Shawn Wasabi
Birth nameShawn Serrano[1]
Also known asSssshawnnnn[2]
Born (1994-05-26) May 26, 1994 (age 30)[3]
Salinas, California, U.S.[4]
GenresPop[5]
Occupation(s)Record producer[6]
InstrumentMidi Fighter 64[7]
Years active2013–present
Websitewww.shawnwasabi.com

Shawn Serrano[1] (born May 26, 1994),[3] professionally known as Shawn Wasabi, is an American record producer from Salinas, California.[4] He is credited as a co-inventor of the Midi Fighter 64.[7] He resides in Los Angeles.[8]

Biography

Shawn Wasabi was born in Salinas, California.[4] His father is from Manila, and his mother is from Cebu.[4] At a young age, he learned piano.[4]

In 2013, Shawn Wasabi started producing music after his friend left the Midi Fighter 3D at his house.[9] Since then, he has uploaded his live mashups, which have all garnered millions of views on YouTube.[9]

In 2015, he released "Marble Soda", using a Midi Fighter 64.[10] It contains samples from 153 different tracks and sounds.[11] The video for the song reached 1 million views on YouTube within 48 hours of being uploaded.[12]

In 2016, he was nominated for the Breakthrough Artist award at the 6th Streamy Awards.[13][14]

In 2017, he released "Spicy Boyfriend".[15] In that year, he also released "Otter Pop", which featured guest vocalist Hollis.[16] The Fader placed it at number 27 on the "101 Best Songs of 2017" list.[17]

In 2018, he released "Squeez", which featured guest vocalist Raychel Jay.[18] The song was included on Paper's "10 Songs You Need to Start Your Weekend Right" list,[19] as well as The Fader's "20 Best New Pop Songs Right Now" list.[5]

In 2019, he collaborated with the Asian American pop band Far East Movement and South Korean rapper Heize on their new single "Glue",[20] marking the first time Shawn Wasabi has appeared as a featured artist on another musical act's release.[21]

Midi Fighter 64

One of Shawn Wasabi's equipment is the DJ TechTools Midi Fighter 64, a custom 64-button MIDI controller.[7] The Midi Fighter line of controllers is notable for using Japanese Sanwa arcade buttons rather than the rubber pads traditionally used on MIDI controllers.[7] Initially, the Midi Fighter only came in 16-button variations.[7] A prototype of a 64-button version was designed and 3D printed for him to use by DJ TechTools product designer Michael Mitchell.[7] In 2016, his original Midi Fighter 64 prototype, along with his computer and hard drive, was stolen in a car burglary.[7] This eventually led to the mass production of the Midi Fighter 64 in 2017.[7]

Discography

Singles

Guest appearances

References

  1. ^ a b Joyce, Colin (February 15, 2017). "Shawn Wasabi's Sweet New Single Might Help You Believe in Love Again". Vice. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  2. ^ Shawn Wasabi (March 13, 2014). "HEADS UP I finally changed my alias from sssshawnnnn to shawn wasabi". Twitter. Archived from the original on December 6, 2018. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
  3. ^ a b Shawn Wasabi (May 25, 2015). "today is my last day of being a legal minor (i'm turning 21 tmrw)". Twitter. Archived from the original on December 6, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d e Aric (July 16, 2015). "Exclusive Interview: Shawn Wasabi on video games, button mashing, and samples". The Electronic Current. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  5. ^ a b Tanzer, Myles (September 13, 2018). "The 20 best new pop songs right now". The Fader. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  6. ^ Cieslik, Anna (July 30, 2017). "The Most Mesmerizing Videos on the Internet Are Coming From Shawn Wasabi". Dailybreak. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Deahl, Dani (July 6, 2017). "How musician Shawn Wasabi helped develop the arcade-inspired Midi Fighter 64". The Verge. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  8. ^ Carnes, Aaron (July 26, 2016). "Preview: Shawn Wasabi to Play the Catalyst". Good Times. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  9. ^ a b Lee, Valerie (September 19, 2016). "Blackbird Blackbird and Shawn Wasabi in The Lab LA". Mixmag. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  10. ^ Cooper, Duncan (May 6, 2015). "This Genius Sampled 153 Songs Into A Rapid-Fire, Hyper-Pop Fever Dream". The Fader. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  11. ^ Shin, Nara (April 23, 2015). "Shawn Wasabi: Marble Soda". Cool Hunting. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  12. ^ Ang, Arvin (April 16, 2018). "Overseas Filipino Musicians Who Make Your Motherland Proud". Clavel. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  13. ^ Jarvey, Natalie (October 1, 2016). "Streamy Winners 2016: Complete List". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  14. ^ Spangler, Todd (October 4, 2016). "Streamy Awards 2016: Full Winners List". Variety. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  15. ^ Meadow, Matthew (February 14, 2017). "Shawn Wasabi Plays His New Track "Spicy Boyfriend" On MIDI Fighter". Your EDM. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  16. ^ Reis, Sean (August 5, 2017). "Shawn Wasabi Shows You How to "Otter Pop" with Hollis". EDM Sauce. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  17. ^ Cooper, Duncan (December 3, 2017). "The 101 best songs of 2017: 27. Shawn Wasabi f. Hollis, "Otter Pop"". The Fader. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  18. ^ Hussein, Wandera (August 24, 2018). "Shawn Wasabi shares "SQUEEZ" music video". The Fader. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  19. ^ Michael, Michael Love (August 24, 2018). "Bops Only: 10 Songs You Need To Start Your Weekend Right". Paper. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  20. ^ Far East Movement: Glue (feat. Heize & Shawn Wasabi) - Music Streaming - Listen on Deezer, retrieved 2019-11-13
  21. ^ "Shawn Wasabi - Listen on Deezer | Music Streaming". Deezer. Retrieved 2019-11-13.
  22. ^ "Hotto Dogu - Single by Shawn Wasabi". Apple Music. Apple Inc. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  23. ^ "Marble Soda - Single by Shawn Wasabi". Apple Music. Apple Inc. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  24. ^ "Burnt Rice (feat. Yung Gemmy) - Single by Shawn Wasabi & YDG". Apple Music. Apple Inc. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  25. ^ "Spicy Boyfriend - Single by Shawn Wasabi". Apple Music. Apple Inc. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  26. ^ "Otter Pop (feat. Hollis) - Single by Shawn Wasabi & Hollis". Apple Music. Apple Inc. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  27. ^ "Squeez® (feat. Raychel Jay) - Single by Shawn Wasabi". Apple Music. Apple Inc. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  28. ^ "Mango Love (feat. Satica) - Single by Shawn Wasabi". Apple Music. Apple Inc. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  29. ^ "Marble Tea - Single by Shawn Wasabi". Apple Music. Apple Inc. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  30. ^ "Snack (feat. Raychel Jay) - Single by Shawn Wasabi". Apple Music. Apple Inc. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  31. ^ "Glue (feat. Heize & Shawn Wasabi) - Single by Far East Movement". Apple Music. Apple Inc. Retrieved November 14, 2019.