BIO

Shai Shahar was born in Washington D.C. and raised in Philadelphia. Before "turning pro" as singer/actor/entertainer/MC and Voice-over artist Shai enjoyed "fame" of a sort as the world's best known, highest-paid escort .."the real American Gigolo' with interviews in Playboy, Penthouse, Esquire, Cosmopolitan, Beau Monde and Heeb among others..and dozens of newspapers.

His public appearances on national TV and radio programs created such a sensation that he was soon offered jobs as DJ and talk-show host for national stations: TalkRadio-Nl and Q Radio-(World Music)
It was during the height of his 'notoriety' that Shai met and fell in love with fellow Dutch radio &TV celebrity Cora Emens who encouraged him, along with other friends like Ingram Washington, to get serious about singing and consider a career in showbiz.
So in 2001, at the tender young age of 46 [!} Shai began then slow journey of re-inventing himself as a legitmate entertainer of stage screen and studio.

At first it was attending jam sessions and fronting trios and quartets of locally famous, veteran jazz musicians in and around the Amsterdam area. Then it was a brief stint in LA learning some chops and getting some polish from his good friend, and Life Coach guru David Green before returning to Europe to tour in 2 back-to-back multi-media theater shows..followed by stints as movie-extra, voice-over artist for animated films & corporate info-mercials, and studio vocalist for advertising jingles.
These successes led to Shai meeting and making friends with more "showbiz" types which led to being invited to appear at numerous local jazz/music festivals including North Sea Jazz, Amersfoort Jazz and Lowlands..and to record with the Jimmie Lunceford Legacy Orchestra, originally out of the Cotton Club in Harlem..AND, most notably as special guest frontman for the Guiness Book of Records 2012 certified title holders-"world's oldest continuously peforming and recording dance orchestra"-"The Ramblers".

In the meantime Shai was also cast in a multi-award winning Indie-Art House feature length film " Four Roses"-by Kris de Meester, featured as himself in a cameo in the B-movie-cult classic " Amsterdam Heavy.
Most recently Shai has been earning a stellar reputation as a "rat pack" performer in the style of his musical heroes, Frank, Sammy & Dean [& Nat and Bobby and Tony ..& Louis Prima...] with repeated headliner performances as MC and "Crooner" in some extremely high-profile venues.
In February 2012 Shai hosted the very 1st Annual Istanbul-Amsterdam Burlesque Festival 2012 starring the best of Dutch and Turkish cabaret-burlesque artists and supported by the General Consul of the Royal Kingdom of the Netherlands, Istanbul.