| ShyBoy | |
| Birth Name: | Jason Arnold |
| Occupation: | Singer • songwriter • composer • DJ • record producer |
| Years Active: | 2000-Present |
| Label: | The Spaceman Agency |
| Associated Acts: | Hypnogaja, RuPaul, Warningfield, Allee Willis, Wendy Waldman, Slimkid3, Eddie Amador, Purple Crush, Matt McJunkins, The Beta Machine, Julia Fordham, Darude, Robot Koch, Jim Dooley, Bryan Fuller, Tetsuya Shibata |
ShyBoy is an American vocalist, songwriter, music producer, and DJ. He is the music composer for the Emmy-nominated documentary series Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror (Shudder/AMC) from executive producer Bryan Fuller.[1] ShyBoy was named Best Solo Artist in the 10th Annual LA Weekly Best of L.A. Readers' Choice Awards[2] and has performed throughout North America and in Europe, sharing the stage with artists such as Flo Rida, Meiko, and Amanda Palmer.[3] ShyBoy's music has been featured in RuPaul's Drag Race, Dynasty, America's Next Top Model, the Capcom video game Devil May Cry 4, and the trailer for the 2018 film Halloween. An array of writers and artists have collaborated with ShyBoy, including: Emmy Award-winning performer RuPaul; hip-hop artist SlimKid3 (The Pharcyde); Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Wendy Waldman; Saturn Award-winning writer Bryan Fuller; DJ and record producer Darude; and Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award-winning songwriter Allee Willis.[4] ShyBoy and gold-selling record producer Mark Nubar co-founded the band Hypnogaja and L.A.-based indie label The Spaceman Agency.[5]
ShyBoy debuted music from his first solo album Water on Mars during a headline performance at the Carmel Art and Film Festival.[6] Released in October 2013 and produced by ShyBoy and Mark Nubar, the album features co-writes with songwriters such as Allee Willis, Ivo Moring, David Batteau, Wendy Waldman, and others. The songs "Bird in Flight" and "Wouldn't It Be Good" were released as singles, with videos directed by filmmaker Michael Bodie[7] and produced by Loretta Ramos.[8] CNN featured "Bird in Flight" during a story about the 50th anniversary of the first spacewalk by NASA astronauts and featured the title track on Newsroom, during a special segment on NASA's definitive discovery of flowing water on Mars.
HuffPost
Lost in Space - ShyBoy's second album - was released in 2014 and features material co-written with Emmy and Annie Award-nominated lyricist Amy Powers, multi-platinum music producer Jeff Hoeppner,[12] German electronic music composer/DJ robot koch, Emmy Award-winning composer Jim Dooley, television writer and producer Bryan Fuller (Pushing Daisies, American Gods, Hannibal); and more. The collection contains a cover of the Donna Summer song "She Works Hard for the Money," featured on the Essential Records compilation Café de Paris, Vol. 10.
In 2015, ShyBoy released numerous projects: Daisy Pusher EP (which included "Haven't Heard This Song in Forever," featured on the ABC show Super Fun Night, starring Rebel Wilson); a cover of Sia's "Elastic Heart" followed (recorded as a duet with Kat Robichaud of NBC's The Voice); and the Zero Gravity EP (featuring a remix by Matt Mcjunkins and The Beta Machine).
ShyBoy and multi-platinum songwriter Allee Willis (Earth, Wind & Fire's "September," The Color Purple musical) teamed up with producers Jeff Hoeppner and Mark Nubar to create several singles in 2016 and 2017. The first of these releases - a cover of "Neutron Dance" (the Grammy Award-winning song by The Pointer Sisters, written by Willis and Danny Sembello) - features an animated lyric video directed by Willis, who also illustrated the artwork for the single. HuffPost describes the remake as "an entirely new, indie-pop version of the classic single with ShyBoy’s understated tenor lilting over delicate, synth-driven grooves."[13] Three more releases followed: the originals "Can't Stay With The Pay (Ain't No Little Fairy Gonna Pop Me A Five For That Tooth)" and "He and She;" and a cover version of another one of Willis' hits, the Pet Shop Boys and Dusty Springfield classic "What Have I Done To Deserve This?."
ShyBoy's single "Backroom" was released in October 2018, followed by the Backroom (The Remixes) EP in June 2019. Produced and arranged by ShyBoy, Jeff Hoeppner, and Mark Nubar, "Backroom" was featured in the second season of Dynasty on The CW[14] and described by TheGATE.ca as "timelessly fun" with vocals that are "slick, rich, and addictive."[15] The "Backroom" official music video (directed by Michael Bodie) was premiered by World of Wonder's WOW Presents Plus, which described it as a "gritty masterpiece."[16] In September 2020, "Backroom" was named as an Official Selection in the music video category of the 5th annual QueerX film festival (presented by Lexus and Revry). In December 2020, the Hollywood Music In Media awards officially nominated ShyBoy's "Backroom" recording for a 2021 award in the Alternative music category.[17]
Several releases featured ShyBoy in October 2020 and 2021, including "Superhero;" "1981" (the debut single by the group Warningfield); and "Silence," a Beatport Electronica Top 10 collaboration with Berlin-based artist Purple Kaiser (of Kaiser Souzai),[18] and "The Sky Is Falling."
