Born and raised in the Bronx, New York, Shaliek embodies the establishment of a fresh vibe with classic soul. His family influence served as the early roots for Shaliek's love for music. The musical authority of legends Stevie Wonder, Donnie Hathaway, Michael Jackson, and Sam Cooke, serves as a backdrop to Shaliek's sound, which is one filled with old school passion, yet capturing new age flavor.
R&B Artist Shaliek hits our Nation’s Capital on Saturday, July 20th when he performs at the historic Howard Theater, 620 T Street NW, Washington, DC. Shaliek will set the tone for an evening of contemporary soul when he opens for Lyfe Jennings at 8:00pm.
We had the opportunity to interview this rising star, check it out!
TBUT: What inspired you to start singing?
Shaliek: My mother always followed me around the house with a video camera, and hearing voices like Donny Hathaway, Sam Cooke, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, and Whitney Houston growing up, I guess I was always intrigued with these voices. I wanted to know more about the artist, and once I got into the artist and reading the credits and the back of cd’s, I told myself, I want to do this, I want to be a singer, I want to be an artist, I want to tour the world and let my music touch millions of people.
TBUT: How does your sound fit in with today’s industry?
Shaliek: I don’t know if the word fit in would describe my voice in my sound because I know that my influence is definitely from the 50s and 60s and The 70s. So I get a lot of how I sing from those guys. But of course today I listen to a lot of today’s music and I think my music will fit right along with today’s music it just has that classic soul edge to it. And people love that classic and soul feel.And I love big production and bands, I pulled a lot from back then but I keep it relevant to today.
TBUT: Who inspired your new single-The Past?
Shaliek: I chose this as the single because we played it for people and a lot of people loved and gravitated to it. We like it because it’s different than what’s on the radio, it’s a different approach. It stood out, the base line, and the way I sing it, it does touch a lot of people and they can relate to it-so we thought it was best for a single.
