Shaun Barker and Linda

"Shaun is the real deal. He is a great young songwriter who is writing the kind of songs that I really love. He is also an amazing singer and performer who can move an audience. It is a pleasure to sing his songs and to sing with him. I look forward to watching his career take off."

VOICE: We've looked forward to this interview since we first heard you sing with Linda's band for her new show, The Other Side Of Me. Welcome to the Linda Eder family!

SHAUN: Thank you!

VOICE: Have you had a chance to check out past editions of THE VOICE?

SHAUN: Actually, I have. When I became involved with this project, I wanted to learn as much about Linda as I could. I went on her Web site and looked at the past issues of the newsletter. In fact, I check out the Web site quite often. You guys do a great job!

VOICE: Thank you!

SHAUN: I think the first time I saw THE VOICE was after David Golden from Epic Records referred me to Billy Stein. I did a Google on Billy, and his piece in one of the past issues is one of the things that came up.

VOICE: Wow! That's cool!

SHAUN: This was way back before I had even met Billy.

VOICE: We've actually done a second interview with Billy about Linda's record, THE OTHER SIDE OF ME, and that interview will be in the next edition together with yours.

SHAUN: Yes, I believe I saw it. Wasn't that the one that went up before it was supposed to?

VOICE: That was it! It wasn't up there very long! [All laugh]

SHAUN: I like to keep on top of things! I was the one who actually saw it and called Billy.

VOICE: The new edition of THE VOICE will finally be permanently up on Linda's Web site in September to coincide with the release of THE OTHER SIDE OF ME.

SHAUN: Everybody is anxious for the release to happen.

VOICE: Yes, Linda's fans have been waiting for a long time to hear this new side of Linda.

SHAUN: I'm sure they will love what they hear!

VOICE: You might be interested to know that we've heard many of Linda's fans also did a Google on you after learning of your association with Linda, and they found their way to your Web site to learn more about you.

SHAUN: That's very cool!

VOICE: Since you are new to Linda's fans, we'd like to start the interview at the beginning. Please tell us where you were born and where you grew up?

SHAUN: I was born and raised on Long Island.

VOICE: Do you come from a musical family?

SHAUN: My mother was a singer and she taught me everything I know.

VOICE: At what age did you first display your talent for singing?

SHAUN: I've been singing for a very long time. I believe I first started singing when I was 4-years-old.

VOICE: When did you begin studying piano?

SHAUN: I started playing piano when I was 3-years-old. I started taking formal lessons at age 6.

VOICE: You started so young! Do you play any other instruments besides the piano?

SHAUN: I played clarinet in elementary school. I would like to pick up guitar sometime over the next year though. Linda inspired me! [All chuckle]

VOICE: What is your earliest memory of performing in front of others?

SHAUN: I made my public performing debut at my uncle's wedding when I was 11-years-old. I had on my father's tie that came almost down to my knees! I also had a piece of chicken stuck between my two front teeth that I was trying to get out the whole time! I had never performed in front of a group of people before, and there were 500 people there. I got up and sang "When I'm Back On My Feet Again" by Michael Bolton. As it turned out, almost half the people were in recovery of some kind. There wasn't a dry eye in the house. By the time I got to the first chorus, I was given a standing ovation! Since I had never performed in public before, I had never seen people stand up and clap. I didn't even know if it was good or bad! That was my first public performance, and we have it on video.

VOICE: We can use video clips in THE VOICE! Would you like us to use it?!

SHAUN: I think I'll save that one! [All laugh]

VOICE: How old were you when you began writing songs?

SHAUN: I've been writing songs since I was about 15-years-old.

VOICE: Can you tell us a little about the first song you wrote?

SHAUN: The first song I wrote was actually a dance song called "No Greater Love." I was also recording my very first demo at the time, and the producer happened to know a singer named Melonie Daniels, an amazing singer who at the time was a back-up singer for Mariah Carey. He hired her to come in and sing on my original demo. That was a super-crazy experience, and she made it so great! I was in high school at the time, and my dad had to drive me to the studio every day because I couldn't even drive yet. I can't believe that was so many years ago now.

VOICE: What was your inspiration for that song?

SHAUN: I was just writing about what I thought love would be like because I really didn't have any experience at that time. As a result of that, the song was not very emotional and heartfelt, but we had fun with it!

VOICE: Do you find yourself writing a lot of love songs?

SHAUN: Yes. I tend to write love songs because I have a lot of friends who tell me about their relationships, and also I draw inspiration from my own relationships. There have been a couple of relationships in my life that have been the source of much of my material. So, yes, I tend to write about love. There are a couple of songs I've written about the friendships and other relationships I've had and a couple about the struggles I've faced trying to make it in the industry and trying to stay inspired and motivated.

