ShyBoy


Jason Arnold, known by his stage name ShyBoy, is an American vocalist, songwriter, music producer, and DJ. He was named Best Solo Artist in the 10th Annual LA Weekly Best of L.A. Readers' Choice Awards and has performed throughout North America and in Europe, sharing the stage with artists such as Flo Rida, Meiko, and Amanda Palmer. ShyBoy's music has been featured in RuPaul’s Drag Race, Dynasty, America’s Next Top Model, the Capcom video game Devil May Cry 4, and the trailer for Halloween. An array of writers and artists have collaborated with ShyBoy, including: Emmy Award-winning performer RuPaul; hip-hop artist SlimKid3 ; Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Wendy Waldman; Saturn Award-winning writer Bryan Fuller; DJ and record producer Darude; and Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award-winning songwriter Allee Willis. ShyBoy and gold-selling record producer Mark Nubar co-founded the band Hypnogaja and L.A.-based indie label The Spaceman Agency.

Career

Solo Work

ShyBoy debuted music from his first solo album Water on Mars during a headline performance at the Carmel Art and Film Festival. Released in October 2013 and produced by ShyBoy and Mark Nubar, the album features co-writes with songwriters such as Allee Willis, Ivo Moring, David Batteau, Wendy Waldman, and others. The songs "Bird in Flight" and "Wouldn't It Be Good" were released as singles, with videos directed by filmmaker Michael Bodie and produced by Loretta Ramos. Songs from the Water on Mars album landed several TV placements. CNN featured "Bird in Flight" during a story about the 50th anniversary of the first spacewalk by NASA astronauts and featured the title track on Newsroom, during a special segment on NASA's definitive discovery of flowing water on Mars. The HLN news series Raising America with Kyra Phillips selected one of the album's tracks, "When I Close My Eyes," as the show's theme song.
HuffPost's review of Water on Mars described the album as one that "makes a bold, tuneful impression on today's indie-pop landscape" and that it "is one of the year's smartest, not-to-be-missed debuts." The Monterey County Weekly described ShyBoy's music as "a cross-pollination of RJD2, DJ Shadow and – Arnold's understated vocals quickly erupt into full-blown soulful crooning that's irresistible for eardrums." Kevin Bronson's Buzzbands LA noted ShyBoy's sound as "wonderfully dramatic," and described his music as a cross between Nick Drake, Sufjan Stevens, and M83.
ShyBoy's second album, Lost in Space, was released in 2014 and features material co-written with Emmy and Annie Award-nominated lyricist Amy Powers, multi-platinum music producer Jeff Hoeppner, German electronic music composer/DJ robot koch, Emmy Award-winning composer Jim Dooley, television writer and producer Bryan Fuller ; and more. The collection contains a cover of the Donna Summer song "She Works Hard For The Money," featured on the Essential Records compilation Café de Paris, Vol. 10.
ShyBoy released numerous projects in 2015: Daisy Pusher EP ; a cover of Sia's "Elastic Heart" followed ; and the Zero Gravity EP.
ShyBoy and multi-platinum songwriter Allee Willis teamed up with producers Jeff Hoeppner and Mark Nubar to create several singles in 2016 and 2017. The first of these releases - a cover of "Neutron Dance" - features an animated lyric video directed by Willis, who also illustrated the artwork for the single. HuffPost describes the remake as "an entirely new, indie-pop version of the classic single with ShyBoy’s understated tenor lilting over delicate, synth-driven grooves." Three more releases followed: the originals "Can't Stay With The Pay " and "He and She;" and a cover version of another one of Willis' hits, the Pet Shop Boys and Dusty Springfield classic "What Have I Done To Deserve This?."
ShyBoy's single "Backroom" was released in October 2018, followed by the Backroom EP in June 2019. The song, which was described by TheGATE.ca as "timelessly fun" with vocals that are "slick, rich, and addictive," was featured in the second season of Dynasty on The CW. The official music video for "Backroom", was premiered by World of Wonder on their WOW Presents Plus streaming service and posted by the WOW Report, which described the video as a "gritty masterpiece."
In December 2019, it was announced that The Spaceman Agency signed deals to distribute ShyBoy's music through Symphonic Distribution and his music videos through the Revry streaming service, with new recordings schedule for release in 2020.

