Dynamic singer-songwriter Shaheen has embarked on a path to even bigger stardom. She is fresh off a highly coveted run as a Top 10 artist on mainstream Los Angeles radio station Star 98.7 Unsigned Artist Search where media and fans’ recent support propelled her to the position, surpassing over 400 other music artists and bands. After successfully releasing her album "Rock Candy" independently in the U.S. (2005) and in India through major record label Times Music (May 2006), Mumbai's press affectionately dubbed Shaheen, "India's answer to Sheryl Crow". In Europe, her tunes have spread virally via popular podcasts attracting a rapidly growing following. Excited and energized, Shaheen is back in the studio wrapping up her latest album, quietly staging her own rEvolution. “Writing, composing, and producing tracks for my upcoming album has been incredibly challenging and highly rewarding,” Shaheen explains. “I wanted to create this album on my own terms in order to tell the world who I am.” She takes an artistic leap with her new material and explains, “It was time for me to step into my own as a woman and artist. The new songs are complete departures from my folksong repertoire. They are cosmopolitan and touch on various types of politics – social, economic and sexual. All the songs explore the power in being a woman – an ability to be playful, seductive, and compassionate all at once. To me, this album is a personal base jump into my music.” The highly anticipated album is slated for release in March 2008. The album highlights both her creative and vocal range. Her personal and playful reflections on life are layered with fresh sounds – electronica laced together with global instrumentation and vocal stylings – resulting in a mix of dance and urban lounge tracks. Though no songs have been formally released yet, the first two singles ‘Coconut’ and ‘rEvolution’ have received preliminary praise. Popular BBC Asian Network host, Adil Ray raves that the tracks are “daring”. Music reviewer Jon Leonard says of her new music, "…catchy, imaginative, original and memorable. I could compare these songs to the Sugababes but they have the benefit of their own team of songwriters whilst [Shaheen] writes and produces her own material.” “Though the new album is a huge creative leap for me, its foundation comes from what I learned co-producing my last album, Rock Candy.” Described as a fusion of sultry vocals, soulful lyrics, pop-rock, subtle South Indian threads and a touch of electronica, Rock Candy also garnered critical acclaim. Songs spun on radio and podcasts across the nation, through Europe and India, while music videos for ‘Wildflower World’ and ‘Here and Now’ aired regularly on the International Music Feed (IMF), MTV Desi and MTV India. “I’m grateful to IMF and MTV for all of their support. The opportunity to go back home to perform for fans in India was an amazing thrill.” Shaheen performed amidst the “who’s who” of Bollywood at the Zoom Glam Awards and other exclusive Mumbai venues during the launch of her album in India. Sightings with India’s “it crowd” landed her on ‘Page 3’ of the Bombay Times on more than one occasion. In addition to Shaheen’s success in India, special appearances in the U.S. include the annual ArtWallah Festival, the Artivist Film Festival, and the Women’s Image Network in Hollywood. She has had the honor of singing the national anthem in front of over 25,000 fans at a number of National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Hockey League (NHL) games over the years. Shaheen cites musical influences as her inspiration such as Yesudas, L. Subramaniam, U. Srinivas, along with Dave Matthews, Peter Gabriel and Stevie Nicks. The multi-talented artist was exposed to Indian, particularly South Indian, classical music and dance at a young age. Her mother snuck her into dance at the tender age of three. “I first learned music through my body.” Now an accomplished senior bharatanatyam dancer with the Rangoli Dance Company under her guru Malathi Iyengar, the Los Angeles Times has hailed Shaheen’s recent performances as “commanding” and “breathtaking”. “Dance has played a huge role in my music because it has taught me the subtleties of rhythm and how they can impact you emotionally. I experimented a bit with beats in Rock Candy, but on my new album, I’ve become obsessed with rhythm.” Dance also cultivated Shaheen’s drive to study classical Indian music. After years of learning the sarod under David Trasoff, Shaheen has just begun performing the instrument for the first time. When asked what advice she has for other aspiring artists, Shaheen responds with confidence, “trust in yourself, and work beyond any fears you may have; practice your craft every single day, and just go for it! Also be sure to give back to the community.” A humanitarian at heart, Shaheen has also devoted time and music supervising skills to bring together artists in support of Free the Slaves (FTS), a non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating slavery. “Through my years of being in the music business, I’m fortunate to know some incredible artists whom I’ve called upon to donate tracks to documentaries that FTS has produced. This is a gift we as musicians can give – songs that help heal and transform the world.”