Meet Shawn Byrne | Musician, Songwriter and Producer.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Shawn Byrne and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shawn, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Without risk there can be no reward. I believe that we are supposed to step out into uncharted territory and “push the envelope”. That is how we grow as people and as professionals. It’s risky taking chances on plans and ideas that we aren’t sure of the outcome. 20 years ago I left my whole life behind and moved to Nashville without knowing a soul and it was the best decision I ever made.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a songwriter, musician, producer and audio engineer. I’ve been a musician and a songwriter since I was a teenager. I’ve worked at it for decades and music has taken me all over the world. I’m very proud of that fact. Though I still travel and play music I spend most of my time working in my studio making records for clients. I have to make money and producing is a great way for me to make money when I am home. Decades of experience as a songwriter and a musician has laid the groundwork for me and my transition into production work. The understanding of song form, melodic movement, lyrical content is invaluable. But with production and engineering comes a technical side to making music that requires a whole other skillset. Though I have been recording in studios since I was kid I had never really understood the engineering aspect of recording music. When I moved to Nashville 20 years ago I began learning how to produce my own music simply because I couldn’t afford to hire someone to do it for me. I am essentially self taught. Fast forward two decades and I have put in countless hours of work. Obsessed with learning and growing in this field. Only in the past few years has production work became my main source of income. I love helping other songwriters and artists realize their vision for their sound to help tell their story. I work hard. Most mornings I’m up at 5 or 6 working. And most nights I work until 10 or 11. I get up and happily do it all over again because I love what I do.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Everyone loves coming to Nashville. I love being a tour guide for them. I would definitely take them to the Station Inn, one of the most historic venues in Nashville. A small, intimate vibe with the sounds of Bluegrass and real country music. Then we gotta go to Broadway and hit up Robert’s Western World, the best honky tonk on the planet. There we can eat a good burger and dance to some old school country music the way it’s meant to be. For lunch we’d go to Prince’s Hot Chicken. Heaven on earth. Another thing I love to show people about Nashville is our beautiful parks. Radnor Lake, Percy Warner, Long Hunter. Nothing like a beautiful walk in the woods.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho was a book that I read right before I decided to move to Nashville from Boston. The core of the novel’s motif is this notion: When you really want something to happen, the whole universe will conspire so that your wish comes true. But you need to take the risk. That is why I packed up and moved to Music City.

Website: www.shawnbyrnecountry.com

Instagram: instagram.com/shawnbyrnemusic

Facebook: facebook.com/shawnbyrnecountry

Image Credits
Don Teuton