Tei Shi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tei Shi
Tei Shi on set for Blood Orange's music video "Hope" featuring Puff Daddy.
Background information
Birth name	Valerie Teicher Barbosa
Born	(1989-10-04) 4 October 1989 (age 35) Buenos Aires, Argentina
Origin	Bogotá, Colombia Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Genres	Indie pop alternative R&B art pop synth-pop
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter record producer
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2013–present
Labels	Downtown Geffen
Associated acts	Blood Orange Glass Animals Shy Girls Puff Daddy

Valerie Teicher Barbosa (born October 4, 1989), known as Tei Shi, is a talented singer, songwriter, and music producer. She has roots in both Colombia and Canada and now lives in New York City. Tei Shi started her music journey in 2013 by releasing her first songs and music videos. She also performed live for the first time at a music festival called CMJ.

In November 2013, Tei Shi released her first collection of songs, called an extended play (EP), titled Saudade. Music critics described it as a "layered masterpiece of melodies." In 2014, she released two more songs, "Adder(f)all" and a cover of Beyoncé's "No Angel". She also sang on a song called "Holiest" by the English band Glass Animals.

Her second EP, Verde, came out in 2015. Then, her first full album, Crawl Space, was released on March 31, 2017. Her second album, La Linda, followed on November 17, 2019. Tei Shi continued to release new music, including the EP "Die 4 Ur Love" in 2020. On June 16, 2022, she released the song "GRIP" as an independent artist, meaning she released it without a major record label.

Early Life and Background

Valerie Teicher was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her parents are from Colombia. She spent her early childhood in Bogotá, Colombia. Later, her family moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Tei Shi's grandparents were survivors of the Holocaust. She was raised in the Jewish faith. She studied music at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. After college, she moved to New York City to pursue her music career.

Tei Shi's Music Journey

Starting Out: 2013–2014

In the summer of 2013, Tei Shi released her first song, "M&Ms." Critics called it "transportive and exceedingly gorgeous." A music video for the song was also released. It was directed by Mac Boucher, who is the brother of singer-songwriter Grimes.

Tei Shi performed her first live shows in the fall of 2013 at CMJ. During her performances, she uses a special technique. She records her voice live and plays it back. This creates a cool layered sound.

On November 1, 2013, she released another song for her EP, "Nevermind the End." Music writers praised her lyrics and harmonies. They also liked how her "airy" vocals mixed with the music. A third song, "Nature Vs. Nurture," came out on November 5, 2013. It was described as a mix of "bedroom-R&B" and "future pop."

Tei Shi released her first six-song EP, Saudade, on November 12, 2013. She worked with her friend Luca on the EP. The word "saudade" comes from Portuguese. It means a deep feeling of missing someone or a happy time. The EP was described as a "layered masterpiece." Saudade was later released as a physical CD in 2015.

In January 2014, Tei Shi released "Adder(f)all" as a free song. She shared that the song was made from three different ideas. She layered these ideas to create the final track. Also in January, a remix of her song "Closer" by Spirals became popular.

In March 2014, Tei Shi released a music video for "Nevermind the End." She also sang on the song "Holiest" by the English band Glass Animals. She sang a duet with Dave Bayley from Glass Animals. Their voices told a story from different points of view. Her singing was called "delicate" and "airy."

In the summer of 2014, Tei Shi covered Beyoncé's song "No Angel." She worked with Gianluca Buccellati on this cover. Her version kept the original song's feeling. But she added her own unique "bloop-pop" sounds.

Verde EP: 2015

Tei Shi's second EP, Verde, was released online on April 14, 2015. It was later released as a physical CD and vinyl record. The first song from Verde, "Bassically", came out on February 11, 2015. This song was very popular. It was streamed over seven million times on Spotify. Other artists also made remixes of it. Even Canadian singer Grimes called "Bassically" "one of the best pop songs."

The music video for "Bassically" was directed by Nicolas Pesce. It shows Tei Shi and a group of female rebels in New York City. Tei Shi said she wanted the video to feel "fun and empowering."

The second song from Verde, "See Me", got a music video on August 20, 2015. This video was filmed in Bogotá, Colombia. This is where Tei Shi spent much of her childhood. She said filming there felt like a mix of familiar and new experiences.

"Get It" was the third and last song from Verde to get a music video. It was released on December 8, 2015. The video shows amazing footage of Saturn from NASA's Cassini mission. Tei Shi is seen against this space background.

Crawl Space Album: 2017

In 2015 and 2016, Tei Shi performed at big music festivals. These included Electric Forest and Coachella. She also opened shows for other artists like Years & Years, Jungle, and Grimes. During this time, she started working on her first full album, Crawl Space. She also signed a new record deal with Downtown Records.

Tei Shi's first album, Crawl Space, was released on March 31, 2017. The album's title comes from a "crawl space" she used as a child. It was a place where she faced her fear of the dark.

On January 27, 2017, the first song from Crawl Space, "Keep Running", was released. It came with a music video. The songs "How Far" and "Justify" were also released before the album. "Say You Do" was the fourth song released from the album. It also had remixes and an official music video.

La Linda Album: 2019

On June 5, 2019, Tei Shi shared a new song, "A Kiss Goodbye," on Instagram. The next day, the full song was released online. It was the first song from her second album. Music critics said the song was inspired by Bossa nova music. They also noted that Tei Shi seemed to be truly finding her own style. On July 16, Tei Shi announced the second song from the album, "Red Light." It was released on July 18.

On September 24, Tei Shi announced the third song, “Even If It Hurts.” This song featured Blood Orange. It was their second time working together. The song was released on September 27. On the same day, a music video for the song came out. It was filmed at Untermyer Park in New York. Tei Shi also officially announced her second album's title, La Linda. She said the album was inspired by her move from New York to Los Angeles.

The fourth song from the album, "Alone in the Universe," was released on October 25. It came with a homemade music video. The video showed Tei Shi dancing against a starry background.

Tei Shi's second album, La Linda, was released on November 15, 2019.

Die 4 Ur Love EP: 2020

In December 2019, Tei Shi was set to open for Blood Orange's 2020 tour. However, the tour was canceled after only two shows. This was due to the growing COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

On May 7, 2020, Tei Shi released the first song from her new EP, "Die 4 Ur Love." This was her first release after leaving her old music label. The song was described as synthpop-inspired. Tei Shi said the song had a darker and more direct sound. This was similar to her first album, Crawl Space. The second song from the EP, "Goodbye," was released on June 26. This song was partly about her leaving her previous record label.

The full EP, Die 4 Ur Love, was released on July 17, 2020. Tei Shi wrote the EP in just six days. She was on a writing trip in El Paso, Texas, in January 2020.

On August 28, 2020, a Spanish language version of "Johnny" was released. "Johnny" was the first song on the EP. A music video for the Spanish version came out in December 2020. This was the first music video for one of Tei Shi's Spanish songs. On December 11, 2020, a special deluxe version of the EP was released. It included the Spanish song and remixes by other artists.

Music Style

Tei Shi is known for making "whisper-y, slow and sensual bedroom pop." She even jokingly calls her own music "mermaid music." In an interview, she said it's hard for her to put her music into one genre. This is because her style changes, and she tries to create music that isn't just one thing.

Music Releases

Studio Albums

EPs (Extended Plays)

Singles (Individual Songs)

Guest Appearances

Images for kids

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  Tei Shi on set for Blood Orange's music video "Hope" featuring Puff Daddy.

See Also

• List of singer-songwriters