Selected by Shiv: My Favourite Songs of 2020

shiv – the moniker of Siobhan McClean – is a DJ turned singer-songwriter based in Paris. Born in Zimbabwe, shiv moved to Ireland as a child, collecting a varied musical palette along the way. Growing up, shiv was surrounded by everything from Zimbabwean music like Oliver Mtukudzi and Tomas Mapfumo, to classic house like Technotronic and Blackbox, and the harmony-heavy Sisters With Voices and En Vogue. As a result, shiv naturally gravitated towards a career in music, being scouted through a video of her singing at her sister’s wedding.

Although shiv began her journey as a DJ, she soon transitioned into songwriting, singing and producing. Releasing a trio of singles last year, it was the delicately-sung number “Golden” that caught people’s attention. This year, another trio of songs dropped, before shiv shared her debut EP, the 6-track ‘Me 2 Me’ this December. A collection of l0-fi songs entirely written, recorded and produced by shiv in the space of a year, it’s a voyage into her inner world. “It was only when I listened to these songs in a particular order that I felt I was truly immersed in the story I had been trying so hard to tell. This EP is essentially a look into my relationship with myself and my creative process”, Shiv explains.

Now, the up-and-coming artist to watch has selected her 10 favourite songs released in 2020, featuring artists such as Childish Gambino, Jeshi, Amber Mark and more. Dive in!