Meet Shaun Jacobs: Singer, songwriter and producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shaun Jacobs and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shaun, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Nothing in life is fully in anyone’s control, so there is an element of risk involved for everybody, no matter what you do. I think you can’t get anywhere without taking some sort of risk and leaving the nest. But it’s also important to be rational about the risks you’re taking, and not jump out of the nest without some kind of wings. When I was a musician in South Africa, my dream was always to come to the US. I worked as hard as I could, and once I had a network of people backing me, I took the risk to leave South Africa and pursue my dream in the US. A big risk, but not a completely irrational one. Because of this I have seen my career progress significantly with opportunities I would never otherwise have had if I decided to play it safe.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think growing up in South Africa, you become immersed with different sounds from different cultures, and a strong element of that is rhythmic. So I think there is a rhythmic element to the way I write music. I also think being able to play all the instruments, produce and mix everything myself, really enables me to put the sounds I am hearing in my head into the recordings. I am proud of the achievement of winning the SAMA (South African Music Award) for album of the year, as well as SAMA nominations for best producer and best mix engineer. I am proud of being signed by a label in the US (Loki Artist Group) based on my efforts, achievements, and hard work in these fields, and I am really excited about new opportunities in LA! I got to where I am today by never giving up, always being open to learning whatever I can from other people I’ve worked with, never giving up, giving my best for every opportunity that came my way, and never giving up. It definitely has not been easy. For every success, there are many not-so-successes, just gotta get up and go again. Lessons I’ve learned along the way: Don’t be too precious about your art – if you never let it go, it will never fly. Just keep moving forward, and don’t get stuck striving to find perfection. Put as many hooks as you can in the water. What I want the world to know about my story? Don’t quit on life, or your worth, there is always hope.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Get Omusubi from Sunny Blue from Main Street in Santa Monica, and take it to have a picnic at Ocean View Park. Take a walk along the beach path between Venice and Santa Monica Pier. Take a drive up the PCH to Paradise Cove for lunch at the beach cafe and walk on the beach. Grab pizza at On The Thirty on Ventura Blvd. See a concert at the Hollywood Bowl. Go for a hike at Temescal Canyon. Take the metro to the Science Centre to see the space shuttle, get ice cream and walk through the rose gardens. Get tickets to watch LAFC play at Banc of California Stadium. Drive out to Will Rogers State Park for a picnic while watching the polo.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Door of Hope, which is an organization I’ve been involved with in South Africa. Their mission is to save abandoned babies and help them get adopted.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/imshaunjacobs/?hl=en

Twitter: https://twitter.com/imshaunjacobs?lang=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShaunJacobsMusic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/shaunjacobsmusic

Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/662ARLbv66AD2qerddBiDP

Image Credits
Andrew Gorman