VOICE: Were you part of a band during your middle school or high school years?

SHAUN: Yes, I was in a band in eighth and ninth grades with some of my classmates. I played piano and sang, naturally. We did Jimmy Hendrix and Eric Clapton covers. It was not really my element, but it was fun. That was my first experience playing with other musicians. I didn't play in a band or record with live musicians again for a long time because I was doing very different kinds of music until 2005 when I started recording my first album, NO HARD FEELINGS. I was doing very electronic music… Pop, R&B… very commercial kinds of stuff. This music didn't involve a whole lot of live instrumentation, if any. I played keyboard on much of it, but when I would perform it, I would just perform to tracks. So when I recorded my album, it was the first time I had played with other musicians since eighth or ninth grade.

VOICE: For you, how is performing with other musicians different from performing to tracks? Is it more challenging to sing with live musicians?

SHAUN: No, it isn't. Actually it's the other way around. When you're singing to a track, it's just you up there, and you don't have the energy that you have when you're up there with other musicians. When you have a really great band like Linda has, nothing compares to the combined energy that you get from the audience and from your fellow musicians. That's one of the best parts of performing for me… being on stage with other musicians and feeling the music and really living in that moment together.

VOICE: Getting back to your earlier years, when did you get your first record deal?

SHAUN: I got my first record deal when I was a senior in high school just before I entered college.

VOICE: Wow!

SHAUN: It ended up not working out, but through that experience I was able to make many wonderful contacts who actually remain very good friends of mine today.

VOICE: That experience must have been very helpful.

SHAUN: It was. I got to do all my earliest development at The Hit Factory, which was then the best studio in the world. I believe Linda did some recording there as well.

VOICE: When did you move to New York?

SHAUN: I moved to New York right after I graduated from high school and I've lived there ever since.

VOICE: Where did you attend college?

SHAUN: I went to NYU.

VOICE: What was your major?

SHAUN: I majored in Music Business.

VOICE: We didn't even realize that was a major.

SHAUN: Yes, it was a smaller department when I was there, but they have expanded the department a lot since I left. It was a very good program for me.

VOICE: What made you choose Music Business?

SHAUN: I had just signed my first recording contract before I entered college. I had heard so many horror stories about artists being taken advantage of, so I wanted to learn everything I could about the business. I wanted to be up on everything to be sure that all my bases were covered.

VOICE: We can imagine that has served you well. Can you tell us some of your experiences on the open mic circuit in New York?

SHAUN: Melonie Daniels, the singer I mentioned earlier, invited me to an open mic night that she used to do at a club called Nell's, which has since closed. She thought it would be a good experience for me. I was 18-years-old and had just moved to the city, so I needed a fake ID to get in! That was my first experience, other than singing at my uncle's wedding when I was 11-years-old, performing with live musicians. I was really able to hone my performing skills during that time. It really was an incredible learning experience to be that young and share the stage with some of New York's best musicians every week.

VOICE: Are you shy by nature?

SHAUN: I used to be really shy when I was younger. Over the past few years, I think I've come out of my shell. You have to in this business. That really happened to me when my first record deal fell through. I spent a good few years just hanging out in the city. I was part of the downtown scene for a while. I was able to explore myself and other people and just really come into my own and grow up. I definitely think that was a good experience for me. I have since moved on from that whole time in my life, but the open mic circuit was definitely a very good experience for me each week. I met new people and made a lot of contacts, which was good. It boosted my confidence with people, so I finally came out of my shell in my early twenties.

VOICE: You won first prize two weeks in a row at Showtime at the Apollo. Please tell us a little about that.

SHAUN: That was probably one of my best experiences… EVER! I used to watch the show on TV all the time. One day a friend called and told me that they were having auditions and that I "should totally do this!" The auditions were the next week, so I went and stood in line without telling anybody that I was going. I was picked to perform and was put last in the lineup. I had about 80 people in the audience for support, and since we had bought the tickets early, they were all in the first six rows. Because they were aware that I was going to be last, they knew I would be coming out next since everybody else had already performed. I hadn't even come out on stage yet, and they were all going crazy! Of course, the rest of the audience did not respond favorably to that. When I finally walked out on stage, everybody started booing after my family and friends stopped clapping. I sang Donny Hathaway's "A Song For You." As soon as I started singing, everything got really quiet for a second and then the audience came around. I ended up winning.

VOICE: Congratulations! How did your performance go the second week?

SHAUN: The second week I was actually sick. During the week between the two shows, I came down with this awful cold, and on the morning of the performance I couldn't even speak. That was not one of my shining moments, but my performance ended up being better than the week before. I don't know where the strength or the voice came from, but I pulled it out of somewhere. I'm sure Linda can relate to that experience.

