Shahla Atlas

Born and raised by her mother, father and brothers and sisters in New York City, Shahla's musical career blossomed at the ripe age of four. She began her studies with classical piano and later took lessons in violin, cello, and clarinet. With a mother in sewing and textile design and a father whose former life as a DJ left him with a sizable and diverse record collection and dreams of becoming a professional musician, the pressure was on for Shahla to bolster her own career as an artist. Shahla went on to study music from her early years and throughout adolescence.
Although classical music played the primary role in her flowering as a musician, Shahla always sought after activities in many different musical genres. After being introduced to drum and bass in her early teen years, her fascination with electronic music swelled. While her close friends went on to study in universities across the world, Shahla remained in the city to study music at the Juilliard School in Lincoln Center. She often and openly discredited her journey in classical music as colorless and stereotypical and eventually left the program at the Juilliard School, hoping to find her niche in the music world. Sometimes DJ-ing but more often going to electronica shows, fetes and soirees, she eventually buddied up with aficionados in the production community. Borrowing the name "Shalla Bal" (and of course adapting the spelling) from an old Marvel character who was transformed and cloned but ultimately remained the empress of her utopian planet, Shahla assumed a fitting alias for her production alter-ego. Drawing on her Jamaican roots and strong musical background, she persists in writing, arranging, recording, and engineering all of her own original music, including all samples and beats. Shahla has distinguished herself as a devoted and unwavering producer.
Other of Shahla's musical activities include singing/songwriting, classical composition, piano and keyboard performances and teaching early childhood music.