I can hit baritone notes, and I can sing in the soprano range if I wanted to. I did this thing a long time ago where I did a duet with myself. I sound like two different people. – Shamir
My favourite singer ever in the world is Ari Up from The Slits. Her voice is amazing to me. It’s carefree, but it’s also really amazing. – Shamir
My first time doing music was on acoustic guitar. I had a friend from Texas who taught me so much country, I entered a few country competitions. But eventually, I got tired of it. – Shamir
I always say I never felt ‘latched’ to a gender. I just kind of always felt like myself, and I never felt like I had to do certain things or be a certain way to fit into a certain mold. – Shamir
I want people to listen to my music and everyone to feel included, and I think it’s kind of working because all my audiences are always so colorful. – Shamir
Music feels like a six sense to me, and it’s never been just a hobby. It’s something that I have to do to breathe. It’s an extension of who I am. – Shamir
I always find it amazing that people get mad because they can’t figure out my gender. Even though my only job here is to create art, I think being a genderless figure… it shakes people. And when that happens, it makes me feel like I’m doing my job. – Shamir
As far as long-term goals, one of my favorite artists ever is Tegan and Sara, because every single one of their albums sounds different. Or Beck. I want to be like that because I come from so many different types of musical backgrounds. – Shamir
I’m not in a certain type of genre, and I can’t be categorized or pigeonholed. That leaves a wide range of what I can do for myself, for other people, and with other people. – Shamir
I always surprise myself with my voice. A lot of people don’t get it, and they’re like, ‘You can’t sing. Stop. What are you doing?’ And it’s funny to hear a lot people say I sing in falsetto because it’s not falsetto – that’s my voice. – Shamir
I had always been a really peculiar child. My mom would tell you I grew up roughing it with the boys and playing with action figures and toy cars and stuff, but I also had an Easy Bake Oven… I find it amazing that in a really weird way, people are mad that they can’t figure out my gender. – Shamir
My plan was to release a tape, move to Arkansas, live on a farm, and make music like Bon Iver. – Shamir
I never felt like a boy or a girl, never felt I should wear this or dress like that. I think that’s where that confidence comes from because I never felt I had to play a part in my life. I just always come as Shamir. – Shamir
Ever since I was little, I showed traits of both masculine and feminine energies. Androgyny was never something that I thought about or tried for. – Shamir
I wrote all my songs on my main instruments, and the songs I would record in my bedroom were just acoustic guitar, mandolin, and sometimes bass. I really like the texture the mandolin added to my music, but my fingers were too big to play it… I could only do little riffs and whatever. – Shamir
Nina Simone had such an androgynous voice; the first time I listened to her I thought it was a man, and I’m sure a lot of people listening to me think I’m a woman. Her voice is kinda like the poster child for me. – Shamir
If you listen to most of my songs, the lyrics are pretty kind of dark, but I like to put it behind happy music because then it evens it out… I’m really happy, actually. Obviously I have my bad moments, but I always challenge myself to not put negativity out there because there’s already enough. – Shamir
I prefer to stay in if I have a choice. I lose energy being around people. I know that sounds horrible. – Shamir
As far as influences, I listen to a lot of people like Nina Simone and other androgynous voices, almost to make me feel like I’m not alone. – Shamir
