The Shana and Kiran Project

Dreamy, sexy and determined, are just a few words to describe this duo and their eclectic, loungy, down tempo vibe. A culmination of Theivery Corporation with Zero Seven meets Brazilian Girls – where jazz, electronica and bossa nova live in one happy family with Shana Halligan (vocals, melodies, lyrics) and Kiran Shahani (producer, composer).

Born in Bombay and raised in Los Angeles, Shahani grew up with the likes of Lalo Schifrin, Wes Montgomery, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd as his inspirations. As a founding member and songwriter for the electronic pop / trip-hop group Supreme Beings of Leisure, he found early success with the release of SBL’s self-titled album (which sold about 250,000 copies worldwide). Later, the subsequent implosion of the band led him to realize that there was a greater potential for artistic expression and set him off on the course to re-form.

In the interim, Shahani kept busy producing artists and doing remixes for the likes of Marilyn Manson and Angela McClusky (TelepopMusik) and has been scoring for TV and film, most recently remixing Wayne Newton's Viva Las Vegas for to be used as the theme song for the “Entertainer.”

The pairing of Shahani and Halligan has been years in the making, with the duo being about one degree of separation from each other. The two of them had been working right next door to each other, working with some of the same people, and had been fans of each other’s music. It was fate that Halligan learned he was looking for a writing partner/vocalist and walked into Shahani’s studio one day.

Halligan, a Los Angeles native has music in her blood. By the age of seven, she began her career singing in films and television commercials. Throughout the years she has performed consistently throughout the United States and spent the summer of 2004 in Europe playing independent music festivals. Many of her compositions have been used in various television shows and soundtracks and she is currently featured on the upcoming Buckethead record singing a duet with Serj Tankian (System Of A Down). Some of her influences include Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald, Bjork, Jeff Buckley with the most influential figure in her life being her father, three time Grammy award winning composer Dick Halligan (Blood, Sweat, &Tears).

Incredibly inspired by each other, their sound is natural and fluid with Halligan’s melodic sweetness and sultry vocals over Shahani’s experimental pop beats and masterful programming, these two are a breath of fresh air.