Biography
Shawny is a Montreal-based children's artist, Youtuber, and performer for hire. His goofy energy and engaging blend of folk/pop/rock music is sure to get kids laughing, singing, and coming out of their shell.
Shawny considers himself an "edu-tainer". His goal is to create music that is silly, catchy, and accessible to kids, while still dealing with important themes such as self-care, acceptance, and showing kindness towards others. There's no reason why kids' music can't be both "high quality" while still being enjoyable for kids (and adults!) to listen to. Shawny is influenced by children's musicians like Raffi, Laurie Berkner, and Sharon, Lois & Bram. However, his best ideas come from all the kids he performs for -- after all, who knows what they want to hear better than they do?
History
Shawny has been creating children's music since March 2020, beginning as a product of the early pandemic quarantine. Having worked as an elementary school music teacher for many years, Shawny was inspired to write songs that his students could relate to. Shawny was thrilled to see the positive effect this music was having on his students during such a difficult time. Since he was used to singing to them via Zoom, Shawny took it a step further and made his own Youtube channel. The warm reception of these videos inspired him to fulfill a lifelong dream of becoming a recording artist and live performer for kids.
Shawny's first EP It's So Sunny was released on June 23rd, 2023 and features previous singles such as "Ollie Ollie Octopus" and "Hiccups Are Forever" as well as new unheard material. The album addresses themes of kindness, acceptance, and socio-emotional learning. Shawny's music has been featured on radio shows and podcasts including The Saturday Morning Cereal Bowl, Radio Active Kids, and Suzy & Friends Kids Radio Show. In February 2023, Shawny's song "The Day The Colours Went Away" won the people's choice award for favourite Canadian song at Funky Kids Radio in Melbourne. He has been featured on Global News Montreal and been written up in The Suburban Newspaper. Over the past two years, Shawny has done over 130 live performances at daycares, elementary schools, libraries, festivals, and public and private events.