| Vivek Shraya | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1981 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada |
| Origin | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | Electro, Dance, Rock |
| Labels | Skinsongs |
| Website | Official Website |
Vivek Shraya (born in 1981 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) is a Canadian singer songwriter and short story writer. He currently lives in Toronto.[1]
Shraya began writing songs at the age of 13, went on to perform and have success at various talent competitions (including winning the 2001 Futuresfest competition and finalist at 2002 Northern Alberta Singer/Songwriter Competition)[2] until recording his debut alternative pop rock record THROAT in 2002 featuring instrumentation by Jann Arden’s chief collaborator, Russell Broom. Three songs from THROAT were remixed by John Wozniak from Marcy Playground and were included[3] on the independent release of the THROAT EP in 2003. During this time, a quietly intense, single voice and single guitar project entitled Samsara: The Sketches was also recorded and released.
Shraya moved to Toronto in 2003, playing at local venues and music festivals including Canadian Music Week and NXNE and released A Composite of Straight Lines, a six-track EP featuring a guest performance by Tegan Quin of Tegan and Sara. It was named the #5 record of 2005 by Soul Shine Magazine,[4] and its single, Logic Vs., was the winner of We Are Listening's 2005 International Singer/Songwriter Awards.[5]
In 2007, Shraya changed direction entirely, releasing an electropop record entitled If We’re Not Talking, featuring Sara Quin of Tegan and Sara and produced by Meghan Toohey, which was reviewed and showcased positively on numerous music blogs with comparisons to Prince,[6] Of Montreal[7] and Justin Timberlake.[8] This was shortly followed by the release of an electro dance cover of The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" as a free download[9] on MySpace and Shraya's website.
Shraya has toured across North America, sharing the stage with Tegan and Sara,[10] Dragonette, Melanie C, Team Dresch, Melissa Ferrick, Brian Byrne and Greg MacPherson. He released his follow up to If We're Not Talking in the fall of 2009, entitled Keys & Machines.
In 2010, Shraya released the short story collection God Loves Hair.[11] He identifies as queer,[11] and the collection explores gender politics, queer theory, religion and regionalism.