VOICE: Can you tell us about the experience of performing with Patti LaBelle?

SHAUN: Singing with Patti was one of those amazing "right place at the right time" moments and I'll never forget it. I was in attendance at one of her concerts and, as I later found out was the custom, she asked for some male volunteers from the audience to join her onstage. I was lucky enough to be chosen, along with three other guys. She asked each man to slow dance with her and after that asked us if we could sing as well. None of the other guys would take the mic from her, but she didn't have to twist my arm! [All chuckle] I sang a few notes and the audience response was more than welcoming. Patti was genuinely surprised and graciously invited me to finish the song with her. What an honor to sing with such a legend! After the show, a few random audience members approached me and asked if Patti had planted me in the audience and planned the whole thing. In fact, as long as two years after the show, I was approached by people in the street who recognized me from that night. It was pretty awesome.

VOICE: Did you ever consider trying out for "American Idol?"

SHAUN: I actually did go out for it in 2006.

VOICE: What was that like?

SHAUN: Well, after several grueling rounds, I made it to the judges' table. I didn't make it to Hollywood, but in the end it was one of the best things that could have happened to me. Right after that experience, I finished my recording of "Pieces." We finished the recording in September, and Billy called me in early October to say that Linda had heard the song and wanted to cover it. That was when this very exciting new journey with Linda began.

VOICE: Even being on "American Idol" wouldn't have been as exciting as your journey with Linda! Can we backtrack a little at this point and talk more about how you met Billy.

SHAUN: Sure. In 2005, I recorded NO HARD FEELINGS and released it in 2006. I was working with David Golden at Epic Records at the time. He wanted to pair me with a couple of different producers to sort of experiment with my sound a little bit. One of the producers he referred me to was Billy Stein. Billy and another producer named Jon Kaplan, who was also a friend of his, co-produced my version of "Pieces." This was the only time I worked with Billy before Linda's project, THE OTHER SIDE OF ME. Everything that has happened since came from that one song.

VOICE: It's a great song!

SHAUN: Thank you very much! It's definitely very, very special to me. It seems like a lot of people can relate to that song… and are drawn to it… and are touched by it. It's an amazing feeling to know that my song has connected with so many people.

VOICE: Please tell us a little about the other songs you wrote for THE OTHER SIDE OF ME besides "Pieces."

SHAUN: One of the other songs started out as a piece of music I was working on with Billy Stein. We knew we had a great melody for the chorus, but I wasn't really sure where I wanted to go lyrically. I called my dear friend and collaborator, Bill Grainer, and he sent over a bunch of lyrics he had written. There was one lyric in particular that I connected with instantly. It was called (You guessed it!) "The Other Side Of Me." Bill and I did some editing and then got together with Billy to put the finishing touches on what would eventually become the title track to Linda's new album.

"Prayer For Love" is a song I wrote for my NO HARD FEELINGS album. It's a collaboration with another dear friend, Benjy King, who also produced the album. When I started recording that record, I had just left a very long creative partnership and was looking to reinvent myself and my sound. "Prayer For Love" is about the personal and professional journey I took while recording NO HARD FEELINGS. It was about me discovering who I really am as an artist and as a human being. It gives me so much joy to hear Linda sing this song and to know that it is now a part of her journey as well.

Of all the songs on the record, "Make Today Beautiful" is the song I'm most proud of. Since our collaboration on "The Other Side Of Me" was something we were all very excited about, I got together with Billy Stein and Bill Grainer again. This time, we were writing specifically for Linda's record. We presented an initial idea to Linda and she really liked it, but she felt it needed work. So after some creative input and direction from Linda, Bill, Billy and I got together for the first of two rewrites. The song went through many incarnations, but when the final draft of the lyric was complete, we all knew we had something very special. Every time I hear Linda sing these lyrics, I think of how hard we all worked to make this song happen and it brings a smile to my face.

VOICE: It's wonderful to hear about the background of these songs. Were you familiar with Linda and her work before you became involved with her most recent record?

SHAUN: I had heard of Linda before. Also, I remembered seeing her records in stores when I was growing up, and I could just picture all of the album covers. I realize now that maybe I always felt some sort of connection to her even back then because I had never really heard her material before. In addition, I had friends who were huge fans of hers. I knew exactly who Linda was when Billy called.

VOICE: How did you get started on the project?

SHAUN: As soon as Billy told me that Linda was interested in recording "Pieces," I called my dear friend, Bill Grainer, who eventually ended up co-writing two songs on Linda's record with us, and he gave me a Linda Eder education! He came over with all her CDs, and I think we listened to five of them from front to back in one night!

VOICE: What was your reaction the first time you heard Linda's voice?

