Shyan Selah

Artist Information

Biography

Already accomplished in his work as President/CEO of Brave New World (BNW), as an artist Shyan Selah has created a style of music that is both unique and commercial. A modern musician raised on the greatest icons in music from The Beatles to James Brown, Shyan Selah is poised to take his special sound of Hip Hop, rock and soul music mainstream with The Republic of Sound, a brand new band that is designed to fully embody his specialized fusion of rock, hip hop and soul music as the perfect backdrop to his hard hitting, gritty yet spiritual lyrics.

“This sums up what I’m fully about musically,” says Shyan. "It allows me to live freely through my God-given talents. Live instrumentation brings the spirit and soul to the forefront of what I’m trying to say in song.”

Shyan Selah and The Republic of Sound (made up of drummer John Reed, guitarists Justin Mayfield and Charlie ...and bassist Chris Nordmann), is a band that will continue on with and expand on the universal appeal of Shyan Selah based on their intrinsic connection to life and music, philanthropic mission and soul touching sound.

Much like his role as President/CEO of Brave New World, bringing together individuals from all walks of life and experiences to pursue the mission of providing great music and entertainment to the masses with a humanitarian edge, Shyan has followed suit with his creation of The Republic of Sound.

“We represent music in its most honest form of expression,” adds Shyan. “Our style is adapting and accepting all musical genres and cultures. So the idea with our approach is to present to the people a collective sound that’s both moving and organic.”

A versatile artist, Selah’s freshman album, also aptly named Brave New World (www.bravenewworldalbum.com), included highlights such as the club-bangin’ hip hop single “Concrete City,” which was featured on the One Love: Tru Ballin’ 2 DVD along exclusive footage of major NBA and NFL sports stars; and the electric guitar laced “Hollywood Blvd,” which went #1 on nationwide college radio and was featured on the CBS/Paramount drama, NUMB3RS. The full Brave New World album was licensed by television networks such as MTV and VH1.

Shyan Selah & The Republic of Sound will release their first album, City of Angels, through Universal Music Group world-wide in 2011.

Instrumentation

Justin Mayfield - Guitar
Charlie Shaughnessy - Guitar
Chris Nordmann - Bass
Jay "Rizzo" Reed - Drums
Whitney Scott - background vocals

Discography

Concrete City - Single
Godd Game Volume Won - Mixtape
Brave New World, the Album - LP (Brave New World Records/Highpowered/Koch Entertainment)

Official Website

http://www.shyanselah.com

Links

• Facebook
• Twitter
• MySpace
• LIFE: The Shyan Selah Show
• The Brave Foundation

Audio

• Pink Butterfly - City of Angels (currently in production)
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• Tomorrow - City of Angels (currently in production)
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• Fly (Clean Version) City of Angels - currently in production
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• Hollywood Blvd - Brave New World Album
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• Hustla feat. Electric Guitar
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• LOVE
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• Rejection
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Lyrics

• Pink Butterfly
• Fly
• Hollywood Blvd
• Hustla

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• The Road to South By Tacoma winner named [+ Show ]
  

  The highlight of the night was a special performance by Brave New World Founder Shyan Selah and his ...The highlight of the night was a special performance by Brave New World Founder Shyan Selah and his band The Republic of Sound. Selah, born in Kentucky, raised in Federal Way, sports a big personality, and it followed him on stage, where he belted out rap, soul and rock tones, often in the same song. Selah's rap smashed into all four walls followed by faint soul stirrings from his heart. Behind him, the talented Republic brought it - infusing funk, jam rock, and R&B into a musical porridge that mesmerized. I had no idea Tacoma's Justin Mayfield could rock the guitar that hard. And the drummer was simply amazing.

• JUNE 2010 SONICBIDS “ARTISTS 2 WATCH” [+ Show ]
  

  Skope: What does it mean to be featured in a music community as diverse as Skope: Shyan Selah: It...
  Skope: What does it mean to be featured in a music community as diverse as Skope:
  Shyan Selah: It’s refreshing. It seems that Skope has a good handle on not just today’s music scene, but the entirety of the music platform – a place where both connoisseurs and creators can co-exist and meet each other’s needs.
  
  Skope: Would you say that the warm summer weather makes you more inspired to create music?
  Shyan Selah: Not necessarily. It helps my mood in general, of course. But I find inspiration to create in any place at any given point in time.
  
