SIRSA SHEKIM

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Sirsa Shekim
_{Recording Artist, Singer}

Figure out all the things you’re passionate about because all those things make you unique.

Content by Sirsa

How to Write Licensable Music for Film/TV

Exclusive Interview

Hi Sirsa, welcome to VQS, tell us how you got started in Music?

I’m so happy to be here. Thank you for having me. Well… it all started when I was a teen. At the time I had been playing classical violin for about ten years, and yet my heart was pulling me towards songwriting and switching over to guitar.

I started writing acoustic songs inspired by strong women like Madonna, Shawn Colvin, and Sade…

…and I idolized 80’s pop icons like Wham, Duran Duran and Michael Jackson. Once I was a freshman in college, I started walking around telling everyone that I was going to be in the coolest band ever soon. (There was no band in sight.)

By sophomore year, sure enough, a spontaneous group of friends and I formed a southern-style rock-meets-classically driven indie group and voila, I’ve been hooked ever since.

We ended up being the most popular band on campus, and would constantly sell out shows without trying –something I’ve never been able to do ever since! (Laughs)…

Even though I had studied International Relations and had had my heart set on studying abroad in Paris post-graduation,

I gave that all up to return back to Los Angeles after college and pursue nothing but music.

My classical background has always stayed with me though, and I seem to have the most amazing connections with producers and songwriters who are classically trained — from Ross Leitner and Federico Ferrandina to Nita Chawla, Vivi Rama and Lily Lyons — to name a few of my favorites!

What new projects are you working on now?

After releasing two electro-pop albums with my last project Beauty Supply, I knew it was time for my first-ever solo album.

My Italian producer Federico Ferrandina was living in Rome, so we worked together remotely until I flew to Rome to record all the vocals.

There have been some hiccups in the release process, but the album SHOT OF YOUR LOVE is out everywhere now! It’s a very cosmopolitan, mellow and Mediterranean album. Federico is a film composer so, well, you’ll have to see — he takes us on a magic carpet ride, so to speak.

A brand new acoustic single, with the amazing Nita Chawla called CROSS THE LINE, released Friday March 19th! We are so excited about it and it was such an honor to work with her on this song.

I also have really fun duet tracks with amazing rappers Matthew Cuban and Mr. Phelps also coming out later this year!

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What core values do you believe are necessary for success?

I really think believing in yourself is key — and not caring so much what people think of you and/or your art.

It’s such a contradiction — cause so many of us drawn to the arts are more empathic, intuitive, creative, and sensitive — and yet we have to constantly face so much more “rejection” than the average person. It takes so much courage to put ourselves out there.

It’s so important not to worry of how people receive your music because you’re giving a gift to the world, its our duty and its beautiful.

As I’ve gotten older and wiser, all of that has gotten easier, but I sometimes wonder where I’d be if from the get-go I thought I was the coolest thing since sliced bread.

Who have been some of your favorite people/projects to work with?

Ross Leitner and I have been making music together since we were teens. He’s a classically trained pianist turned pop/ hip hop producer.

We were in that infamous band together back in college that I spoke of earlier, and then we were in Beauty Supply together for eight years.

Recording Artist Sirsa Shekim Beauty Supply

In fact we’re just finishing a new track as we speak, called Love Potion –which comes out later this year! He’s one of the smartest and most talented and kind people I’ve ever met.

Vivi Rama and I have been performing and writing together for the last twenty years or so. She is one of my all-time favorite musicians and artists overall. I can’t wait to perform together once Covid eases up..

Federico Ferrandina and I have amazing songwriting chemistry. Not only would we cook risottos together and drink espressos and talk about French films constantly, our musical styles complemented each other perfectly and it was so easy and joyful and meaningful to create Shot of Your Love together…

I’m also so excited about writing with some brand new amazingly talented songwriters — Nita Chawla, Lily Lyons, and the one and only Kathrin Shorr.

How to Write Lcensable Music for Film/TV

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What future opportunities would you like to be involved with?

I’ve always had a deep love of hip hop, and I’ve worked some amazing rappers, so for one of my next releases I have my eye on Matre, cause he is just the most soulful and poetic rapper ever.

I’m also super excited to work more with Mr. Phelps, who is like the easiest guy to work with ever, and so talented. And I want to do some Arabic-inspired duets with the brilliant Jamale Abou Hamad and Zeid Hamdan — who are both in Beirut, Lebanon.

I also LOVE doing music for films and It would be such an honor and privilege to work with brilliant directors on their films like: Natalie Johns, Celine Sciamma, Donna Deitch and Tom Ford

Send Sirsa a message here.