SHAUN: She took my breath away, honestly. I thought she had one of the most magnificent voices I had ever heard, just so clear with so much power and emotion behind it. It blew me away!

VOICE: Do you remember the first song he played for you?

SHAUN: It was "Vienna," which was, of course, a good place to start to learn about what Linda does best. It was love at first listen! I thought she was just amazing and the first time I heard her recording of "Pieces," it brought tears to my eyes. I thought it was just unbelievable! When I wrote that song, I said to myself, "This song is going to change my life. I don't know how but it will. I know it." And, sure enough, a couple of months later, we recorded it. When I heard Linda's version of it, I knew my life was about to change. Since I started working on THE OTHER SIDE OF ME, so many doors have opened for me and I've met so many people. I definitely feel that I'm at a point in my career where I've always wanted to be and it's because of Linda. I'm very blessed and fortunate and thankful to her for everything she has done for me.

VOICE: Linda has told us how much she is impressed with you and your work.

SHAUN: I have to say that the feeling is definitely mutual. She's just such a beautiful person inside and out, and the performances we have done so far have been wonderful. In California, I got to do a 25-minute opening set before her set. Linda personally came out on stage to introduce me to the audience. I thought it was so classy, and the audience really respected me and listened to me because Linda came out and introduced me herself. It was obvious how much they respect her and her taste. It's an amazing feeling being on stage with Linda and hearing her sing my songs. It's been a dream come true.

VOICE: We can only imagine.

SHAUN: Linda's so great! I've really enjoyed getting to know her, and I hope this is the beginning of a lifelong friendship. It's certainly been fun so far!

VOICE: It must have been wonderful being able to perform with Linda three nights in a row at Mohegan Sun.

SHAUN: It was! I especially enjoyed my song "Pieces" there because we opened the show with that song. We sort of vamped the opening chords as Linda was taking the stage. It really gave me a moment to reflect on the journey we've been on up to this point. It was such an incredible feeling to have those few moments all three nights before we started singing. To hear "Pieces" open the show and have Linda take the stage during that song really put things into perspective for me.

VOICE: Please tell us about any other current projects you are working on in addition to Linda's show.

SHAUN: I hope to start recording my second album, as yet untitled, sometime in the fall for release next year. Right now I'm trying to figure out what kind of record it's going to be, either an EP with just a few songs or a full-length studio recording. That still has to be worked out. I've got a bunch of new material that's all ready to go. I've just got to figure out the best way to get it done. I'm writing songs with a very talented up and coming singer/songwriter named Todd Alsup. He's a good friend of mine and several of our collaborations will be featured on his next release. Also, I will be performing in November (Date TBA) at the "Artists You Should Know About Showcase" at the Canal Room in Manhattan. That will be the first time I'll be performing with my band since last year. I took a break from performing for the summer to focus on writing some new material and to devote myself to Linda's performances. Come the fall, I will be ready to get back into performing my own material as well as hers.

VOICE: Where can the fans purchase your CD, NO HARD FEELINGS?

SHAUN: It's available on iTunes. Currently it's sold out on CD Baby, but I'm sending another shipment in that should be available by the time this issue of THE VOICE is released. Hopefully, it will be available at some future shows I do with Linda. We tried that out in California and it went over really well, so we're hoping to do that again in the future.

VOICE: Is there any singer other than Linda that you would love to share the stage with one day?

SHAUN: One of my idols and probably my biggest musical influence is George Michael. I had the opportunity to see him at Madison Square Garden this summer and the show was nothing short of magnificent. To sing with him would be one of my wildest dreams come true. I also think Christina Aguilera has one of the most incredible voices I have ever heard. I'd love to belt out a bluesy soul ballad with her any day!

VOICE: We'll be watching for that to happen! What advice would you give to aspiring singers and songwriters?

SHAUN: I know it sounds cliché, but the best advice I can give is to never give up. I know for myself that this is what I was born to do, and I never want to do anything else for the rest of my life. I know that I was put on this earth to make music and to touch people through my music. There have been so many ups and downs, so many disappointments, so many highs and lows. I really truly feel that if you've got the talent, if you've got the determination, and you keep on going, eventually something is going to happen. The second piece of advice I can give is to stay true to yourself. For so long I was so caught up and concerned with making music that I thought would sell or would get me a record deal. Once I let go of that and made music that was from my heart and felt good to me, that's when things really started to happen for me. "Pieces" is one of those songs that was a transformation for me. So many of the songs on NO HARD FEELINGS are cut from the same cloth… songs I wrote that felt good to me, songs I thought I would want to hear, and songs that I would enjoy singing. A lot of people have responded to the record for those reasons, so I'm very fortunate and very pleased that I stayed true to myself and didn't necessarily listen to what people wanted me to do or expected of me. I followed my heart and haven't looked back since.