"Shawn Hlookoff"
"Shawn Hlookoff"
Singer/songwriter Shawn Hlookoff makes it look easy. Nothing can conceal the energy bursting from within the British Columbia native. With critically acclaimed full-length album Both Sides, songs on hit shows such as MTV’s The Hills and ABC’s Eli Stone, a co-star role on Fox's t.v. show Bone's and a Guinness World Record under his belt, Shawn is a force to be reckoned with.
Shawn started singing at a young age and quickly began experimenting musically, becoming proficient on the guitar, piano, bass and trombone. His extensive catalogue of songs is sprinkled with influences from some of the greats; Elton John, Coldplay, Marvin Gay, John Mayer and Radiohead to name a few.
Shawn believes that his "purpose as an artist is to create music that we can all relate to. I don't write about the material life, I write about everyday life. I want to move people with my music and bring people together for at least 3 minutes and 30 seconds regardless of age, race, political or religious beliefs. We all share the ground we walk on and thankfully music has no borders or prejudice. It's truly universal. At the end of the day we all turn to music for different reasons. It excites me to create and share music with you and hopefully one day my songs will be part of the soundtrack to your life.”
It didn’t take long for Shawn to start making waves in the industry, or for the heavy-hitters to take notice. A number of producers have sought out to work with Shawn including multi-Grammy Award winning Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins (has current hit albums with Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson, producer to Michael Jackson, Britney Spears and Destiny's Child), Jeff Dawson (Daniel Powter, Kelly Rowland) and Don Was (Elton John, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Garth Brooks, Brian Wilson, Roy Orbison, Jackson Browne, Carly Simon, George Michael, Bob Seger). He most recently finished working with producers Dale Penner (the man responsible for "Nickelback"), Jeff Trott (Sheryl Crow's songwriter and producing partner, Beck, Liz Fair) and Virgin A&R Executive/producer Jeff Blue (Linkin Park, The Last Goodnight & Macy Gray).
When Shawn’s not opening for the likes of Sarah McLachlan, Feist, Heart, REO Speedwagon, and Wide Mouth Mason, or writing, performing and producing tracks, you can often find him devoting his time and energy to Feed The Need. Co-founded by Hlookoff and a close friend, Feed The Need is an organization dedicated to raising money, materials and foodstuffs for those in need, locally and globally. By performing across British Columbia in the Fall of 2007, Shawn was able to procure donations of over 5000 items to B.C. food banks. Next up for Feed The Need – raising funds to build a Technology Centre in Guatemala.
Currently working on exciting material for his next full-length album, composing for creative magnate ABC/Disney, and showcasing across North America, Shawn Hlookoff is showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, he’s just getting started.
Some of you must be wondering how Hlookoff, with such a hectic schedule, managed to set a Guinness World record. Well have no fear, he still dominates in his field. No one in the world has stood on a Swiss exercise ball longer.