LOS ANGELES — Musician Shawn Hook was born with the name Shawn Hlookoff in South Slocan, British Columbia, Canada. Hook started playing the piano as early as four years old. His first single was a song called “Without You” in 2008. It made its debut on the popular MTV series The Hills.
The same year, he became the first artist to sign with ABC Studios in Los Angeles. Hook recorded several songs for ABC Family including “She Could Be You” for the show Kyle XY and the song “Be Myself” for the series Greek. During that time, he was a guest star on the Fox TV show Bones.
I met up with Shawn Hook at the 2016 American Heart Association’s “Rock the Red” music benefit inside the GRAMMY Museum in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday, April 28. He performed two of his songs for the donors and other invited guests.
“I’m going to be playing two of my original songs–‘In Over My Head’ and ‘Sound of Your Heart,’ it’s very fitting for tonight,” the artist said in an exclusive interview. “It’s a great cause. I lost my grandfather to a heart attack. He had a stroke five years before he unfortunately passed away. It’s a close cause to me. I’m just happy to be here to support and play music tonight. It should be a great evening.”
Please give me an update on your new single, “Sound of Your Heart.”
“The song went platinum in Canada last summer and it’s been doing well in America on radio,” he explained. “I’ve just been going out performing and introducing myself to America.”
Will you be touring this summer then?
“We’ve got some one-off dates and I’ve got some radio shows coming up this summer. I’m doing some shows in Canada. Mostly, my time is dedicated to my record right now. I’m putting together a bunch of new material I’ve been working on for the last five months. I’m just super excited. Hopefully, by September we’ll have a new record out.”
Are you putting together the new album here in Los Angeles or in Nashville?
“I went to Nashville in December before the holidays for a week,” Hook said. “I’ve been working a ton in Los Angeles. I worked a session in New York and Toronto. It’s kind of wherever I have free time. That’s where I am recording.”
Look for Shawn Hook’s new single “Sound of Your Heart” on the radio and on iTunes right now. A new album will follow in September.
Watch Shawn Hook perform “Sound of Your Heart”:
