Ireland Shaw

**Ireland Noël Shaw** (born 22 February 1990) is an Atlantican singer and songwriter. One of the predominant pop musicians in Atlantica, Shaw has been credited with ushering in a new era of "hipster pop" music in the 2010s, consisting of a vintage style, synth-beats, and heavy lyrical content.

Born in the New York City borough of Brooklyn to an artistic family, Shaw graduated from Poly Prep Country Day School in 2008. Afterwards, she spent a year traveling Europe, the Middle East, and Asia before beginning a music career upon her return to Atlantica in 2009. In 2010, Shaw signed a recording contract with Warner Music Atlantica and United Records, and began work on a debut studio album. Her debut single "I'm So Sorry" was released the following year, and became a number-one hit in her home country, while also performing successfully internationally. The single's success was followed up by the release of her debut studio album *The Mockingbird Crows*, which has been since certified diamond in Atlantica. *The Mockingbird Crows* became the first album in Atlantican history to produce six number-one singles: "Dragon", "Ophelia", "Jerome", "The Moon", and "Mockingbird", in addition to its lead single. The album's success won Shaw Atlantican Music Awards for Best New Artist and Album of the Year at the 2011 Atlantican Music Awards. Following the success of *The Mockingbird Crows*, Shaw has went on to release two other studio albums: *A Ritual Sacrifice* in 2014 and *Call of the Night* in 2018, both of which have received multi-platinum certifications in Atlantica.

As of 2018, Shaw has sold over 50 million singles and 10 million albums, making her one of the most successful Atlantican musicians in history. She has been called the "Princess of Pop" and the "Cool Queen of Indie Pop" by the Atlantican and international media, in addition to being credited as a pioneer in the "hipster pop" trend of popular music seen throughout the 2010s.

## Early life

Shaw was born on 22 February 1990 in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York to parents Alfonso and Magdolna Shaw (née *Törőcsik*). Her father is an Argentine-British documentary filmmaker from Buenos Aires who owns his own production company, while her mother is a Hungarian immigrant from Budapest who was a fashion model in the 1970s, and currently works as a fashion photographer. Shaw was raised in an irreligious household, speaking solely English, although she has some slight proficiency in Spanish and Hungarian. Shaw is the youngest of three children; her elder siblings include sister Bermuda, born  (1982-12-14) 14 December 1982 (age 41), and brother Constantine, born  (1985-01-07) 7 January 1985 (age 39). Bermuda is a New York University-educated civil rights attorney, while Constantine is a guitarist and songwriter who has performed with Shaw on numerous occasions.

When Shaw was four years old, the family moved from Williamsburg to the posh Brooklyn Heights neighborhood, and Shaw was enrolled in Poly Prep Country Day School, an independent coeducational school. While at Poly Prep, Shaw discovered her musical talents and was encouraged to pursue music by her family and teachers. Shaw has spoken about her "weirdness" while a high school student, stating that while she was outgoing and got along with many people, she was a troublemaker, rule-breaker, and "basket case". Shaw went on to graduate from Poly Prep in 2008, where she was voted "Most Likely to Become Famous" by her classmates. Despite initial plans to study music at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, Shaw did not like the idea of being taught music, and ultimately did not attend.

In summer 2008, Shaw, her then-boyfriend, then-best friend, and her best friend's boyfriend, flew to London, England to begin a backpacking trip. After a disagreement while in Warsaw, Poland, Shaw broke up with her boyfriend and ended her friendship with her best friend, and continued the trip alone, traveling throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. She returned to Atlantica in August 2009, over a year after departing.

## Career

### 2009–2013: Breakthrough and *The Mockingbird Crows*

After arriving back in Atlantica from her backpacking trip in 2009, Shaw began pursuing a professional music career. She began her career by posting original songs on her MySpace page, which was later discovered by record executives at Warner Music Atlantica. In 2010, Shaw signed a recording contract with Warner and United Records, and began recording her debut studio album.

The following year, Shaw's debut single "I'm So Sorry" was released in March 2011. The song instantly received critical acclaim from music critics, due to its lyrical composition and dance-able beat. The single also performed well commercially, debuting at number-seven in Atlantica, and later reaching the number-one position the following week, where it reigned for five consecutive weeks. Following the success of "I'm So Sorry", Shaw released the power ballad "Dragon", which debuted at number-one in Atlantica and became her second chart-topping single. Following the massive success of her two singles, work on her debut studio album was sped up, and the album, *The Mockingbird Crows*, was released in August 2011.

