He is recognized as Canada’s bop icon and the blueprint for rising Canadian artists. Singer-songwriter Shawn Desman is back with a new single and this time, he’s here to stay.
Desman is a legendary artist who is and continues to be a quintessential piece of Canada’s pop and R&B scene. Back in the early 2000s and 2010s, the 41-year-old ruled the industry with popular hits, such as “Night Like This,” “Electric,” and “Shook,” among others.
For those who don’t know, the pop singer started his career at a very young age as a Portuguese artist. He made four Portuguese albums before moving his talents over to the English music scene at 16 years old. From that moment on, he learned how to write and produce music in his homemade studio.
At 18 years old, Desman was signed to BMG Music Canada and under this label, he dropped his self-titled debut 2002 album Shawn Desman. In 2005, BMG dropped the singer and he went on to sign with Universal Music Canada up until 2015.
Fast forward to today, Desman reflects on his career during that period and how he has evolved as a person and as an artist since then.
“I want to sing about and I want to write about things that matter. And things that kind of happen in my life. I want to write about real life stuff, you know, whereas before it was about the parties and the clubs and the girls and popping bottles…I’m not at that point in my life anymore,” the singer said in an interview with Now Toronto.
Desman says his priorities have changed now and they’re focused on self-care and self-improvement. He aims to translate this into his music and impact people’s lives in a positive way.
THE RESURGENCE OF SHAWN DESMAN
The singer had a moment of realization and inspiration when he was hand-picked by Drake to headline OVO’s homecoming kick off last year in July. During this time, Desman exchanged an emotional and touching moment with the rapper after Drake told him his music was different and invoked a feeling of timelessness.
Drake went on to say that “Shawn Desman needs to make music again.” This, along with encouragement from his wife and fans, reignited his passion for music.
“What really drove me was the messages and people reaching out to me on Instagram through email, fans and…finally coming to the realization that, ‘Wow, people still care about Shawn Desman’ because I didn’t think they did if I’m being completely honest,” he said.
“The joy they bring that they say I bring to them, they bring me 10 times more joy. And that’s what really drove me and also, my wife being like, ‘You need to do this. Like, you have to do it, like this is your chance,’” he added.
LIFE LESSONS LEARNED
The past few years have been difficult for Desman after his wife, Chantelle, was diagnosed with severe ulcerative colitis in 2015, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease. For this reason, he made the tough decision of leaving the music industry to focus on helping his family.
Desman says he learned a lot about himself during the harrowing experience.
“I think the biggest takeaway for me is when there’s people around you that you care about, that are going through something, you know, serious, is that you kind of learn to let things go and not sweat about the small things. There are things that could be so much worse, you know, and having a family member who’s ill is pretty hard,” he explained.
“So, I feel like that’s kind of one of the things I really took away was, ‘Shawn, don’t sweat the small things. Just let it be. And really be grateful for all the great things in your life. My beautiful wife, my beautiful kids, and again, being here,’” he continued.
DESMAN RELEASES NEW SINGLE, ‘LOVE ME WITH THE LIGHTS ON’
After his resurgence into the music scene, Desman recently dropped an empowering new single called, “Love Me With The Lights On.” He says this song was inspired by his wife who felt insecure about the ileostomy bag attached to her body, as a result of her disease.
Prior to her emergency surgery, she told Desman she was scared, not of the procedure, but that he would no longer be attracted to her following the physical changes, thus the beginning of “Love Me With The Lights On.”
“When we were in the studio writing, I was like, guys, I want to write a song that is empowering to everybody, not just my wife. She is the focus of it but something where people can be like, man, I feel like that sometimes, like, I have stretch marks that I don’t want to show that I’m really self conscious about,” Desman said.
“So, ‘Love Me With The Lights On’ is about embracing those imperfections and showing them off, like love me with the lights on because I want to see all the imperfections because they’re what make you perfect,” he added.
For the new single, Desman partnered with female-led brand Knix for the music video to create a powerful campaign that highlights everyday women and all their forms. Influencers such as The Birds Papaya, Jam Gamble, Cat & Nat, and Alicia McCarvell are also included in the video. “When I say this video is going to impact people. I’m not even doing it justice, like it is going to impact so many people’s lives. It is so amazing because it is more than just the song. The song is great and it’s a party song, but it’s the messaging and what these ladies say in the video that is really going to inspire and really going to make a difference,” Desman said.
The music video for “Love Me With The Lights On” comes out on Aug. 18.
As for what’s next for the Canadian star, he says he’s working on a Shawn Desman tour set to take place sometime next year, as well as new music and television projects.
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