Tyler Shaw is a multi-platinum Chinese-Canadian artist. Originally from Vancouver, BC, he released his breakout hit “Kiss Goodnight” in 2012, and his debut album, Yesterday, in 2015. He is currently on his first extended European tour (also featuring 3 Canadian dates) in support of his latest single “RUN TO YOU“, which explores what it feels like when a relationship hangs in the balance. About the song, Tyler says: “It’s a story about the uncertainty that often lives within a relationship, contemplating whether or not there’s full commitment on either side–but at the same time, there’s the willingness to run to that person if they say they’re all in.” This single marks the beginning of a new era for Tyler, and will be followed by his fifth studio album later this year.
Ahead of his Toronto show at the end of last month (April 23, 2026), which was also the first date of the Run To You Tour, we met with Tyler to talk about his career, fatherhood, his growth as a songwriter, and his new era. Read the conversation below.
SYHANN: You’ve been in the industry since winning the Much Music Contest in 2012. If 19-year-old you could see your life now, what do you think would shock him the most?
TYLER: That I have a family. Actually, that’s kind of very rewarding. If I were to tell him, you know, you have a sold out show in Germany coming up, he would be like, “What the fuck?” The amount of accolades and awards that I’ve gotten has been extraordinary. So, there’s a lot of things that I’m sure he would be shocked of because I don’t think anybody, including myself, knew this career would do what it has done. Very, very grateful.
SYHANN: Looking back at your debut album Yesterday, versus your newer work, what’s the biggest way you’ve changed as a songwriter?
TYLER: I mean, we’re talking about Yesterday -debut album – that was over a decade ago now. I think as you grow as a person, you go through life experiences, the ups and downs of it all; it really shapes you as a human being, and that, I think, reflects in the art. So, this new album that I’ve created is just a reflection of where I am right now in my life. I think you grow as a person, which then grows your art.
SYHANN: Is there a song you released that means something totally different to you now than when you wrote it?
TYLER: I think there’s a couple. I haven’t listened to [the first album] in a long time. I’ve only been focused on playing them, to be honest. “Yesterday” off the first album is always nostalgic to me because that song I had written when I was 13, and I brought it into a writing session when I was first getting started in the industry. So that one has always had a very special place in my heart and to this day it just brings me back memories of like “oh that’s where it all started”.
SYHANN: You are now a father of two. How has fatherhood changed your perspective on love and music?
TYLER: There’s no love like a child’s love – both ways. The way a child loves you and the way you love a child, you can’t explain it. It’s incredible. And the way that music is now surrounded with us together in the household, I mean, we’ve introduced them to classics like Brian Adams and the Eagles. And then they’re coming home to Papaya by the Minions and stuff like that. So, it’s a really funny mixture of all this Gen Alpha and Millennial music kind of coming and clashing together, but they love all sorts of stuff. And it’s really fun to see them dance around, even to my own music. I’ll play new tunes and I’ll be like, “What do you guys think of this one?” and they’ll be jumping around or sometimes the big thumbs down. That’s a tell-tale sign.
SYHANN: So you’ve been dropping newer songs like “Fire” and “Woman on the Moon.” What defines this current era of Tyler Shaw?
TYLER: I was in Spain a couple months ago and we were joking about what the art is supposed to look like and someone said tortured artist. So in that sense, the visuals are very soft and my expression is very tortured in a way. I’m not tortured by any means but it’s going for European, the feel of freedom, heartbreak. I don’t know – it’s very freeing.
SYHANN: Are you experiencing more now, or refining what already works within your music?
TYLER: A bit of both. Probably a little bit more experimental in terms of sitting there and taking the time to rewrite or reproduce songs that I’ve already written. For example, I wrote a song that’ll be on the new album in London and if you listen to the demo versus where it’s at now, it’s completely different because I didn’t toss it away. I said, “There’s something here.” So, I experimented with the tempo of the song, the chord structure of the song, and the way the melodies fit with all of those things. So, that was really fun. But then going back to the songs that people know and love from my previous albums, and just pulling little things from here and there just to make it make sense.