Born in Chicago of Greek parents, Shawn James began his career as a sound engineer in a recording studio in Nashville, Tennessee. In 2012, he moved to Fayetteville, Arkansas to be a busker and perform in a few venues, and in the meantime, he recorded the tracks for his first album in his bedroom studio, Shadows. In 2013 he started working with his backing band, The ShapeshiftersHe has released five albums over the years, as well as three solo works and one live performance. In 2015, the video of his cover of American Hearts by A. A. Bondy went viral on Reddit, but the real success came in December 2016, when the trailer anticipating the video game's release The Last of Us Part II presents a cover of his Through The Valley played by the game's protagonist, Ellie. Shawn has as its references Tom Waits - "He has an impeccable 'no bullshit' ethic."and soul singers such as Otis Redding, Sam Cooke e Bill Withersas well as the icons of the old blues who inspired it, and explains that "They didn't brag about what they were doing, they didn't put themselves on a pedestal. I would like my music to be respected, but I will still sit at the bar and have a beer with you. My goal is to make music that stands the test of time."