“I made this song for everyone who is on their grind to make their dreams a reality and become the best versions of themselves they can be.”
Upcoming R&B artist Shad Lorenz is ready to heat up the summer. His latest single”Monopoly” officially just dropped today and is an infectious new track that showcases the artist’s talents.
The R&B tune displays Lorenz’ sultry and powerful vocals, as well as his songwriting ability. Prior to releasing this song, Lorenz dropped his debut EP titled Prologue, which gave audiences an introduction to his unique sound. With his quality production value, clever lyrics, and melodic voice, the artist has a promising future and fans will definitely want to keep him on his radar.
In a recent IG live interview, Lorenz revealed how he developed his sound in the bustling city of New York. During the discussion, the R&B singer said that although he was surrounded by NYC’s prominent rap/hip-hop scene, his journey as an R&B artist was a bit more unconventional, but ultimately inspired him to create his own sound and stand out from the rest.
As of today, audiences can now stream “Monopoly” everywhere.
Keep scrolling to learn more about Shad Lorenz and his journey as an artist so far.
What city are you from and where are you based now?
I am originally from St. Petersburg, FL. I grew up and was raised in the Bronx, New York and that is currently where I am based now.
How did you get your artist name, Shad Lorenz?
My artist name is Shad Lorenz. My real name is Shadrick. I got my artist name in college actually. I was trying to think of a stage name that stuck to who I am. So one day one of my close friends and myself we’re throwing out names and Shad came first. Then we played off of my middle name (Lorenzo) and we took off the O and got Lorenz. I vibed with it instantly and Shad Lorenz it was.
At what point in your life did you decide to pursue a career in music?
I always knew I wanted to be on stage pursuing music. Since I was a little kid I would do talent shows, sing at church, perform for my grandma in her living room, all that good stuff. It wasn’t until I got to college that I started taking my artistry serious. Towards the ending of my senior year in college I released my first song and from there it was game time.
Has your upbringing played a role in shaping who you are and defining your sound today?
If so, how?I grew up in NYC being raised by my aunt and uncle. I am of west Indian decent so Caribbean music played a huge part in my musical influences. Both my aunt and uncle were in the music business when I was growing up so I was introduced to a lot of different sounds in music from Reggae to R&B to Gospel to Reggaeton it was a melting pot of everything. I always knew I wanted to be my own person/performer so I tried to hone in on that to help define who I am as an artist. I am also classically trained in Opera music so that plays a huge part in my sound today as well.
How would you describe your sound to readers who may not be familiar with you? What genre does it fit into best?
My sound is more of a R&B/Pop feel. I can give you the soulful acoustic ballads and then flip it around and hit you with a dance track that can be played in clubs all around the world. I think I fit best in the genre of R&B/Progressive R&B.
What ultimately inspired you to dedicate yourself to a music career?
Growing up my favorite artist was Aaliyah (R.I.P Baby Girl.) She was so beautiful to me and the way that she sounded and floated across the stage made me want to do the same thing in my own way. “We need a resolution” was actually one of the first song I ever sang in public when I was about 7 years and just seeing how the audience reacted when I was finished made me know this was something I wanted to do. So I stuck with it, trained by going to a Performing Arts High School and then continuing to pursue music in college.
What’s one reason you are passionate about music and what inspires you to make it?
I am extremely passionate about music because music changes lives!! I want to be the artist that people listen to when they want to dance, when they want to cry, when the want to belt out loud in the shower, when they want to be inspired. I want to change the way the world views entertainers and show every black boy who wants to entertain that they can do it! WE can do it and we WILL do it!
Who are some of your main musical influences?
Some of my main musical influences would be: Bruno Mars, Rihanna, John Legend, Chris Brown, and Stevie Wonder just to name a few.
What are some of your music career goals for the future?
Some of my music career goals would definitely be to have my songs playing 20 years from now and have a greater impact over the years. I want to break down barriers. I also always said that I want to open a performing arts center where kids can be creative and build their talents. I want to invest in our future generation of performers.
Tell us about the project that you are currently promoting. What is it about? Is it a single or EP? When did you release it?
MONOPOLY!!! I just released my latest single on all streaming platforms (go check that out right now.) It’s the lead single from my upcoming second project that will be dropping later in 2020. This song is an ode to everyone who is on their grind. Who hustle day and night to make their dreams a reality. Not just in music, but future athletes, doctors, lawyers, CEO’s, don’t give up , I see you and keep going until the world sees you!
What was the inspiration behind that project? And what has the response been like so far?I got to a point where I felt that I was grinding and grinding and it was going unnoticed. I started getting frustrated with myself and questioning like “Yoo am I really going to doing this, should I quit?” I sat down at my laptop with a drink lol and just starting reflecting on everything I was thinking and started to re-motivate myself to make my dreams a reality. I came across the beat and just started writing and the song came about. The response has been AMAZING! I am so thankful for all the support and love that people are showing to the single and myself. THANK YOU!!
What are some projects you’ve done in the past that you are most proud of and why?
My debut EP Prologue. I had been working on it for about a year and a half, I wrote about 11 songs for it and I kept scrapping them because I was just being picky about the sound and how I wanted to present myself to the world. After a while the overall feel of the project shifted and my sound developed into something I was extremely proud of so I gave myself a date that was special to me and said “You’re going to drop this project, its time lol.”
What’s next for you? Are you working on any upcoming projects we should be on the lookout for?
What’s next for Shad Lorenz is to break into this industry and perform on stages/tv screens all over the world. Currently I am working on my second EP, I want to drop one more EP before an album so I can continue to explore sounds and genres that I enjoy. There will be visuals for these new songs that are going to be so dope so stay on the lookout for those for sure!
What message do you hope fans take away from your music?
The message that I hope fans take away from my music is NEVER GIVE UP! Live life, love hard, stay focused, and you can achieve anything you put your mind to. I want to always remind my fans that I’m human just like you, so I make these songs for US to connect to together.
Stream Shad Lorenz’ latest single “Monopoly” below.
