Interview With Upcoming Star Shirin

12.0pt">Shirin – sweet by name and nature, is most definitely going to be one

of Hampshire’s biggest exports music wise in the near future. This incredibly

talented singer wishes to ‘take you away’ and that, I think, she is bound to

do.

If you’d like to learn more about Shirin, you can go to her website:

www.shirinofficial.co.uk

Charlotte:  So you’ve lived in Fareham

all your life, what was it like for you growing up?

 Shirin:  I’m totally a Fareham girl, I’ve lived in the

same house all my life as the youngest of three girls – music’s always been a

big part of my life, I had a really happy childhood, I think it was one of the

best I could ever have had.

 

Charlotte:  When did you first become interested in

music? And who are your influences?

 Shirin:  For me, my first musical experience was

watching Annie. I would have been around 2 or 3, and I was obsessed with it. I

didn’t know the words, but I would sing in my own little childish way, and from

then on music was just always a part of my life. When I first realised that

this was what I wanted to do, I was 5 or 6 and I just pursued it.

I grew up

listening to Motown and soul, Stevie Wonder is my favourite artist of all time

he’s a music legend. I also listened to Michael Jackson, the Jackson 5 and

Alicia Keys so soul music has played the biggest influence on me.  Although my music hasn’t gone down that path,

it might do in the future.

 

Charlotte:  How did your peers react to your talent?

 Shirin:  When my Dad first realised I could sing, he

thought it was a record playing but then realised it was me. I’d been playing

the piano since I was five and had been begging my parents for singing lessons,

but they didn’t realise that I could actually sing. Since about the age of 10,

I’ve had singing lessons and my family have been completely supportive of me,

same for my friends, everyone’s so supportive.

 But as with

everything at school, there are always some people that are going to twist the

truth slightly and I started to keep it to myself. That’s just one of the

difficulties of going through this as a child.

Especially in

primary school, I was bullied and so now I try and make a positive out of

everything I do. It was resolved quite quickly, but the first song I wrote, at

the age of ten, was about my experience with bullying, it was also the first

song I recorded at thirteen. I’ve also worked with anti-bullying charities such

as Kidscape and raised over £1600 for their campaigns.

 

Charlotte:  Your name is Persian for sweet, which you

definitely are, and reflect greatly in your music and style. Who do you think

inspired that, and how did you decide what genre you wanted your music to be?

 Shirin:  In the music industry now, it’s about having

the whole package, you can’t just be a good singer; you have to tick all the

boxes. About two years ago, I was thinking about my branding, and being a lover

of fashion and wanting to stand out from the crowd, and really style makes a

person individual. When we see Lady GaGa, the first thing that defines her is

the lightning bolt and the blonde hair. I just took everything I love and made

it my style. It’s a fantasy world and all about escapism.

It’s really

good to reference what’s going on in the music industry and I looked to what

the current music was now, but also I wanted to expand it a bit and take it to

the next step. I don’t want to be compared to other artists such as Lady GaGa,

as much as I like her music, I don’t want people to think I’m just copying her.

I wanted to take a bit of everything that’s current now and mix it together.

It’s just thinking about your demographic - who you want to appeal to.

 

Charlotte:  What was it like going to LA to record

your album?

 Shirin:  I’ve been there a couple of times, the first

time I went was in 2007. I was invited to go out with a Hollywood film producer

and he introduced me to some people in the music industry. The summer after I’d

finished school, I had the opportunity to either go to South Downs College,

or move to LA for 3 months, and I went with LA. It was hard because I was only

sixteen but it was a great opportunity. Then, in February this year, I went

back out for 12 days to record with Marcus ‘Bellringer’ Bell and we recorded 9

songs in 8 days – it was hard work but it was worth it!

 

Charlotte:  What are your plans for the future and

have you been approached by any major labels?

 Shirin:  In the next two years I’d like to be selling

out stadium tours, that’s what I’ll be aiming for. As for major labels, the first

label to approach me was Ministry of Sound, and they’re still watching my

progress, but currently I’m doing it the hard way: I’m going solo with just the

support of my family and friends and I’m hoping with the backing of local

people that I’ll get that deal eventually. Then we go from there and hopefully

take over the world.

 

Charlotte:  When you get more famous, do you plan to

move away from Fareham permanently, or do you think there will always be a

place in your heart for this town?

 Shirin:  It’s really difficult, I don’t want my music

to just be UK based, I’d like to be more global.  Also depending on what record company I’m

signed to, that will decide where I get based but I wouldn’t like to move away

from here permanently. I love it so much, I think we live in one of the best

parts of the country and I am very much a small town girl. For me it’s very

important not to forget where you come from and I think people will appreciate

that because I have an affinity to my roots and I love where I come from.  A lot of people think ‘I want to make it big

and move to LA’ but the grass isn’t greener on the other side. It’s the same

wherever you go. There’s just something about England

I love.

 

Charlotte:  Do you have any advice for young and

budding artists?

 Shirin:  Don’t go on the X Factor! You need stamina

and a thick skin.  It’s very draining and

although those sort of shows are very good at overnight success, it will take

its toll on you. Do it the way most of the greats have done it before you - the

hard way. Get your name out there in any way possible.

Locally there’s

a thing called Music Fusion.  They work

with youth centres and are great for supporting young artists.

In a few years

time, I want to be able to have the success so that I can set up a foundation

for young unsigned artists and help them into the music industry to stop them

being exploited. That would be something I’d love to do.