SHAUN ESCOFFERY

Growing up in a musical household has always been a potent and acknowledged recipe for the nurture of future musical talent. And for rising star, Shaun Escoffery, whose mother is a singer and father a DJ, this background proved just as inspiring as you might expect.

Born and bred in East London, Shaun was surrounded by musical influences from an early age. Gaining his formative education through his father’s Marvin and Marley collections. These years of listening and absorbing proved to be a crucial experience and went on to imbue him with an innate desire to make his own music.

”What I realised very early on,’ says Shaun “ was that there are thousands of fantastic vocalists out there, so I needed to find a way that I could stand out from them. I love current R & B, but I knew that if I went down that route I’d just be another drop in the ocean.”

Yet Shaun needn’t have worried, after his signing to Oyster Music, a limited edition release of a tune called ‘Space Rider’ in early 2001 made far more impact than even he could have imagined. Limited promos of the tune earned it underground cult status and it became championed by prominent figures such as Trevor Nelson and The Dreem Teem, Shaun was then on his way to making his mark and establishing his own distinctive style.

“The thing that first appealed to me about ‘Space Rider’, was that people couldn’t really define which genre it was. I like that. And I wanted the album to be left of centre too. Or maybe not what people might expect from a black artist from East London.”

Resisting the temptation to ride the commercial wave triggered by ‘Space Rider’ with a hastily released bunch of cash-in material, Shaun set about writing with top studio talent like 4 Hero, Geoffrey Williams, Jonny Bull, Matti Schwartz, Ed Case and Michael Graves. The resulting creative melting pot of talent and beats proved a powerful mixture. Another tune ‘Days Like This’ continued to establish him as a force to be reckoned with, not just in the UK but across the globe. The effect was immediate as it took on a life of it’s own when New York club jock, DJ Spinna remixed it, played it to Louis Vega and the celebrated Master At Work installed it in his set at venues all over the world.

Shaun meanwhile remained focused and was spurred on by a hunger to make unique, eclectic whilst quintessentially British music. Whilst recording his album due for release on Oyster Music in November 2002 simply titled ‘Shaun Escoffery’, Shaun didn’t waste anytime gathering inspiring experiences for his song writing or collaborating with other like minded artists. MJ Cole, Ed Case and DJ Spinna to name a few all invited Shaun to work with them on projects attracted by his writing skills and exceptional voice.

Not just content with these collaborations Shaun also embarked upon travels to musical Mecca’s such as New York, Nashville, LA which ensured that whilst making a very British record Shaun soaked up a range of very different musical flavours. Life has been exciting and hectic, but despite these forays away from home Shaun is still very much true to his roots.

“People often ask me why the album has been so long coming and I tell ‘em it’s because I’ve been trying to get it right. I was trying to make it British sounding. I love America, but I’m from East London: I don’t know about the ghetto fabulous thing. It would sound false if I did that. And they don’t really respect you too much if you copy them.”

Once you have heard the record, you will realise why Shaun’s commendable penchant for making the music the ‘hard’ but right way has paid off. Described as a ‘magical collection of futuristic funk, not tied to any single genre or era’ by Blues and Soul magazine, his album is a testament to Shaun’s varied influences and his huge talent.

“ I’ve been inspired by all different artists and styles, I didn’t want my music to hold any boundaries. Which is why it’s kind of eclectic. I just wanted to capture the vastness of my musical experiences, while lyrically getting away from the clichés. I’d say that’s why making this album was a painful but also a good experience.”

Already drawing comparisons with established artists like Seal and Omar, Shaun is flattered but determined to carve his own distinctive niche. In fact it is this individual style which has already won him fans in the celebrity world. This was demonstrated when World Heavyweight Champion – Lennox Lewis invited Shaun out to Memphis to sing the British national anthem before his victorious title bout with Mike Tyson. Shaun proved to be a lucky charm for the Champion but is not a stranger to the ring himself. Unknown to many, Shaun is accomplished at Karate, Thai Boxing and Gracie Jujitsu. Humble as ever though he admits that it was a dream come true to be part of so massive an event.

For Shaun Escoffery this is just the beginning. With live support slots for Erykah Badu and Beverly Knight already under his belt, performances scheduled for the forthcoming Southport Soul Weekender and a series of Autumn dates in Holland and Christmas shows in Japan, the future looks undoubtedly bright for Shaun and for British music.

“ I’m trying to stretch the boundaries and make a difference. I believe this is my time now. This is Shaun Escoffery’s time to do his thing and make a stand for British music and the great things we are doing over here.”