Catherine Elizabeth Shaw (born April 2, 1991) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. She gained prominence with her 2014 song "
Brooklyn Girls", which went
viral and was covered by numerous news media outlets.
Early life
Shaw was born and raised in
Virginia Beach
Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...
, later moving to
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
.
Shaw moved to New York City in 2010 to attend
School of Visual Arts
The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design.
History
This school was started by ...
where she studied painting before dropping out due to financial problems.
Career
Shaw was discovered by her producer,
Jay Levine, in the subways of New York City while busking to raise money for food and art supplies.
Shaw's 2014 song "Brooklyn Girls" went viral and received over 300,000 views on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
. Brooklyn Girls was widely criticised for its stereotypical portrayal of Brooklyn, and Shaw received several online death threats.
described Brooklyn Girls as "the anthem nobody wanted" and predicted that it would be "a huge hit among suburban teenage girls and people who have never been to Brooklyn". ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' described it as "the most hated song on the internet".
Her follow-up single "Human Contact" shows her smashing a croquet club and curling her hair with bananas. The video was directed by Shaw and Bryan Russell Smith.
Shaw's song "Night Go Slow" is about two girls, Dylann and Jenny, who fall in love. She says that her sexuality "does a lot of good for
erwriting"; she is
bisexual
Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...
, having had relationships with both men and women.
Discography
Extended plays
* ''Clouds EP'' (2013)
* ''The Brooklyn EP'' (2014)
* ''Human Contact: Remix EP'' (2015)
*''The Ransom'' (2016)
*''Head Games EP'' (2018)
Singles
* "Lovesick Jerk" (2016)
* "The Ransom" (2016)
* "Tell Everyone" (2015)
* "Walks All Over You" (2015)
* "Rumble In The Park" (2015)
* "Cuddle Up" (2014)
* "Human Contact" (2014)
* "Brooklyn Girls" (2014)
* "Family" (2012)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw, Catey
1991 births
Living people
American women singer-songwriters
American women pop singers
American ukulele players
Bisexual musicians
21st-century American women singers
LGBT singers from the United States
LGBT people from Virginia
Record producers from Virginia
21st-century American singers
American singer-songwriters
21st-century LGBT people