  Skope: What is the most exciting aspect of being an independent artist in 2010?
  Shyan Selah: You truly control your own destiny. You can create freely and deliver to a market place through so many mediums. It’s nice to have all the options.
  
  Skope: What other bands and musicians are you listening to right now?
  Shyan Selah: My listening tastes are inundated with classics right now. Everyone from the Beatles to the Fugees.
  
  Skope: Has the Internet leveled the playing field between indie and major label artists?
  Shyan Selah: In a lot of ways, yes. And in some ways it makes it more difficult. The Internet provides an opportunity for anybody to deliver music to the world. But you still have the core aspects and pillars of the music business working on your behalf such as live shows, marketing promotions, radio play, etc. A lot of indies get washed out in that mix and their artistry suffers. At the same time, if the right campaign is developed on a MySpace or a YouTube you could be discovered by the world overnight. It’s a weird time to be alive as a musician.
  
  Skope: What is coming up for you and where can readers learn more about you?
  Shyan Selah: Tours, shows, appearances on TV and film. People can stay hip to what I got going on by becoming a friend on any of my social networks or by going directly to my album site: www.bravenewworldalbum.com.
  

• Shyan Selah mixes hip-hop with positive message [+ Show ]
  

  Shyan Selah, Brave New World and the Brave Foundation will present Shyan LIVE! at 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 1...Shyan Selah, Brave New World and the Brave Foundation will present Shyan LIVE! at 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 19 at The Commons mall in Federal Way. This all-ages event will feature new music by Selah and performances by Team Avengers, M.A.S. Coalition and dance teams from Federal Way high schools.
  
  Former Seattle Supersonics player Dean Tolson will speak about the importance of education. Isa Nichols, executive director of the Maxine Mimms Academies for Suspended and Expelled Youth and author of “Genesis: The Bullet Was Meant for Me, The D.C. Sniper Story Untold,” will speak on issues of domestic abuse and violence.
  
  Attendees are encouraged to bring toys, food and clothing to benefit Goodwill and the Seattle Children’s Hospital.
  
  The event is intended to send a positive message about education and healthy living. On Dec. 5 at The Commons mall, Selah and Tolson spoke with local youth about such virtues.
  
  “One thing that worked for me is mentorship,” said Selah, a product of Federal Way. Tolson, who learned to read and write as an adult, urged students to stay in school: “The most serious thing we can do in this society is get an education.”
  
  Selah and Brave New World are holding a talent search for local rappers, singers and dancers Dec. 12-13 at The Commons. Registration required. Learn more: www.the
  
  bravefoundation.com and www.myspace.com/shyanselah
  
  To view video footage from Shyan LIVE visit www.youtube.com/thebravefoundation

• Local Hip Hop Artist Inspires Youth By Combining Entertainment With Educatio [+ Show ]
  

  Today’s generation of youth is more apt to know lyrics written by Lil Wayne than poems by Maya Angel...Today’s generation of youth is more apt to know lyrics written by Lil Wayne than poems by Maya Angelou. They can sing along to a Chris Brown hook but are not able to pick key themes out of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. They recognize the name Tommy the Clown, creator of the Krump dancing movement, but have never heard of Debbie Allen. Older generations call them lost souls, ignorant of their history and identity, left to the trappings of corporate greed and unreachable to those who don’t own a MySpace or Facebook page. All too often it is parents, educators, ministers and care providers that are the makeup of these older generations — the very same people charged with leading these young people into adulthood. However, it would seem that they do not know how to reach this new generation through the maze of internet networking sites, text messages and web podcasts that make up basic communication for today’s youth.
  
  These young people are often left to feel as though no one but their peers understand them and quite often they’re right. This is an age where a student can find any piece of information on the Internet very quickly, but their teacher doesn’t know what the Soulja Boy dance is. It is an age where half the brain stays in cyberspace and the real world moves at a snail’s pace. It is also an age where, according to US Today, 51% of 18-25 year olds’ number one goal is to become famous.
  
  Shyan Selah, Founder and CEO of the Seattle entertainment company Brave New World, Inc., is aware of this. He also knows that there are way too many parents and educators who may not be.
  
  “There is a generational gap between educators and the kids,” says Selah. “Traditional ways are failing, especially in inner-city areas. We want to bridge that gap.”
  
