and Donna Summer mash-ups made the event a stand-out. If you missed it, check out ShyBoy on the decks at Faultline Bar’s quarterly MaDonna Summer party, December 14. More info here.”
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.
https://www.buzz-music.com/post/fan-favorite-shyboy-is-on-a-roll-of-releases-this-year
“ShyBoy’s upbeat club music focuses on empowering the LGBTQ+ community and beyond. His seductive sound and alluring tracks make him the one to watch!”
Check out Buzz Music’s full review of “Backroom” and their interview with ShyBoy
Watch the Queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 11 perform to mixes by DJ ShyBoy:
Directed by Michael Bodie, ShyBoy’s “Backroom” music video evokes dimly lit dance floors of a different kind, with a cast of characters intertwined in a sultry, pansexual setting that celebrates the evolution of LGBTQ+ leather and kink subculture. “Backroom” is now streaming on WOW Presents Plus.
Listen to ShyBoy’s cover of the Phil Collins classic pop hit “In the Air Tonight” • Produced and arranged by Mark Nubar & ShyBoy
ShyBoy’s new single “Backroom” synthesizes pulsating beats with alluring vocals, evoking dimly lit dance floors of a different kind. The song’s cinematic, 80s-inspired rhythms are filtered seamlessly through a contemporary post-disco lens, making it a perfect fit for its inclusion in Season 2 of the CW’s Dynasty reboot.
Merging the talents of multi-platinum, award-winning writers, producers, and Grammy-nominated composers and performers, the music of Warningfield ft. ShyBoy is a unique hybrid of dramatic underscore woven together with conceptual pop songs. The group's seamless mix of sounds and styles blurs lines and creates diverse, dynamic, and memorable soundtracks. A fresh take on music for film and television. Watch the trailer for Halloween (2018) featuring music by Warningfield ft. ShyBoy.
"ShyBoy cites the likes of Scissor Sisters as an influence and you can hear some of that in He and She. It’s a pop track first and foremost, heavily influenced by 80s synthpop but with vocal harmonies that bring to mind the likes of 10CC at their height. It results in a song that is poppy and arty at the same time and very catchy! Lyrically the song carries a serious message, focussing on individuality, sexual orientation and gender identity." -Electric North
ShyBoy duets with multi-platinum songwriter Allee Willis on a playfully soulful cover of “What I Have I Done To Deserve This?,” the 80s synthpop hit by Pet Shop Boys (ft. Dusty Springfield). Willis, who co-wrote the song with the iconic English duo, reprises vocals she sang on the original demo.
ShyBoy "Neutron Dance" (Official Lyric Video) • Animated and Directed by Allee Willis
"ShyBoy has teamed up with Allee Willis to craft an entirely new, indie-pop version of the classic single with ShyBoy’s understated tenor lilting over delicate, synth-driven grooves. It’s almost hard to believe that this song, which famously featured The Pointer Sisters' full-bodied, mighty stampede of sound could ever be described as 'delicate' or 'understated,' but in ShyBoy’s hands, it is. Produced by ShyBoy with Willis, Jeff Hoeppner, & Mark Nubar, we’re digging this fresh, new 'Neutron Dance.'" -HuffPost
"If Nick Drake, Alan Parsons Project and M83 spawned a child raised on a healthy diet of Prince, Alfred Hitchcock, and classic science fiction films, it would be something resembling Shyboy. The enigmatic recording artist, whose Water On Mars, makes a bold, tuneful impression on today’s indie-pop landscape, and one of the year’s smartest, not-to-be-missed debuts." -HuffPost
ShyBoy was voted Best Solo Artist in the 10th Annual LA Weekly Best of LA Readers' Choice Awards!
ShyBoy is a resident DJ at Bootie LA
"Bootie L.A. is perhaps one of the city's most inclusive parties. Just as the night doesn't stick to any one music genre, there's no one type of attendee, either. On their recent "Pop Candy" night (they always choose a theme every week, such as artist tribute nights, "Generation X vs. Millennials" or "Aprilween: Halloween in April"), the diversity on the dance floor was an awesome sight to see. Straight couples danced next to gay couples; friends of all different races danced together; people with all different body types let loose and just danced their, well, booties off."
