Decked out in a cherry red suit and backed by a full choir, Kootenay troubadour Shawn Hook took the stage at the Juno Awards earlier this month to sing his hit "Sound of Your Heart". He then followed it up this week with an encore on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
"Baby, I'm in love with you," South Slocan's Hook sings in the infectious hit, which has 4.5 million views on YouTube and has reached No. 23 on the Billboard charts.
"I'm missing the sound of your heart beating."
The song, which has been receiving extensive radio play, is the first huge breakout for the 31-year-old, whose real name is Shawn Hlookoff. He first started performing in 2004, after graduating from Mount Sentinel Secondary.
According to interviews he spent many of the years between then and now couch-surfing, chasing opportunities and moving from place to place to seek out collaborators.
"Baby I'm coming," Hook sings to his fictional lover in the song. "Baby, I'm coming, say the words and I'll come running."
The video for "Heart" features the 31-year-old Kootenay singer cavorting on a bed with a scantily clad model. In interviews Hook joked "there were a lot of gum, breath mint moments onset. I'm in a relationship and I had to kiss another girl all day long."
No one's likely to feel sorry for him, though. On the day he appeared on Kimmel, Hook posted a picture of himself decked out in his Hugo Boss outfit and a video of himself playing Xbox in the moments before the show.
Hook seems to have been riding high all month, since he received a fan choice nomination at the Junos and performed alongside Jann Arden during a Burton Cummings tribute. While being interviewed on the red carpet pre-performance, he expressed his enthusiasm at meeting some of the fellow nominees such as Shawn Mendes.
"I haven't met the Weeknd but his trailer's right beside mine. Smells really nice," Hook said, making reference to the performer's recent announcement that he will be lending his name to a variety of marijuana products.
These days, as Hook's becoming more and more successful, he's fielding requests to team up with other celebrity entertainers. So who, asked interviewers, would be his number one pick to collaborate with?
His answer: Eminem.
Hook's career started at Selkirk College, where his instructor Colin Davison offered to record his work. His music has appeared on The Hills, General Hospital and Bones.
His album Analog Love came out last June.