ShyBoy released the album His Royal Shyness in October 2022. The LP - produced by Jeff Hoeppner, Jeeve, ShyBoy, and Mark Nubar - includes the songs "Backroom," "U Can Get It," "Bad Thoughts," and "Dildo Machine," all featured in the Shudder original series Queer For Fear.[19]
ShyBoy is the lead vocalist and co-founding member of the collective Warningfield, a collaboration with film/TV composers Jim Guttridge & Sean Hosein (Beauty & the Beast) and writer/producer Mark Nubar. The group is based in Los Angeles and Paris. Warningfield's sound has been described as a "hybrid of dramatic underscore woven together with conceptual pop songs."[20] Their music was first featured in the trailer for the 2018 remake of Halloween (Blumhouse/Universal). Warningfield's debut single "1981" was released in October 2020. In a review of the song, Buzz Music wrote that ShyBoy's vocals "perfectly complement the surrounding airy and retro sci-fi-inspired production."[21]
ShyBoy's music career began as the lead singer of the band Hypnogaja. He co-wrote and produced numerous recordings with the group, including the critically acclaimed LPs Below Sunset (described by the Denver Post as music that "pushes boundaries"), Truth Decay (described by Outburn magazine as "an expertly crafted album”),[22] and Bridge to Nowhere (a European release by Sony Music Germany).[23] Hypnogaja toured consistently throughout the United States and Canada, opening for artists such as 311, Linda Perry, Shinedown, and Saliva. The band appeared on the debut episode of Stripped Down Live, hosted by Tears For Fears' Curt Smith. ShyBoy received the award for Best Male Vocalist at the 2nd Annual Hollywood Music In Media Awards, for Hypnogaja's cover of the Donna Summer song, "On The Radio."[24] Hypnogaja t-shirts and posters were featured in the pilot episode of the Bryan Fuller series, Dead Like Me.[25] In February 2020, Hypnogaja released the single "Lovesick," the band's first release since the 2011 single "Dark Star" (featuring SlimKid3). In July 2022, the band released the single "Circle of Hate" via The Spaceman Agency label.[26]
The mashup concept album The RuPaul Mixtape[27] marked the beginning of ShyBoy's collaboration with RuPaul, including five singles for the Emmy Award-winning show RuPaul's Drag Race (seasons 4, 5, and 6). The songs - "The Shade of It All," "Runway Girl," "Reading is Fundamental," "It's Not Personal (It's Drag)," and "Oh No She Better Don't" - were written by RuPaul, ShyBoy, and Mark Nubar, and released by World of Wonder.[28] ShyBoy created two mixes, entitled "Shade" and "Serve," for RuPaul's Drag Race
ShyBoy composed tracks for several cycles of Tyra Banks' America's Next Top Model and co-wrote songs for on-screen performances by characters in HBO's Six Feet Under and the Joss Whedon series Dollhouse (starring Eliza Dushku). ShyBoy collaborated with composer Tetsuya Shibata on the end title for Capcom's multi-platinum video game Devil May Cry 4. The song, "Shall Never Surrender," was also released on a special soundtrack by Sony Music Japan. Songs written and composed by ShyBoy have been featured in: Scream 4 (trailer); Roswell; Sex and the City; One Life to Live; Frank Beddor's Looking Glass Wars; Cold Creek Manor (starring Sharon Stone); Valentine (starring David Boreanaz); ; and more.[30]
ShyBoy and Mark Nubar composed the score for the Emmy-nominated documentary series Queer For Fear: The History Of Queer Horror (from executive producer Bryan Fuller) which debuted on Shudder and AMC on September 30, 2022.[31] ShyBoy's song "Backroom" serves as the main title for the show.
ShyBoy has produced remixes for numerous artists (including RuPaul, Whitney Houston, Julia Fordham, and Donna Summer) and created several mashup dance parties, including MaDonna Summer (a tribute to Madonna and Donna Summer); Britney Houston (a tribute to Britney Spears and Whitney Houston); Rihyoncé (a tribute to Rihanna and Beyoncé); Gaga Lipa (a tribute to Lady Gaga and Dua Lipa); and Kylie Cyrus (a tribute to Kylie Minogue and Miley Cyrus). ShyBoy was the featured DJ at the official premiere party for the Broadway revival of West Side Story in New York City in 2020[32] and created a mashup mix and medley for The B-52's 2022 farewell concert tour.[33]