In high school, Ali Shah was assigned to make a music video for a song that already existed for his communications class. He chose “Maniac” by Conan Gray, who is still one of his biggest musical inspirations.
A few weeks ago, one of the 21-year-old musician’s fans reached out with a request for an instrumental version of his latest single “Wish You Would Die.” She wanted to use Shah’s song for a version of the same assignment he did in high school — a full circle moment, he says.
“When I was making my own project back then, that’s when I really started thinking about making my own music,” Shah says. “That’s when I was first seriously writing. I would have died at 16 knowing that someone wants to do my song.”
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Shah has been writing songs since he was a kid, but after his first heartbreak in high school, he turned to his Notes app for an escape. Aside from Conan, he also admires Taylor Swift and Troye Sivan for their mature lyrics backed by ’80s-inspired synth music.
“That’s my bread and butter,” he says. “I like to storytell. I have a bunch of cohesive works that tell a love story from beginning to end, almost like a book, but in an album or EP.”
The Talking Stage, his most recent EP, tells the story of meeting someone noncommittal, from the pain of a situationship to “finding out they have a girlfriend six months later.” It’s an emotional six tracks, but Shah says he’s had more success in his love life since then. His upcoming EP is titled Boy Blues and is about all the highs (and lows) of loving a boy.
“It’s just these big, big emotions in these songs,” Shah says. “It’s developing as I go, because I’m learning and I’m writing as I go. It’s growing on itself. I find that all my projects do that, like I set out a specific name or concept, and then in a year, only one track will survive because it’s always changing.”
He’s already released two singles from the EP, with a third, “Lead By Example,” releasing this week on June 27. It’s a self-proclaimed “heavy hitter” and an in-your-face pop song Shah is incredibly proud of.
“The song itself, if you want to know what it’s really about, is about a bottom topping for the first time,” he says. “But the clean version of what it’s about is basically taking charge. It’s about being the leader in your life when you’re not expected to. And that’s very visual. I can see feminine-presenting people embody masculine energies in some way.”
Shah rented a mai tai gym to shoot a boxing sequence for the “Lead By Example” music video, which is also releasing on Friday (a birthday double feature). It was a 12-hour day, and he says it felt exactly like his fantasy.
“It was a huge production, bigger than anything I’ve ever done,” Shah says. “I wanted to feel like I’m a pop star. In that moment, I really felt like I was doing it.”
Like many Gen Zers, Shah grew up idolizing Disney Channel stars: Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato. (Their Nickelodeon sister Ariana Grande also gets a shoutout.) He’s inspired by their ability to do it all, from singing to acting and everything in between.
“That’s my dream,” Shah says. “I want to encompass everything. I want to be Hannah Montana. Why not?”
And he’s dreaming big. He’s released the songs. He’s sold out shows in Toronto, where he just graduated from university. But he’s also focused on building a community for his fans, who he calls his “Allies.”
“This is more beyond me,” Shah says. “My goal going into this was just to have more voices I never had, like a Brown boy pop star, and now I’m starting to see a lot of them arise. Regardless, there’s a win here.”
A lot of his fans are teenagers, which Shah credits to being a young person writing about experiences they can relate to. At shows, he loves playing catchy songs like “Jinx It,” which has even new listeners dancing along by the second chorus.
“The best part of connecting with them is that it’s very genuine,” Shah says. “It feels like I’m getting cheered on because they’re like, ‘Oh my god, you should release a song,’ or, ‘I’ve been listening to this song multiple times over.’ I love that, because I can tell at least that small connection I have with some people, it’s very real.”
Right now, Shah is learning what it means to be an artist who just graduated. He’s excited to give people a glimpse into his new era. Part of that? A song in Urdu and English, paying homage to his Pakistani background.
“I actually haven’t released anything bilingual yet, but I’ve been thinking a lot this last year,” Shah says. “I really want to implement some of my culture into the music. It’s so important because one of my biggest goals when I started making music was to be a representation for my community.”
The experience was nerve-wracking, he says, as a songwriter who works predominantly in English. But more bilingual music might be coming on future projects, he teases.
In the meantime, “girl, I need a job,” Shah jokes about adjusting to “normal” life after graduation. Still, he says he would be writing music even if he wasn’t releasing it and hopes that other young people continue to nurture their talents too.
“For artists our age, it can be a really hard time because you’re at this point where you feel like you’re getting pushed in so many ways,” he says. “There’s a lot of times where I want to give up and be like I can’t do this, like, I need to make money. Regardless of whatever anyone chooses to do, I hope that artists who truly believe in their career and their path and their work continue to create, even if it’s quietly. There’s a reason why we’re given skills and talents, and I truly believe in that.” ♦
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