Musicians Featured: Tyler Shaw
May 18th, 2022
How Multi-Platinum-Selling Musician Tyler Shaw Sees Music as a "Universal Language"
Earlier this week, I connected with the incredibly talented Tyler Shaw, who you may recognize from his hits “Kiss Goodnight” and “House of Cards.” Tyler is a multi-platinum-selling artist, producer, and actor who has opened for massive international artists, including Shawn Mendes and Alessia Cara, and toured with Selena Gomez. TikTok fans will recognize him from his viral “Romantic Version” of GAYLE’S abcdefu, which has been featured in what are, in my opinion, some of TikTok’s sweetest videos.
Keep reading to learn more about how he writes songs with other artists, his favourite part of being on tour, and the COVID-relief initiative he started with Fefe Dobson.
- Emily Weatherhead, Founder
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EW: To begin, I’d like to take it back to the beginning. How did you get started in music, and how did it lead you to where you are today?
TS: One of my earliest memories of music was singing in the backseat of my mom’s van with my siblings and belting out songs by the Backstreet Boys. My older brother would tease me but I still loved to sing and then over time I would develop my own musical tastes. I was a fan of punk pop but also The Jonas Brothers. I had a well rounded love for music and various genres. When I entered high school I started to experience what I understood to be love and artists like John Mayer and Michael Bublé hit my radar.
I had a band with my brother and a few other friends from high school, performing at talent shows was a big deal back then. Outside of my passion for soccer, music was always a reprieve for me and felt comfortable. Fast forward to university when I entered a national singing contest and during that contest I ended up winning by fan votes. That experience fast tracked my relationship with my current record label.
“I’ve been grateful to connect with so many people over the years who have told me that my music has helped them…and then also others that have used my songs for the first dance at their weddings”
EW: What moments in life is your music made for?
TS: Matters of the heart. I write a lot about love and relationships; the good, the bad and the romantic. I generally write from a place of experience or scenarios that have played through my head from situations I’ve witnessed. I think that purity and uninhibited approach to songwriting and music making is what really connects with my audience. I’m not talking about all things rainbows and unicorns, I talk about real situations that I think most people can really relate to. I’ve been grateful to connect with so many people over the years who have told me that my music has helped them through a difficult time in their relationship (a divorce, a death, some type of loss) and then also others that have used my songs for the first dance at their weddings. It’s a spectrum!
EW: You’re an incredible songwriter, creating hit songs not only for yourself, but for other artists as well. Does the song writing process differ for you when you’re writing on your own versus writing collaboratively with other people?
TS: The immediate answer is yes. I think I approach writing songs in general from an authentic place. I have a difficult time navigating writing a song when the idea isn’t something I’ve necessarily experienced or can relate to. There’s an element of fantasy and imagination that I can tap into but I try to start with the artist first - where they’re at in life, what they want to articulate through the song. I’m not writing a Tyler Shaw song for ‘artist’, the approach is I’m collaborating with ‘artist’ for their project.
“Music is a universal language. It’s something we can find common ground with.”
EW: Getting into the community side of things, how do you think music can build community and connect us?
TS: Music is a universal language. It’s something we can find common ground with. Whether music makes us feel good or elicits some type of emotion, it’s powerful. I really see community manifest in fandom and especially at live shows when practical strangers wait in lines for doors to open, bonding over common interests in an artist, band or song. It’s pretty special to witness. Not only is it incredible to see a crowd full of people sing along to the songs you write but that they all are sharing in the experience.
“One of my favourite parts about being a touring artist is really connecting at a show…we’re all just collectively belting out these songs that have changed our lives in various ways”
EW: How would you describe the feeling of playing live to an audience? What does that moment of connection feel like for you?
TS: It’s unparalleled! One of my favourite parts about being a touring artist is really connecting at a live show. It’s like inviting people into your world, free of judgment and there’s this outpouring of support and positive energy. It really does feel like this wall or barrier breaks down by mid set and we’re all just collectively belting out these songs that have changed our lives in various ways. It’s a rewarding feeling and one I do not take for granted.
EW: You helped lead an amazing initiative where Canadian musicians covered “Lean on Me” to raise funds for COVID-19 relief. Is there something about music that allows it to be a driving force for creating change?
TS: Music is one of the greatest conduits for change in my opinion. Like I said, it’s a universal language. Some relate to the lyrics and message of a song and others connect to melody or the music of a song. It can really move us in different ways and an anthem like “Lean On Me” really felt like music with a message that was intended to motivate and inspire. We chose to cover that particular song because of the message in a time where we felt people - Canadians especially needed that subtle reminder during such uncertain and polarizing times. At a literal level, the song as a charity single was a catalyst for raising monies for the Canadian Red Cross which was directly used towards COVID-19 related initiatives.
“If you think of how we navigate life, there’s generally a soundtrack that narrates our journey.”
EW: Do you have any final thoughts on why it’s important to make music more accessible to communities?
TS: Music is healing. We saw that specifically during the pandemic but if you really reflect on it, I can see first hand how music inspires my 1 year old daughter but also different age groups. If you think of how we navigate life, there’s generally a soundtrack that narrates our journey. From the song you remember singing in the car with your family on a road trip to the song you played during your first breakup or first time you fell in love. All of these memories are cemented in our memories because of music and its power to evoke those feelings and memories.
