About
Joining the list of Brit School alumni is London-based singer/ songwriter and guitarist Shan Ako. Drawing on influences from soul, gospel, pop, R&B, jazz, folk and reggae, Shan began releasing self-produced music as a teenager, writing lyrics to provide inspiration to all.
From 2011 to 2013 Shan joined the national tour of the Magic of Motown at the age of 18. During the tour she continued her studies, gaining a 1st degree in Music Business & Management.
Performing & writing new music was her focus. As she developed her craft she continued to independently release music and performing live in Croydon, Central London & Camden. She entered & won competitions like Project Aloft: Star for emerging artists, run by Starwood Hotel Group and BBC Radio 1.
In 2015 Shan joined the new UK tour Whitney – Queen of the Night, after a year she took on the leading lady role as Whitney Houston and continued to tour across UK/Europe until 2018.
In 2018 Simon Cowell became her mentor for the live finals in the fifteenth and final UK TV series of The X Factor, subsequently performing on The X Factor UK Arena Tour at the beginning of 2019.
It wasn’t long in 2019 that Shan was chosen to play the role of Eponine in the critically acclaimed All Star Staged Concert of Les Miserables (available now on streaming platforms).
She went on to again play Eponine in the new production at the Sondheim Theatre in London’s West End in 2020, for which she won Best Performer in a Musical at The Stage Debut Awards.
During 2020 Shan was gladly able to release Brave Heart EP which enter the iTunes RnB download chart at number 1. Together with a short film to accompany the EP she then continued to perform live alongside small projects of live theatre.
Shan returned to The Sondheim as Eponine in Les Miserables, The Staged Concert until September 2021.
In 2022 she released her latest EP ‘God’s Best’ which won best R&B/Soul song at the Step Fwd Awards. Shortly after the EP release she went on to supporting Jake Isaac on his UK/Europe (Jake also produced Shan’s EP) finishing with her own sold out headline show at St Pancras Old Church, London.
She continued with theatre and went on to star in and filmed the production ‘Sondheim Old Friends’ (available to watch & listen to)- a Cameron Mackintosh Production.
Most recently in the Summer of 2024, Shan finished 2 years (2022-2024) at Hamilton Musical in London’s West End playing leading lady, Eliza Hamilton.
She also released a series of acoustic originals with Stabal TV which available to watch and listen to today.
Actively engaged in her local community and church, Shan is a believer & a passionate supporter for mental health and well-being, and has created a brand ‘The Shan Vibe’ to support this. She released ‘The Shan Vibe Book’ in January 2024 which is currently available to purchase. She also began studying for a Masters in Positive Psychology which she is working on completing and continues to give & help in the communities on & offline. She recently received a National Diversity Awards nomination in The Positive Role Model category.
Shan is currently working her new music and looks forward to her next musical theatre production!
Instagram - @ShanOfficially
TikTok - @ShanAkoTikTok
YouTube - Shan Ako
Twitter/X/Threads - @ShanOfficially
Facebook - Shan Ako
Spotify - Shan Ako
