It is with great pleasure that I introduce, singer songwriter, Shaedan Hawse.

Kelowna, BC living, writer, lyrical poet and self taught guitarist who so far in his tenure, sings about love and the absence of it. Currently Shaedan is entered into the CBC Searchlight contest,  a country wide talent scouting process with much more on the horizon. Big dreams, plans in action. So grab your cuppa, turn your speakers on and enjoy getting to know Shaedan Hawse.

Having just released his first single Montreal, 
Shaedan is just getting started.

LBH:  When did you begin playing, you are self taught correct? What inspired you to start making music? Can you briefly describe your process? What do you do outside of music to rejuvenate your creativity?

SHAEDAN: Like most people that teach themselves to play an instrument, I started in my bedroom about 6 years ago and spent most of my time trying to learn while being as quiet as i possibly could. I’m not sure if anything in particular inspired me to write, but as a kid I was always immersed in music. My dad worked in radio for most of my childhood and always had a great passion for it. He showed me bands like The Killers, AC/DC, The Beach Boys and Queen for the first time.

LBH: Who writes your songs? Have you noted a theme to your music? Are you conscience of sharing a message? Who are you hoping to impact?

SHAEDAN: Normally when I begin writing a song it just starts out as an interesting phrase or a distinct/catchy sounding chord progression or riff. When writing a song I think it’s important to have both, so when you’ve found one you know you’re halfway to starting a decent song. That process itself can take anywhere from ten minutes to the end of your own life but the important part is not rushing it. If it’s good enough and important enough then eventually everything will fall into place. In a way it’s kind of like you’re starting a puzzle, and you find a nice little starting point but the part that actually takes up most of your time is the process of sifting through all of the other pieces and finding the ones that fit. Sometimes when you just can’t find the right pieces it’s important to take a step back and get your mind off of it. In that regard I’ll tend to listen to other artists I enjoy or binge-watch something on Netflix and wait for a storm to brew and the lightning to strike.

LBH: What moves you, as an influencer I am curious what drives YOU to do what you do everyday? Where does the spark come from?

SHAEDAN: I write all of my own music and I think that it’s critically important for an artist to do so. In my opinion, if you didn’t write the lyrics, melody, or play any of the instruments, it’s not your song. My only goal in music is to make something so beautiful that it never dies. Something along the lines of Tiny Dancer, Hotel California, Wouldn’t It Be Nice. Obviously that’s a gargantuan task to take up and those are equally gargantuan “dreams” for a young man to have but I think it’s important to have goals and it’s important to stay humble. The fact that most likely I’ll spend my entire life writing songs that will never achieve a level of success or popularity of the aforementioned means that I have to remain focused and just write and play as much as I can. Dedication and commitment often times will take you farther than natural born talent. It’s a kind of yearning to create something that will empower emotions in other people that moves me to make music. I like the idea of writing a catchy song that upon second listening, gives a complete different perspective on what you’ve just heard.

LBH: What do you absolutely LOVE about yourself? We are so quick to judge flaws, but I am curious – what do you love about yourself. Like attracts Like. It’s super important in our success process to become aware of our own magic

SHAEDAN: I guess when I think about it, I’m really proud of the fact that I’m becoming more confident and comfortable on stage and in public. One of the major rules that I try to follow in my own life is that people respond to things that are genuine. So I try to be myself, nothing more and nothing less. I guess I’m hoping that just being a human being that’s putting themselves and their art out there in the world will be celebrated and encouraged. Rather than the pop princes’ and princess’ of yesterday, I really think that people are starting to embrace those who are the same person whether they are at home whispering in their bedroom, or on a stage in an arena singing to thirty thousand strangers.

LBH: Let’s look back a little more. If you could step back in time and have a chat with your younger self: What advice would you give?

SHAEDAN: If I could step back and tell my younger self one thing it would be to do what makes you happy. I think that a lot of people get roped up in what their parents or society expects them to do. When what really matters is what you want to do. I might never make a living off of my music but I’m doing it anyway because it’s what I enjoy. It’s almost therapeutic belting out your lungs and singing lyrics that I’ve written to a group of people that know nothing about me. Hoping that maybe one person will feel the need to get up and do the same thing.

Currently Shaedan is an entrant in CBC’s Searchlight 2018 competition and the voting is still on!

Right now you can support Shaedan by clicking HERE and voting, it only takes a minute – your time is valuable, we know – it’s also valued and can help give this new artist the opportunity to reach a greater audience, to continue doing what he does. Wouldn’t that feel good, consider it a contribution to the arts!

March, 22nd at Inhabit

June 2nd at the Historic E&N train station

Aug 11th at the Shaker Music & Art’s Festival

Shaedan is planning  a western Canadian tour for summer 2018.

Follow along below for updates!