Shamir Bailey, better known by his stage name Shamir, is an American singer and songwriter from Las Vegas, Nevada. His debut extended play (EP), Northtown, was released in June 2014 to positive reviews.
Shamir is known for his androgynous countertenor voice. Radio.com wrote that his singing voice, “like Joplin’s, stops you in your tracks.” Shamir has said that he does not mind having his voice described as androgynous, but notes that “countertenor” is the correct term: “It’s not feminine, it’s not masculine. It’s a happy medium … I feel like if the world was more like that, our problems would be gone.
Critic Jamieson Cox, writing for Pitchfork Media, wrote:
With a piercing countertenor somewhere between Prince masquerading as Camille and the cracking adolescent soul of the teenage Michael Jackson, the 19-year-old North Las Vegas native dismantles the expectations maintained for vocalists based on their gender, demanding instead that the focus be placed on his agile, fluttering performance.
Shamir’s style had been described as a distinctive mix of disco and funk with hints of pop “laced with old skool house”. Life & Soul has described him as “a dynamic young artist who successfully adopts the craft of his musical heroes Michael Jackson and Prince.”