  For full article, visit: http://www.seattlemedium.com/News/search/ArchiveContent.asp?NewsID=92947&sID=

• Shyan Selah - Urb Magazine's Next 1000 [+ Show ]
  

  Brave New World, the Album is "a passionate album that still holds some mainstream-like hip-hop prod...Brave New World, the Album is "a passionate album that still holds some mainstream-like hip-hop production."
  

• Shyan Selah's Brave New World [+ Show ]
  

  What happens when you have an individual who’s a community leader and a rapper? You get an independe...What happens when you have an individual who’s a community leader and a rapper? You get an independent song writer and producer who embraces the extreme, freedom and truth. Living by his theme “be brave,” Shyan Selah is breaking in the industry with a brand of music that he can collectively call his own unique style. The Federal Way Washington native Shyan Selah is a young entrepreneur who hustled his way to become an entrepreneur and CEO of Brave New World LLC. The west coast rapper grew up with a taste of all aspects of life from religion to alcohol and drugs.
  
  The 31-year-old left home at the age of fifteen only to become his own self and to find his own unique niche of a music style. Inspired by Prince, Marvin Gaye, Quincy Jones, Jay-Z, Shyan is a fiend for true stories. The passion of being real and deep led him start The Brave Foundation, his charitable organization. As most artists don’t experience the life of popularity and fame before they come up, Shyan has always stood out and been the popular guy. Concrete City proves that as being one of the theme songs of “True Ballers” One Love 2 DVD. On Concrete City, Shyan shines his light on what’s real.
  
  For full article visit: http://www.fevermagazine.com/interview/2008/04/30/shyan-selahs-brave-new-world

• Hip Hop Atist Shyan Selah takes his message to the podium [+ Show ]
  

  hen my day job at the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Youth Services and music intersect, the res...hen my day job at the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Youth Services and music intersect, the results are often magical. Earlier this summer, the Seattle Youth Opportunity! movement hosted the first Seattle YO! Summit, and rapper Shyan Selah kept it real at South Seattle Community College's Brockey Center.
  Seattle is one of 36 communities nationwide funded by a 1999 grant from the US Department of Labor. YO! grantees work to help youth, particularly those most in need, to acquire the necessary skills and work experience to grow into successful adults and explore careers, further education and training. This summit honored the achievements of Seattle's first year of a five- year grant and attracted nearly 200 young people, in addition to teachers, counselors and administrators from a variety of local youth programs.
  
  Selah began with a brief history lesson in hip-hop.
  
  "The art of hip-hop speaks to generations directly before us," said Shyan. "Hip-hop has taken over the fields of business, the styles and images of athletics and entertainment. Just look at some of the more popular fashions out there: it's 100% hip-hop across the board."
  
  I glanced at the young people in the auditorium - many wore the urban uniform of the new millennium, stylin' with Fubu straight from the www.y2g.com website, large necklaces or sagging a la Dr. Dre. I knew I was square when young ladies were talking about ice and I thought about the stuff you put in a glass and not the jewelry they wore around their necks.
  
  "A lot of young people love Jay-Z and Nas," Selah continued. "It's important to know about the guys that started this music. It stemmed from a lack of knowledge and a lot of young people started to ask questions. Questions like: 'why do we have to live like this?,' 'why don't I know my dad?' and 'is this the way I want to be treated?'"
  
  "Hip-hop helped me come face-to-face with reality," he said to rousing applause. "Some of you may be bearded, some of you may be braided, but I don't care. You've got something to say and your voice is important."
  
  Selah focused on the teachers and challenged them to think of hip-hop in terms that they would understand.
  
  "Many teachers out there don't realize the educational potential of hip-hop," shouted Shyan. "There are many things that set hip-hop apart. First of all, the format of hip-hop is accessible. Communication is the key here: it's the link between the gaps of generations."
  
  "In the sixties and seventies," continued Professor Selah. "Bob Dylan, The Eagles and country and western were all talking the same trash. Same stuff, different era. That's the same stuff that hip-hop talks about. But, with hip-hop, you have another dimension. Athletes entered and it became powerful. You had Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajuwon and Magic Johnson, the first dream team from basketball. Just think about sampling, one way that people exchange beats or music. Speaking of sampling, sampling is one way to make money - you do not have to reinvent the wheel. One mark of success is to mimic what successful people do. Find out what made Michael Jordan get up at 5:00 AM to shoot baskets every day. This type of work ethic, these types of habits, can be extremely powerful." ...
  
  For full article visit http://www.cosmik.com/aa-july01/shyan_selah.html

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