Shane Harper began dancing and acting at the age of 9. He was involved in community theater and competitive dance. In the spring of 2006, a talent agent on the judging panel of a regional dance competition offered him agency representation. He is on a few Nickelodeon shows, and a recurring guest star on the show ‘Good Luck Charlie‘ on Disney. He was also part of ‘High School Musical 2‘ as a principal dancer. He will be in 2 feature films coming out in 2010: “My Name is Khan,” and a Rob Reiner/Warner Bros. project called “Flipped.” Singing in church all of his life, Shane continues to nurture his love for music. He has a new single, “Dance With Me” (you can listen to that here) and his album due out this summer. Recently, I had the chance to ask Shane about his music, his inspirations, and the direction he’s hoping to go in. You can read about it below.

When did you first realize you had an interest in music and what sparked that interest?
I’ve always loved music and I grew up singing in church. I started doing worship for a special needs Sunday school class when I was about 12.

How did you break into the music industry?
I was contacted through a friend to meet with Adam Anders. Adam had listened to my original songs and covers on my music MySpace and he offered me a music development deal.

How would you describe the sound of your music, and what makes you feel like your album is different from the other artists in your genre?
I think it has mostly an acoustic-pop vibe-kind of Jason Mraz meets Justin Timberlake. As far as distinction goes, there are so many talented artists and each one is unique because we all have different personalities that we put into our music and performances. Besides that fact, I am also a professional dancer and I think that adds to my performance capability.

What are some of your plans for promoting your music – do you plan on doing some touring?
Right now I’m just getting my music out there and hope that people respond well. I would absolutely love to tour as soon as possible.

Musically speaking, what are some of your short term and long term goals you have lined out for yourself? What are your hopes for the upcoming year?
This year for sure I would like to complete my full length album and then at least be in consideration for opening for someone amazing on tour! A long-term goal for music would be to have a Platinum Record on my wall, of course! haha And then just to keep making music that touches people and makes people feel things…for the rest of my life.

Lyrically speaking, where do your song inspirations come from? Is it easy for you to sit down and write lyrics, or is it a bit of a challenge sometimes?
I write music with my guitar in hand and usually when I feel inspired, it flows pretty quickly. I might have to go back and refine it and work it a bit but it is pretty much all there at the beginning. I write about things I feel and things I have experienced. Occasionally there are particular people attached to a song, but I won’t share that part. lol

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