Shannon Penn is a true artist. Her distinctive voice is a rare gift - pure, soulful and locked. No lip-synching or pitch correction. As a performer, her star quality, magnetism and captivating energy are obvious from the first moment she hits the stage. She writes melodic, hook laden music which perfectly compliments her introspective lyrics. She comments, "Only history will reveal whether anyone will ever again make music as catchy as The Beatles, or write lyrics as great as Joni Mitchell, but they are the standards I've set for myself. I just try to get as close as I can, and hope to keep getting better with each record. The death of melody in modern pop music scares me, and I just want to be part of the movement that brings it back". In the past few years, Shannon was courted by many major record labels and publishers (Warner Brothers, Arista, Dreamworks, and Sony among others), but chose to do her record on her own to retain the creative control she needs to have. "Unfortunately, because of the way I look, they couldn't accept me as an artist. They'd say that they really liked my songs and my image, and in the next breath they're telling me I'm going to be doing songs by the 'latest, hottest' producers and appearing half naked on stage. So, now I'm just looking for the people and/or label who like me for what I am and not for what they think they can make me", she said. Shannon's abilities were inherited from her Olympic athlete father (world record holder for two years in the pole vault). "He was a great singer, musician, comedian, and an incredibly real human being. My life will be a complete success if I can just model my life after the way he lived his". After losing him to cancer when she was 15, Shannon descended into the horrors of an eating disorder. Her first album, "Dying To Live", chronicles her struggles with the shallow, materialistic world of LA that she grew up in, and her fight to get healthy again. "This record is not meant to bum anybody out, but to inspire people to fight whatever demons that possess them. We've all got them". The CD is driven by the rhythm section of bassist Lance Morrison and drummer Matt Laug who were responsible for the high energy of Alanis Morrisette's breakthrough hit album "Jagged Little Pill", and was produced by her songwriting partner David Young who has worked with artists ranging from Stevie Wonder and Al Jarreau to alternative rock acts such as Cock Robin. "I'm really excited to get out on the road in support of this record. These songs are the story of my life so far, and I've got an incredible band to help me get them across". A little history… Though singing was always her first love, Shannon spent much of her youth in front of the camera. "By the time I was 9 years old, I had already done a lot of commercials, and had spent 2 years as a regular on a game show called Child's Play. I signed with the William Morris Agency and acted in a couple of big TV shows ('The Wonder Years", and 'Growing Pains"), but I had already chosen to pursue music as a career and a way of life". Being surrounded by great musicians in high school (she shared classes with members of Linkin Park, Hoobastank, and Incubus) cemented her decision, and at the age of 16, she was chosen by Quincy Jones to front a band he was producing called Nu Zu. "That band was a great education to me. At a rehearsal one day, Quincy told me that I had the rare gift of perfect pitch, and put me in charge of arranging the vocals. I was thrilled, to say the least". After that band broke up, Shannon went to USC to major in music. During that time she met legendary record producer Don Was. "Don encouraged me to focus on my songwriting and gave me the confidence that I had the complete package to be a major recording artist". She also worked with hit songwriter Billy Steinberg ("Like A Virgin", "True Colors", etc), who called her "the next Madonna". Shannon has always been an independent free-thinker. So as everybody who wants to be 'somebody' are still heading west, the LA native took off for the east coast to find her muse. "It was actually an easy decision - LA's pay-to-play policy is horrifying, while the scene on the east coast is nurturing and thriving. I needed to get out and play in front of a live audience. I had a lot of fun, and got some great experience. I played in Boston with Blues Traveler, the Horde Festival at Irvine Meadows with Ben Harper and Barenaked Ladies, and the Electric Factory in Philly with 'The Other Ones', who are the remaining members of the Grateful Dead". She has also been active in many charitable events, most recently in shows for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and various AIDS benefits. She is presently organizing a fund raiser for The Renfrew Center, which is the leading treatment center for eating disorders in the country. Recently, Shannon's music was chosen out of tens of thousands of entries as the winner of the Emtec Corporation's "Record With The Pros" contest and was rewarded with two days at Capitol Records Recording Studio with 15 time Grammy winner Al Schmitt at the helm, whose encouragement reinforced her confidence that she was ready for the major leagues. One listen to "Dying To Live" affirms that she made the right decision to stay indie. Richly melodic and confessional, Shannon's alternative yet commercial pop/rock sound is a refreshing combination of multi-layered mature songwriting and high energy music. When the WB Network released seasons three and four of their long-running hit Felicity, the DVDs included several songs by Shannon Penn — “If You Didn’t Tryâ€, “Something Good†and “The Better Man.†Through a west coast music publisher, Shannon also scored exposure at major theater chain Regal Cinemas, which featured Penn’s song “So This Is Hollywood†in the music section (before the previews). Not bad, considering the Regal Entertainment Group is the largest motion picture exhibitor in the world, including more than 6,000 theaters! Stay tuned for more updates very soon.
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