Sheila Shahpari is a new upcoming artist from St. Louis - fresh off the street (or off of her desk job as a computer programmer). So fresh, in fact, she's currently recording demos with her Mbox2 in her bedroom. An Iranian/Irish/German who grew up in the Midwestern St. Louis suburbs, Sheila Shahpari gives a wide array of perspectives in her music.
Sheila started her music ventures as a young child. Her earliest memories are of her standing at the piano, plucking out jingles she had heard on television. From there, she began writing songs, the first one at the age of seven. However, Sheila doubts “I Wanna Know Why I’m So Small†will ever hit the Top 40.
Throughout her adolescence and early adulthood, Sheila pursued classical piano to a competitive level, playing solo recitals and orchestral concertos all the way through a music degree. But her plans to perform professionally were unfortunately cut short after an unfortunate strike of tendonitis. Since then, Sheila has turned her musical outlets back to her original motivation – songwriting. And with a classical degree to boot, her perspective is now that of a matured musician with an insatiable desire for communication that only music can provide.
Vocally, Sheila is compared to a wide array of singers ranging from Joss Stone to Regina Spektor. Her guitar styling is reminiscent of talented instrumentalists such as Michael Hedges and Ani Difranco. An entirely self-taught guitarist, Sheila presents an extremely unique approach to the six-stringed instrument.
Studying music in college allowed Sheila to meet a number of exceptionally talented musicians. These friendships have resulted in the addition of extraordinary backing band to Sheila’s solo act that provides an entirely new dimension to her music. They are currently working on an EP that will be available in mid-late 2008.