Shawn Hook is coming out to play

Shawn Hook is taking his latest EP My Side of Your Story out for a spin.

The popstar is set to kick off his Good Days Tour on October 16 in Montreal. Neon Dreams will join Shawn as a special guest on the nationwide trip.

My Side of Your Story, released last summer, chases the success of Shawn’s 2015 album Analog Love and its hit singles “Million Ways” and “Sound of Your Heart.”

“It was a lot of hard work and a lot of time in the studio,” Shawn says of his most recent effort. “There were 80 songs I wrote to try to get the best songs I could put out.”

Those double digits might sound excessive, especially when it comes to recording for an extended play which contains far less tracks than the average album (often as little as three), but Shawn tells me that it’s all part of his creative process.

“I’m a numbers guy,” he explains. “If I’m not flexing that creative muscle, I’m not going to get to that top stage that I’m aiming for. Sometimes it falls flat. You’re not going to write a hit song every single day.”

Among the four tracks that made the final cut for My Side of Your Story is the lead single “Reminding Me,” a duet with actor/singer Vanessa Hudgens.

Even with that added star power, Shawn admits he was nervous when it came time to release the song and give his public the first taste of his new music.

“It’s always a balance between anxiety and excitement when putting out a new project because when you’re in the studio, you’re working your butt off and hoping that this is going to be great. That’s all I can really do, hope the world is going to enjoy this, hope people are going to like it.”

Shawn can rest easy now. People are loving it.

“Reminding Me” made the top 10 on multiple Canadian Billboard charts including the Canada Hot AC chart where it peaked at No. 4. The song is also certified platinum in Canada and its sexy black and white accompanying video featuring the two singers has over 10 million views on YouTube.

Shawn clearly has a hit on his hands and that success is a shared one. The pop-ballad that has everyone swooning was co-written by singer-songwriter Ethan Thompson of Ocean Park Standoff and Danish songwriter and producer Jonas Jeberg famous for working with Demi Lovato, Jason Derulo and Nicki Minaj.

Shawn also got some help penning and producing “Never Let Me Let You Go” and the two other tunes that make up My Side of Your Story from a handful of talent including OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder and Jason Evigan, the man behind hits like Madonna’s “Ghosttown” and Jason Derulo’s “Talk Dirty.”

“I got to collaborate with a lot of great people, a lot of heavy hitters in the songwriting and production community and it was a lot of fun making this music,” Shawn says.

Now Shawn is ready to tour in support of My Side of Your Story and as he looks at the finished product he thinks of just one word that perfectly sums up his release, emotional.

“Emotional because that’s where I am as a songwriter,” he says. “I like to write true stories, things that I’ve gone through and stuff that I think people can relate to.”

Shawn adds that the words hard work also come to mind. As the songwriter mentioned, he came up with 80-some songs before creating the perfect collection that he is now so very proud of.

“The older I get and the more experience I get as a writer, the pickier, more self-critical I get,” says the 33-year-old. “I’m very analytical, I have to be, because once I have a song out there it has to speak for itself, it has to be amazing.”

Shawn’s EP My Side of Your Story is available on iTunes now.

See Shawn’s upcoming tour dates below.

October 16 – Montreal, QC – Corona Theatre
October 18 – Ottawa, ON – Algonquin Commons Theatre
October 19 – Belleville, ON – Empire Theatre
October 20 – London, ON – London Music Hall
October 22 – Hamilton, ON – First Ontario Concert Hall
October 23 – Peterborough, ON – The Venue
October 25 – Kingston, ON – Grand Theatre
October 26 – Kitchener, ON – Elements
October 27 – Toronto, ON– Queen Elizabeth Theatre
October 29 – Barrie, ON – Georgian Theatre
November 1 – Thunder Bay, ON – Thunder Bay Auditorium
November 2 – Winnipeg, MB – Burton Cummings Theatre
November 3– Saskatoon, SK – O’Brians Event Centre
November 7 – Edmonton, AB – Myer Horowitz Theatre
November 8 – Calgary, AB – Macewan Ballroom
November 9 – Trail, BC – The Bailey Theatre
November 10 – Surrey, BC – Bell Performing Arts Centre

Posted by Marc Andrew on May 11 2018. Filed under Interviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.