Shaheen Sheik (born June 17, 1975) is an American, singer, song-writer, producer, dancer and an actor based in Los Angeles, California. Her musical work spans several genres, including rock/pop, electronic and

chill-out Chill-out (shortened as chill; also typeset as chillout or chill out) is a loosely defined form of popular music characterized by slow tempos and relaxed moods. The definition of "chill-out music" has evolved throughout the decades, and generally ...

music. She grew up in Cleveland and Los Angeles, but traces her roots to Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India.

Early years

Shaheen Sheik was born in Cleveland, Ohio to Iqbal Sheik, a

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...

, and Sharfudheen Sheik, a mechanical engineer. She also has an older brother, Zafar Sheik, a physician in Warren, Ohio. When she was a teenager, Sheik's family moved to Orange County, California. As a child, Sheik was a studied classical dancer and later in life began studying vocal, guitar and sarod. She received her B.A. in Anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley and then studied law at the

University of Virginia School of Law The University of Virginia School of Law (Virginia Law or UVA Law) is the law school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as part of his "academical v ...

Career

In 2000, after graduating from law school, Sheik worked full-time on her musical career. She credits her learning to become a singer and performer with a weekly residency at San Francisco's Lush Lounge. Soon after, Sheik moved to Los Angeles and began making the open mic circuit with contemporaries,

Catherine Feeny Catherine Feeny (born 1976) is an American singer-songwriter based in Portland, Oregon. She grew up in Norristown, Pennsylvania, studied in Washington, D.C., and relocated to Los Angeles, where she started seriously writing her own songs.(J ...

, Alexi Murdoch and Joe Purdy. In 2003, Sheik released her first album, Live from Santosha, in 2003, featuring performances from her live shows at Los Angeles' Genghis Cohen. Later that same year, Sheik released her first studio EP, "In Your Love." Her first full-length album, ''Rock Candy'', was released in May 2005, with her single
Wildflower World
being featured on

MTV Desi MTV Desi is a digital platform from MTV that targeted Desis (people of South Asian origin) in the United States, as the name implies. The network features various styles of music such as electronic tabla music and English-Gujarati hip-hop, inters ...

. The album was later picked up by Times Music India. During a tour in Mumbai, Sheik was recognized as being "compared to Sheryl Crow and Shawn Colvin" by Express India. In 2008, Sheik released her second album ''Revolution'', a world electronic album and departure from the guitar driven ''Rock Candy''. When discussing ''Revolution'', Sheik has stated that being a trained dancer taught her the connection between rhythm and emotion and that her second album focused on that connection. After releasing ''Revolution'', Sheik met Swedish producer, SoulAvenue, on MySpace. In 2008, SoulAvenue remixed Wildflower World (Wild Orchid Mix), which was included on Chillbar: Vol. 1. SoulAvenue then remixed Sheik's ''Revolution'' track, "Here We Go," which George V Records placed on '' Buddha Bar XII'', mixed by DJ Ravin. On their third collaboration, Sheik and SoulAvenue's co-wrote "One By One", which was included on ''Buddha Bar XIII'', again mixed by DJ Ravin. SoulAvenue and Sheik continue their collaborations to date, with tracks included on ''Buddha Bar XIV'' (2012), ''Buddha Bar XV'' (2013), ''Buddha Bar Greatest Hits'' (2019) and ''Buddha Bar Summer of Chill'' (2020).

Dance

Sheik is a classically trained Bharatanatyam dancer and studied under Malathi Iyengar, artistic director of Rangoli Dance Company. In 2005, 2006, and 2008, Sheik received Lestor Horton Dance Award nominations for her performances in 'Ragamalika Varnam,' 'Kodhai's Dream', and Jatiswaram ('Kodhai's Dream'). The Los Angeles Times described Sheik's portrayal of Krishna in 'Kodhai's Dream' as "commanding" and her duet with fellow company dancer, Lakshmi Iyengar, as "a breathtaking finale." On October 11, 2016, Shaheen founde
Amala Collectiv
a Bharatanatyam dance school and performing arts collective committed to the South Asian Arts diaspora.

Acting

Sheik played Anisha Kishore in the film "Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World."

Personal life

In 2007, Sheik married real estate developer, Harpal Sadhal. She gave birth to their daughter in 2010 and their son in 2012.

Discography

Albums * ''Live From Santosha'' (2003) * ''In Your Love'' (EP) (2003) * ''Rock Candy'' (2005) * ''Revolution'' (May 1, 2008)

Compilations

* "Wildflower World (Wild Orchid Mix)" – Chillbar Volume 1 (2008) * "Here We Go (SoulAvenue Erhu Blues Mix)" – Buddha Bar Volume 12 (2010) * SoulAvenue featuring Shaheen Sheik "One by One" – Buddha Bar Volume 13 (2011) * SoulAvenue featuring Shaheen Sheik "Different (SoulAvenue's Boddhisatva Blues)" – Buddha Bar Volume 14 (2012) * Shaheen Sheik and SoulAvenue "Lullaby for Samiyah" – Buddha Bar Volume 15 (2013) *SoulAvenue featuring Shaheen Sheik "One by One" - Buddha Bar Greatest Hits (2019) *SoulAvenue featuring Shaheen Sheik "Refugee" - Buddha Bar Summer of Chill (2020)

References

External links

Shaheen Sheik's website

Shaheen Sheik's myspace

A Tune of Her Own
Nirali Magazine, September 2004
Screen India Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheik, Shaheen Living people American people of Indian Tamil descent American musicians of Indian descent American women singer-songwriters Tamil singers 1975 births Singers from Los Angeles University of California, Berkeley alumni University of Virginia School of Law alumni 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women singers Singer-songwriters from California