Shaun Frank

Born on June 7, 1982, in Toronto, Canada, Shaun Frank moved from rock & roll roots into dance music as a multifaceted musician, vocalist, producer, and DJ. His introduction to music came during early adolescence, when he alternated between fronting neighborhood punk ensembles and crafting rhythms on budget sequencers. He later took the microphone for the alternative rock outfit the Envy, whose discovery by Kiss bassist Gene Simmons led to a contract on the latter’s imprint and a slot opening for the legendary act on tour. The band issued two albums, 2012’s Conception and 2013’s The Envy, yet never reached a broader listenership. While traveling with the Envy, Frank’s dormant fascination with dance music resurfaced at an Indonesian Independence Day celebration in Bali, where the sheer intensity of the sound system left a lasting impression. In the spaces between group commitments he began contributing guest vocals to electronic cuts, most notably Spanish DJ Marien Baker’s “Unbreakable,” which achieved widespread global success and prompted Frank to redirect his energies fully toward dance music. Additional vocal appearances followed on material by Arty, Lush & Simon, Nicky Romero, Glenn Morrison, and Dyro, after which he launched a solo EDM touring career that merged live singing with DJ performances. Parallel work as a remixer brought collaborations with Lorde and Down with Webster. His debut single under his own name arrived in 2013, and two years later “Shades of Grey,” a joint effort with Oliver Heldens and Delaney Jane, surpassed 16 million streams. Frank and Jane eclipsed that figure in 2016 with “La La Land,” which accumulated more than 21 million plays. That same year he also earned songwriting credits on the Chainsmokers’ chart-topping “Closer.”