Meet Shawn Thicke

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Shawn Thicke. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Shawn, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

Truthfully, as an artist, I don’t think you ever get rid of imposter syndrome. I still feel it and probably always will. Every artist experiences self-doubt and wonders if their work has value, and is worth sharing. I think it just comes with the territory. Choosing to be an artist is to be on the road less travelled. You will constantly be experiencing outside pressures to stop or become more pragmatic, and you have to have the strength to believe in yourself and keep moving on. Sometimes the pressure becomes unbearable and you start questioning if others might be right. I am no different than any other artist. There have been countless times when I wondered and doubted myself. I still have those times. That said, there are things you can do to make it easier.

One is to surround yourself with people who share your vision and believe in you. If people genuinely want to help then let them in. I’m lucky I have friends, family, and fellow artists who have gone out of their way to help me without payment or credit. If you can find a good support base you can weather those tougher times. Secondly, you also have to embrace that not everyone will share or welcome your vision. Find value in doing something simply for the love of doing it. It’s easy to focus on numbers, statistics, and awards, especially in a social media-dominated society. If you can find pride in creating and releasing something out into the world then feeling like you are not good enough or don’t belong becomes easier to stomach. This is a point of view I have been trying to embrace with this album release. Like many, I have woken up at night thinking “What have I done? What if I’ve made something truly terrible that nobody will like?” but the truth is you can’t control that. I’m proud that I made this album, self-funded it, promoted it, and have dared to put it out there. That’s all I or any other artist can do. You can’t control how it will be perceived.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’m a children’s musician and YouTuber who performs under the stage name Shawny. I perform at daycares, schools, libraries, birthday parties, festivals, and other public events. I started my own Youtube channel Shawny Kids Music in 2020, and it currently has over one million views. My debut album, It’s So Sunny, was released in 2023 and addresses themes of kindness, acceptance, and socio-emotional learning. My song “The Day The Colours Went Away” from It’s So Sunny was honored in Australia as Favourite Canadian Song in the Funky Kids Radio 3rd annual Global Children’s Entertainment Awards. My songs have been featured on radio shows and podcasts like The Saturday Morning Cereal Bowl, The Children’s Hour, and Radio Active Kids.

My goal is to create music that is silly, catchy, and accessible to kids, while still dealing with important themes such as self-care, acceptance, and showing kindness towards others. I asbolutely love working with children and performing music for them. Not only do my performances bring them a lot of joy, but encourage an enthusiasm for music in general. I bring a positive, goofy energy to each performance that children really respond to. I’m able to play and interact on their level but also never condescend. Children see me as a big, goofy friend and I think it’s important for children to see that adults can maintain that childlike energy as they get older.

My newest album Go Go Stop – Music & Movement for Kids was released on May 16th, 2025. It blends full-on silliness with rich inner themes. Some songs are just for fun, like “Little Bubbles,” a catchy earworm about the joys of popping bubbles on a sunny day, and “Go Go Stop,” a fast-paced, pop-country freeze dance tune. Some are more profound like the Sesame Street-influenced “So Different” and the joyful “Rainbow Parade” (featuring guest ensemble Strawbitty Yops) which celebrate differences and inclusivity. There have been two music videos released so far for “Little Bubbles” and “Go Go Stop”. There will also be music videos for two other songs “So Different” and “Here Comes The Sharks” in June and July. I will also be touring Quebec and Ontario this summer in support of the new album.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

I think the three qualities that have helped me the most in my journey are perseverance, playfulness, and passion for music. The music industry is very tough. It’s easy to want to quit when things aren’t going well. Believe me, I have come very close to quitting many times over the years and I’m sure I will feel like it again in the future, but I always have a voice in the back of my head that keeps telling me to keep going no matter what. Like many, I don’t like failure and am sensitive to it, but I always have that voice that keeps telling me to get back up. As a children’s musician, you need to have a sense of play. You need to be willing to look silly and use your imagination. I have always been a big kid at heart. I’m glad that I’ve never let that quality diminish because children recognize it and respond positively to it. Finally, without a passion for music, I would not be talking to you right now. To be in the music industry, you have to have an extreme love of music, and I do. I started learning to play and perform based purely on how much joy music has brought to me. I wanted to bring that same joy to someone else.

For anyone, who is early in their musical journey, no matter what genre of music they play in, I would say the best way to develop these skills is to perform as much as you can and not be afraid to try things. I have met countless musicians far more talented than me who are so concerned with getting everything right that they forget to just have fun. Failure is hard but with performing it is bound to happen. You will bomb sometimes and it’s going to hurt. The good news is that this will only make you stronger, better, and more willing to experiment and grow. Do your research on any musician that has found success and they will tell you the same. The best practice for being a performer is to just get out there and play. When you have a great performance you will only cherish it more and it’ll make you more passionate to keep going.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I thankfully have had the chance to collaborate with quite a few amazing children’s musicians on their projects as well as mine. I love collaborating, so anytime a fellow children’s musician asks me to be part of their project, I will most likely always say yes. I have always wanted to have a live backing band for Shawny. I even have a band name in mine: Shawny and The Shenanigans. I perform a lot solo, which is suitable for many of the venues I perform at, but for larger public events I would love to have a full band to replicate the arrangements on my albums. Like at least a drummer, a bassist, and possibly a keyboardist. Not only would they need to be solid players, but also share my level of playfulness and love for performing for children. Most importantly they need to see children’s music as a worthwhile pursuit. If there are any players out there matching that description they can reach me via my email shawnykidsmusic@gmail.com. I would love to jam!

Contact Info:

Image Credits

All photographs were taken by Kyran Thicke of Kyran Thicke Photography.

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Resilience
Portraits of Resilience

Sometimes just seeing resilience can change out mindset and unlock our own resilience. That’s our

Productivity
Perspectives on Staying Creative

We’re beyond fortunate to have built a community of some of the most creative artists,

Confidence
Kicking Imposter Syndrome to the Curb

This is the year to kick the pesky imposter syndrome to the curb and move