Canadian singer Shawn Desman recalls journey to pop stardom, new song about self-love

Canadian pop sensation Shawn Desman is setting things straight about his epic music career.

On the latest episode of the "Phone a Friend with Jessi Cruickshank" podcast, the "Electric" singer walked through the beginnings of his career as an artist, why he stopped making music and what pushed him out of "retirement" to get back on the radio today.

Kicking off their conversation after a quick catch-up with a friendship that goes back more than a decade, former Calgary-born personality Jessi Cruickshank, 41, congratulated Desman on his new single, "Love Me With The Lights On."

"I love my wife with the lights on," Desman, 41, quipped about his partner, Chantelle Leonardo, referencing the song's lyrics. "I tell her that she is beautiful no matter what — three kids, same. And she looks better than ever; my wife is a babe."

While Desman shared that the song is partly meant for his wife, it's also a song that's supposed to resonate with anyone struggling with self love.

"Everybody kind of has that one thing that they're like, 'Oh, I wish my forehead didn't have so many wrinkles,' you know what I mean? So, this song is literally for everybody," Desman said. "I'm saying, 'Love yourself. Embrace those imperfections and show them to the world because it's what makes you, you. It's what makes you perfect. You're perfectly imperfect.'"

Following a quick "Shawn-e-oke" look-back at the singer's mega-hit songs such as "Shook" from 2002, Cruickshank decided to get serious with her interview.

"You are a Portuguese kid growing up in Mississauga, Ont.," she noted. "What gave you the balls to think you could be a pop star?"

Desman began to say that growing up, he was a big fan of artists like Michael Jackson and New Kids On The Block. Once the boy band took off, he performed their song, "My Favorite Girl," at his second grade talent show.

"I do it and I come out for recess and the whole school is outside waiting for me," he recalled. "I was like, 'I kind of like this.'"

That same day, he went to his parents and told them he wanted to be a singer. At first, in "typical old-school Portuguese" fashion, he said his father took his remark lightly. But after singing for them, his parents took him to vocal lessons with a Portuguese teacher who also happened to be a producer.

"I make five albums in Portuguese before any of this," he said, adding that back then he was "the Portuguese Justin Bieber."

But after a Platinum-selling album, numerous chart-topping hits and several awards, Desman's music career eventually came to a standstill in 2015. He said his record label at the time, Universal Music, had wanted to push him toward a more "edgy" aesthetic — but he felt that wasn't his vibe.

After giving it a try and releasing underperforming songs like "Victoria" and "Obsession," the label decided to not renew his contract. It was a move that left Desman feeling discouraged about music and made him feel like he was entering retirement.

Moreover, he said his wife became severely ill with colitis in the late-2010s, forcing him to "pull up his big boy pants" and support his wife and their three children.

It wasn't until last year that Desman would return to the stage, a seven-year hiatus from performing live, when he was invited by Drake to perform at the All Canadian North Stars concert at 2022's OVO Fest.

After an electric crowd that "exploded" over his performance, Drake pulled the singer aside backstage.

The rapper told Desman that he's "different" and that his "timeless" songs are "living on forever" before asking what he was doing with career. He then shared that Drake said, "Those people need you. Shawn Desman, you need to make music again."

Following that show, Desman received a call from Wax Records owner Jamie Appleby who urged him that now was the time if he wanted to make a comeback.

After trying some stuff out in the studio, Desman eventually decided to send Appleby his song "Maniac," which went unreleased in the mid-2010s since he was dropped by his label.

"We re-do it and in my gut I'm like, 'This is the one. This is what I want Shawn Desman to sound like in 2023,'" he said about the song, which eventually became a hit and put him back on the radio.

Despite awards shows, celebrity-filled parties and the plethora of other perks that come with pop stardom, Desman noted that he's now simply excited to put out new music and have an impact on his fans.

"I want to be remembered as not just the guy who danced around in videos and sang music," he said. "I want to be remembered for the guy that made a positive change in people's lives."

His music video for "Love Me With The Lights On," which he calls a "movement" rather than just a song, is set to release on Aug. 18.

"Moving forward, I think one of the biggest things I've learned is, 'Do something because you love it. And if it doesn't feel right, then don't do it,'" he shared. "But after the Drake show, I said, 'Wow, I guess people still care about Shawn Desman.'"

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