BIOGRAPHY
Shaq Hester is a Jersey-born, Southern-bred & NY-based versatile singer-songwriter, actor, graphic designer & bonafide ol' soul. He captures audiences with his warm, rich voice and lively, infectious storytelling. In his latest single, "Soft" he uses acoustic sound, transparent lyrics and open-hearted melodies to celebrate Blackness, champion queer liberation, & honor human softness. His sound nestles between Neosoul, Funk and Gospel with a sweet dose of quirk and transparency. Listen HERE.
Shaq most recently appeared as supporting vocalist on Durand Jones’ Tiny Desk Concert. He also appeared in Tituss Burgess’ premiere musical, The Preacher’s Wife at The Alliance Theatre after portraying Harpo in Short North Stage’s The Color Purple. He produced his joint show, You’ve Got a Friend: A Tribute to Donny & Roberta, with Trèjah Bostic at Joe’s Pub. This show was nominated for Best Cabaret Performance by the 2024 BroadwayWorld New Jersey Awards. He also performed in an international tour of WHAT PROBLEM? as a vocalist with Bill T. Jones and the Bill T. Jones/ Arnie Zane Company. He performed in Bill T. Jones' award-winning Deep Blue Sea (World Premiere) at The Park Avenue Armory.
He served as Assistant Director for James T. Lane's off - Broadway play, Triple Threat, which won an AUDLECO Award for Best Solo Performance. He was hand-picked as a featured vocalist in the Pyer Moss “Sister” Show and he acted as vocal arranger and supporting vocalist in the Pyer Moss “WAT U IZ” Couture Show. This Indiana University graduate performed background vocals for Aloe Blacc, Jason Michael Webb and Andrea Bocelli and has songwriting credits for the song, “Dark Side of the Moon” from Ari Grooves’ album, A Message From A Wanderer.
He appeared off-Broadway in Lewberger & The Wizard of Friendship and Antigone in Ferguson. Other regional credits include The View UpStairs (Wes) and Five Guys Named Moe (Little Moe). He appears in the official music video of “Now I Rise” from Lourds Lane's SuperYou Musical. You can also see him in Here is a Man, a short film that takes a snapshot into Donny Hathaway’s life.