Hypnogaja

ShyBoy's music career began as the lead singer of the band Hypnogaja. He co-wrote and produced numerous recordings with the group, including the critically acclaimed LPs Below Sunset, Truth Decay, and Bridge to Nowhere. Hypnogaja toured consistently throughout the United States and Canada, opening for artists such as 311, Linda Perry, Shinedown, and Saliva. The band appeared on the debut episode of Stripped Down Live, hosted by Tears For Fears' Curt Smith. ShyBoy received the award for Best Male Vocalist at the 2nd Annual Hollywood Music In Media Awards, for Hypnogaja's cover of the Donna Summer song, "On The Radio." Hypnogaja t-shirts and posters were featured in the pilot episode of the Bryan Fuller series, Dead Like Me. On February 14, 2020, Hypnogaja released the single "Lovesick," the band's first release since the 2011 single "Dark Star".

RuPaul Collaboration

The mashup concept album marked the beginning of ShyBoy's collaboration with RuPaul, including five singles for the Emmy Award-winning show RuPaul's Drag Race. The songs - "The Shade of It All," "Runway Girl," "Reading is Fundamental," "It's Not Personal," and "Oh No She Better Don't" - were written by RuPaul, ShyBoy, and Mark Nubar, and released by World of Wonder. ShyBoy created two mixes, entitled "Shade" and "Serve," for RuPaul's Drag Race's Draglympics challenges in episode 6 of season 11.

Music in Film, TV, and Games

ShyBoy composed tracks for several cycles of Tyra Banks' America's Next Top Model and co-wrote songs for on-screen performances by characters in HBO's Six Feet Under and the Joss Whedon series Dollhouse. ShyBoy collaborated with composer Tetsuya Shibata on the end title for Capcom's multi-platinum video game Devil May Cry 4. The song, "Shall Never Surrender," was also released on a special soundtrack by Sony Japan. Songs written and composed by ShyBoy have been featured in: Scream 4 ; Roswell; Sex and the City; One Life to Live; Frank Beddor's Looking Glass Wars; Cold Creek Manor ; Valentine ; ; and more.

Producer and DJ

ShyBoy has produced remixes for numerous artists, including RuPaul, Whitney Houston, and Donna Summer. He sang harmonies for Julia Fordham on his remix of her classic hit "Where Does The Time Go?," from the album Mixed, Shaken & Stirred.
ShyBoy is a resident DJ and vocalist for Bootie Mashup. Together with DJ Nubar, he created the mashup dance parties MaDonna Summer, Britney Houston, and Rihyoncé.

Discography

Albums, EPs, Singles

  • 2019: Lottery
  • 2019: U Can Get It
  • 2019: Backroom
  • 2019: In The Air Tonight
  • 2018: Backroom
  • 2017: What Have I Done to Deserve This?
  • 2017: He and She
  • 2017: Can't Stay with the Pay
  • 2016: Neutron Dance
  • 2015: The Murder Ballads
  • 2015: The Murder Mixtape
  • 2015: Zero Gravity
  • 2015: Daisy Pusher
  • 2014: Lost in Space
  • 2014: The Interstellar Travel Companion Mixtape
  • 2014: Lonely Disco
  • 2013: Water on Mars
  • 2013: Wouldn't It Be Good
  • 2012: Bird in Flight

    Collaborations

  • 2019: MaDonna Summer - Mixed by DJ ShyBoy
  • 2016: Where Does The Time Go? - Julia Fordham
  • 2014: Oh No She Better Don't - RuPaul & DJ ShyBoy
  • 2013: It's Not Personal - RuPaul & DJ ShyBoy
  • 2013: Reading is Fundamental - RuPaul & DJ ShyBoy
  • 2013: Runway Girl - RuPaul & DJ ShyBoy
  • 2013: The Shade of It All - RuPaul & DJ ShyBoy
  • 2013: Headspin - Eddie Amador feat. ShyBoy
  • 2012: The Beginning - RuPaul
  • 2012: DJ ShyBoy presents the RuPaul Mixtape - RuPaul & DJ ShyBoy
  • 2012: Welcome to the Future - Kristina Sky and Randy Boyer feat. ShyBoy
  • 2009: MaDonna Summer - DJ ShyBoy & Freddy, King of Pants with DJ Nubar
  • 2008: Devil May Cry 4 - ShyBoy, Tetsuya Shibata

    Hypnogaja

  • Hypnogaja Discography