*The Mockingbird Crows* became a massive success in Atlantica and internationally. In Atlantica, it debuted at number-one, where it reigned for seven consecutive weeks, and has since been certified diamond. The album produced four other singles: "Ophelia", "Jerome", "The Moon", and "Mockingbird", all of which became number-one hits in Atlantica, becoming the first ever album to produce six number-one hits. Shaw later won Atlantican Music Awards for Best New Artist and Album of the Year at the 2011 Atlantican Music Awards, while also receiving nominations for Best Female Artist, Best Pop Song, and Best Pop Album. To promote the album, Shaw embarked on the *Enter the Mockingbird Tour*, which performed shows from September 2011 to January 2012. Additionally, she supported Crystelle on her *Unbroken World Tour*, which performed shows until June 2012.

### 2014–2016: *A Ritual Sacrifice*

Shaw first began writing songs for her sophomore release in 2012. In December 2012, she revealed that she had scrapped the previous songs written for the new album as she wanted there to be visible growth between each of her albums, and the songs sounded too similar to *The Mockingbird Crows*. In June 2013, Shaw revealed that she was "3/4s done" with writing, and that recording for the album would be beginning soon. She officially began recording the album in January 2014.

In May 2014, Shaw released the album's lead single "Hurricane". The song received critical acclaim following its release, with critics complimenting its darker tone in comparison to Shaw's previous work and its trip hop influences. "Hurricane" debuted at number-one in Atlantica, becoming Shaw's seventh number-one single, in addition to becoming an international success. The single was followed by the release of Shaw's second studio album *A Ritual Sacrifice* in September 2014. Like its lead single, critics noted the darker tone of the album, in addition to more electronic and trip hop influences. The album produced three other singles: "Colors", "Ghost", and "Young Gods", the former two going on to become Shaw's eighth and ninth number-one singles in Atlantica, while the latter peaked within the top twenty. Shaw promoted the album with the *Young Gods World Tour*, her first arena tour which performed shows from September 2014 to May 2015.

### 2017–present: *Call of the Night*

In an interview in February 2015, Shaw stated that she'd "probably fade into obscurity for awhile" before releasing her third studio album, as she needed to "experience new things" before she could write another album. In October 2016, Shaw revealed that work had begun "awhile ago" on her upcoming third studio album, but was still in "initial stages". She confirmed that she had begun recording the album in May 2017.

In January 2018, Shaw released the lead single to her third studio album, titled "Without Me". The song saw a departure from the dark electronic-influenced music of *A Ritual Sacrifice*, instead featuring a modern pop melody. The song became her tenth number-one single in Atlantica, after debuting at number-four and reaching the top position in its third week. Shaw's third studio album *Call of the Night* was later released in April 2018, debuting at number-one and being certified multi-platinum in her home country. The album additionally produced the top ten singles "Closer" and "You & I". Shaw will promote the album with the *Welcome to the Night World Tour*, performing shows from June 2018 to February 2019.

## Personal life

Shaw has been open about her sexuality since the beginning of her career, stating in 2011, "I've been into both boys and girls for as long as I can remember. I've never distinguished the two. I fall in love with people not genders". Despite being open with her sexuality, she personally does not identify with a sexuality, and prefers the term "free-love". Shaw has been open about her battles with mental illness, having struggled with depression as a teenager. She was diagnosed as bipolar when she was 17.

Shaw began a relationship with Italian male model Piero Argento in June 2013, after previously meeting at New York Fashion Week. In 2016, Argento proposed to Shaw while in Milan, Italy, and they married in Greenwich, Connecticut the following year. Shaw and Argento own a brownstone in Shaw's hometown of Brooklyn Heights, a penthouse apartment in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, a duplex apartment in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, a country house in Southampton, New York, and a villa outside of Florence, Italy.

## Discography

*Main article: Ireland Shaw discography.*

* *The Mockingbird Crows* (2011)
* *A Ritual Sacrifice* (2014)
* *Call of the Night* (2018)

## Awards and nominations

*Main article: Awards and nominations received by Ireland Shaw.*