Shan Hollywood is achieving triumph in music, making a name for himself

His music is delicate, and his path slowly steps towards a bright future. Get to know all the storylines behind the songs, from the "Dinner With Zara" album to the upcoming news. Meet your new favorite artist from Baltimore.

Photographer: Shan Hollywood

Shan Hollywood is a rising star. The 19 years old singer from Baltimore, Maryland, intends to conquer the world with his Alternative Pop/Alternative Rock music gender.

We talked to Rashan Calleja (his real name) and unraveled his professional growth paths and how music came to this life in the first place. "I grew up in a very music oriented household. My father has an encyclopedic knowledge of all music from about 1960 to 1999. Many of my childhood heroes came from his taste, Pearl Jam, Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones. On the other hand, my mother is very much into classic rock and jazz, such as Miles Davis, The Beatles, and Buddy Holly, but Prince is my biggest musical inspiration. Not just his unending amount of talent, but his attitude and confidence is something I try to implement into my own life."

Shan's first acoustic guitar gave it to him when he was eight years old, and then the interest in the instrument swells, leading him to take lessons soon after, at a local music school in Towson, Maryland called "All About Music."

After that, Shan's brother, a drummer, and their old friend, Jake, who learned bass, formed the "LMC" band by his father's influence. "We had trouble finding our lead vocalist, but my brother and Jake didn't want to sing, so I was now the lead singer and guitarist of our young band by default. I never wanted to be a singer, and my focus was on guitar and instrumentals, which is still pretty evident in my songs since my voice is so rough at times."

His learning progressed, and at 11 years old, "I accidentally joined my middle school orchestra to play the guitar. When I was told I couldn't play guitar, I played the upright bass, and my appreciation for great classical composers blossomed. I continued playing first chair bass for orchestra up until my junior year (3rd year) of high school." Shan started making music through an app called "spire" when he was 15. "(...) then quickly moved to GarageBand for better quality and mixing options. I still use GarageBand to this day," he admits.

His songwriting process comes naturally and spontaneously, but most of his writing arises in Shan's bedroom. "Sometimes, a good punchline or idea for a song or even a guitar melody pops up in my head. I immediately write it in my notes app on my phone, then finish my thoughts and continue writing when I'm in my room at night."

"My mind is always thinking about art, music, and is actively working on making music no matter where I am."

"Devil in Heaven" was Shan's first track, released on May 28, 2020, written by himself. The idea for the song came during a lecture Shan's mother was giving to him during a family lunch. "It was about taking God seriously and always praying. I have always had a complicated relationship with religion. Immediately after the lecture ended, this song came to my head, a story about me losing my religion. At the same time, a girl who was close to me, losing her life and happiness because of an abusive relationship. I began to write the instrumental in fitting with this poem about me and my friend." He released it soon after he finished mixing. "At that point, my mindset was, "If I don't release now, then I'll never make any progress." After the first release, the feedback from the singer's music's first taste was positive. "Devil in Heaven" remains his most streamed song on Spotify and, in the first few weeks right after the release, took 1,000 streams on the platform.

"Dinner with Zara" album

"Dinner with Zara" was released on June 26, 2020, and is the artist's first and only studio album to date, based on fictional characters. "I named the album "Dinner with Zara" because the album itself is a story about a man having dinner with an ex-girlfriend named Zara. The album is essentially a conversation between the two." We then reveal each of the nine songs that make up this work, one of which we have already covered before.

"I plan to release at least four more songs this year," he reveals to My Sweeter Place. Shan's next one will be called "One Night Out" and feature the singer Tais. The song drops out on April 1.

"Daniel Talk" opens up the album, sets the scene at a restaurant, and unlocks the conversation. "Last Summer" is the man fibbing about everything he's done in the past while Zara is away trying to impress him. This album contains three collaborations. The first one appears on the third track, "Rubies," with Pogi. "He already had an established following at the time, so he featured on the album because he loved the instrumental and wanted to help me out." The track explores both reminiscings on their high school days. "Nothing in Baltimore" continues to reflect nostalgia and a throwback to old times in youth, particularly in the city of Baltimore. "The man comes out as gay in this song but struggles to accept it, which is what the next song, "Mammona" is about."

In the next one, "We All Come Home," featuring Areeba Ahmad, Zara explains her abuse to the man. "Skypiea" summarizes the whole album. "I never felt more alive." It's one of Shan's favorite lyrics on the album. "The man never felt more alive because he is finally out of the closet and proud to be gay. Zara never felt more alive because she is now over her abusive ex-boyfriend and is ready to start a new life. The last track, "Zara Talk," with Kamren Walton, is the man receiving a call from a probable lover. "The gunshot at the end of this song could represent many things, and it's up for your interpretation, depending on how you listened to the album" the singer explains.

Photographer: Shan Hollywood

After the album, Shan released "Whatever U Say" on September 15, a story about a man sleeping with his friend's girlfriend. "The lyrics are abstract and seemingly meaningless, as this song was supposed to regather the attention of my crowd."

The theme of love enfolds Shan's discography, specifically on "In My Eyes" and "Veronica." These songs were written, recorded, and produced during quarantine while he had Covid. "I believe I'm a moderately romantic person. I love the song "Hey Ya" by Outkast, and to me, "In My Eyes" is a romantic sounding song, but it is about me begging for my ex-girlfriend to stay with me, even just for one night. It's B-Side, "Veronica," is about me convincing a girl from California to not like me since I wasn't emotionally available."

"All About You" was released on March 4, 2022, and then "Wasting Time." "The goal for these songs was to revive the "happy sounding, dark meaning" gimmick I've been using in my songs since "Devil in Heaven," but this time around, I reached the two songs from a "poppier sound. This was to honestly make a catchy song so that a new audience can come into my music and react positively."

Despite loving all the genders, notably his signature genre, he probably would risk on another one. "I would love to compose classical music one day and maybe compose a soundtrack for a video game, movie, show (...)." As his notoriety increases, the artist currently lives in the Philippines wants his followers to see him as a young man who takes music seriously and uses all the love in his creations through his instruments, voice, and lyrics. The singer has a shallow relationship with his fans. "I try to reply to all the Tik Tok comments casually and joke with everyone. I refer to them as "family."

"I want my listeners to see me as more than a kid with a guitar, but someone who can create anything with any instruments. It's simple, but I believe the thing that makes me different is my open mind."

Photographer: Shan Hollywood

What is the news for this year?

"I plan to release at least four more songs this year," he reveals to My Sweeter Place. Shan's next one will be called "One Night Out" and feature the singer Tais. The song drops out on April 1.

He will be performing live in May in White Marsh MD, with the band LMC.