Shyan Selah is a man of innovation. He’s spent years shrewdly navigating the music industry and has gained the respect of major industry leaders and insiders simply by conveying this simple message: Be Brave, a concept that applies to Shyan not just as an artist, but also as the President and CEO of Brave New World. He has been said to embody a range of inspirational men from Bill Gates to Tupac Shakur, from Martin Luther King, Jr. to Russell Simmons. “My edge comes from a willingness to embrace the extreme and create an artistic explanation of the experience,” Shyan has said. “My mission is to create wealth from my music and empower the youth in my community to strive for excellence.”

At the age of 21 Shyan decided to pursue music in lieu of a career in professional football. In 1996 he moved to L.A. from his home sate of Washington where he was a part of the championship football team at Central Washington University. Having been raised in a house where he was surrounded by music, waking up to his mother singing first thing in the morning and his father playing old records of everything from Smokey Robinson to Prince, Shyan’s earliest music memories date back to the age of six.

That early foundation sent Shyan on a path that included the start up of Brave New World Entertainment in 1999 with its own label Brave New World Records. The company is multifaceted and designed to operate not only as a record label but includes management, consulting, promotions, music production, publishing and film. Since its conception the company has solidified international distribution for music CDs, DVDs and theatrical releases, it has devised campaigns with major sponsors like Rockstar Energy Drink and Royal Elastics Shoes; it has had its productions selected for movie soundtracks and television programs such as “Harlem Aria” starring Damon Wayans in 1999, the 2003 ESPN produced documentary, “Season Pass,” about the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Wayans brothers’ cartoon, “Thug-a-Boo” in 2006; it has also promoted performance-based venues throughout the Northwest Region. Through it all, Shyan has managed to maintain an incredible balance between executive and artist.

As an artist, Shyan’s music is both unique and commercial. Something quickly realized when one first listens to the club-bangin’ single Concrete City. The song garnered so much attention, it was quickly snatched up by Ross Productions to be the theme song for the DVD “One Love,” featuring today’s hottest NBA stars.

The year 2008 sees the birth of a new record deal with KOCH Entertainment and a new premiere album aptly titled, Brave New World. The album also features the breakout singles, “Hollywood Blvd,” which CBS/Paramount licensed for their hit drama, Numb3rs and “Soul Music: The Anthem,” which is available through various online music retail stores.

 “Soul Music” is an introduction of Shyan Selah to the world as a true artist whose goal is to create an urban music crusade in a world where much of urban music has become at best stagnant and at worst soulless. Bursting with passion and energy and chock-full of references to power and spirituality, the song is a hip-hop warrior cry, a call to arms for all emcees and lovers of hip-hop that thirst for real storytelling and experiences.

While he keeps busy changing the face of music, Shyan works to change his community for the better. In 2006 he teamed up with Recording Artists Against Drinking and Driving (RADD) for a campaign to target youth. Back home in Washington he can often be found speaking at public schools all over the state on the importance of staying in school. His contributions to communities in Western Washington made such an impact that in March 2007 Shyan was named board member and spokesman for The Jimi Hendrix Foundation based in Renton, WA. He was recently given the title of COO of the Hendrix Foundation in January 2008. The foundation’s mission has been to foster community outreach through music and art workshops and other meaningful social programs. The inclusion of Shyan into the foundation marked the first time there has been a board member who is an active talent in the music and entertainment industries. The move was a conscientious effort by the Hendrix Foundation to maintain the legacy of Jimi Hendrix by continuing to recognize not only his ground breaking music but also his desires to reach out to his community; two characteristics they also saw in Shyan, making him the perfect new face to compliment such an influential organization.

For his music and his company Shyan’s goal is to do something different, striving to incorporate elements that are cool and unique. In the end Shyan Selah is more than a triple threat. Through talent, tenacity, and sheer force of character, he has the potential to change music and society as we know it.

www.myspace.com/shyanselah
www.planetbrave.com/

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