Biography
California producer Shawn Wasabi turned early online buzz into a full electronic pop career built on bright, upbeat confections that prominently feature the Midi Fighter 64, a controller he co-invented during the late 2010s. His first album, Mangotale, appeared in 2020.
Born Shawn Serrano to Filipino parents in Salinas, the Pinoy producer began studying piano as a child. Those early lessons later sharpened his command of the Midi Fighter, which he employed to shape his initial tracks in 2013. After uploading mash-ups and sampled mixes, he cultivated a modest audience through live performances that combined the Midi Fighter with video game console controllers on pieces such as “Mac n’ Cheese” and the viral sensation “Marble Soda.” The latter offered a playful, chiptune-inflected flurry of game-derived samples played on his customized 64-button unit. Surging demand for the prototype prompted its manufacturer to scale up production, allowing co-inventor Serrano to expand his following. After “Marble Soda” he issued further tracks including “Hotto Dogu,” “Spicy Boyfriend,” and “Burnt Rice” alongside YDG and Yung Gemmy. Adding more guest vocalists, he delivered “Otter Pop” with Hollis, “Squeez” with Raychel Jay, and “Mango Love” with Satica through 2018. Over the following two years Wasabi put out additional singles such as “Snack” and “Home Run” again featuring Jay, “Marble Tea,” “Animal Crossing” with Sophia Black, and “Lemons” with Kennedi, all of which were collected on his debut full-length Mangotale, released in May 2020.
Born Shawn Serrano to Filipino parents in Salinas, the Pinoy producer began studying piano as a child. Those early lessons later sharpened his command of the Midi Fighter, which he employed to shape his initial tracks in 2013. After uploading mash-ups and sampled mixes, he cultivated a modest audience through live performances that combined the Midi Fighter with video game console controllers on pieces such as “Mac n’ Cheese” and the viral sensation “Marble Soda.” The latter offered a playful, chiptune-inflected flurry of game-derived samples played on his customized 64-button unit. Surging demand for the prototype prompted its manufacturer to scale up production, allowing co-inventor Serrano to expand his following. After “Marble Soda” he issued further tracks including “Hotto Dogu,” “Spicy Boyfriend,” and “Burnt Rice” alongside YDG and Yung Gemmy. Adding more guest vocalists, he delivered “Otter Pop” with Hollis, “Squeez” with Raychel Jay, and “Mango Love” with Satica through 2018. Over the following two years Wasabi put out additional singles such as “Snack” and “Home Run” again featuring Jay, “Marble Tea,” “Animal Crossing” with Sophia Black, and “Lemons” with Kennedi, all of which were collected on his debut full-length Mangotale, released in May 2020.
Albums
Singles
