Shamir Bailey’s voice baffled his vocal coaches when he was younger.  The unique, tadalafil childlike tone is a vocal anomaly, and it has a surprising reach between high and low registers. Shamir embraces this versatility; in many of his songs he flip-flops between styles: rapping, breaking out soaring choruses, or dropping into smoother, soulful singing. The vocals are not the only eclectic element of his debut album, “Ratchet,” which draws from the country, pop, and soul music that Shamir grew up loving. The release also reflects the chaos of his Las Vegas roots, a collage of drum beats and synthesizers as dizzying as those blinking city lights.

The album is danceable, but digs deeper than the fun suggests, and the lyrics are candid. At just 20 years old, Shamir has an open sincere view of the world, and his creations are just as genuine. As a person and an artist, Shamir accepts all parts of himself, identifying with a sense of fluidity in everything from gender to genre. We chatted on the phone about fashion, why introverts just want to chill alone, and his ambitions beyond the music world.

Quick Questions:

What movie star would you be? Oh my god, Michael Pitt ( I, Origins, The Dreamers).

Dream Job (besides music)?  Probably a screenwriter.

Favorite Country Star? Right now I’m gonna have to say Kacey Musgraves

Favorite Pop Star? Marina and the Diamonds

Star Sign? Scorpio

Fashion Icon? Solange

Favorite Color? Green

Favorite Pattern? I like an eye-popping pattern, but I’m really into solid color-blocking. I love color-blocking, that’s my thing. But I love dots, I love polka-dots.

Allston Pudding: What was it like to grow up in Las Vegas?

Shamir: Barely anyone lives there, mostly just because it’s such a small town. Everyone knows everyone – I think maybe two or maybe three times as many people live in the city of New York. So imagine that but all spread out, so there’s like no one there. So it’s not really crazy, especially North Las Vegas. Honestly it’s essentially on a pig farm. People just like go around and, like, smoke and drink in storm drains for fun.

AP: Was there any kind of music scene there?

S: No, not really. Especially when I was in my band and actually planning for shows and everything it was almost nonexistent. Also, at the same time, the whole hardcore pop-punk screamo type scene was definitely alive, and still is. If there was any scene in Vegas that’s probably the only one. They even have a thing in called Extreme Thing where all of them get together. It’s a really loud festival. I remember every time people would go to the festival they would come back to school after that weekend bruised and bloody and with black eyes and everything from moshing.

AP: So how did you find the music that you like and inspires you now?

S: I listen to, like, everything. I was in a punk band and I love any guitar based music, like soul and everything. I started doing more pop-oriented stuff and more time-based stuff when I got a hand-me-down drum machine from my step-dad; he wasn’t using it. I started to do drum beats, like, super simple drum beats for my old band because we didn’t have a drummer. We weren’t using it to the full capacity or ability. It had, like, big sounds, or you could make it sound synthy and it had pop and electronic sounds in it. I just wanted to experiment with that, pretty much. I wanted to start a fun pop or electronic side project with this thing.

AP: When you appreciate so many genres, and your music has so much in it, how did you put together the sounds on your album?

S: I’m super bipolar and everywhere when it comes to how I want my music to sound. When it’s up to me every song sounds like it’s from a different album. But I think other people help to pull it together, and everything ties together just because it’s all the same producer. Obviously he has his own production style and everything, but he also is not scared when I get ridiculous. I think definitely working with a sole producer for this album was the best bet. Coming out with my first debut and having it be all over the place would probably be a little crazy.

AP: I read that you consider yourself an introvert, but that feels pretty contrary to the energy of your music and also your style. Is that something you have to overcome as a musician?

S: Yeah. I mean, I’ve seen it happen. Honestly sometimes a person is an introvert and it’s just not going to work. And I’m definitely an introvert, but I like to challenge myself at all times to be more social. I’m not an introvert in the sense that I’m shy, because I’m not shy obviously, I love to talk and have conversations with anyone. I’m just more introverted in a sense that if I have the choice to be put in a more social situation or just be alone by myself in my room with my guitar and a pizza, I would definitely do the latter.

AP: The song “In For The Kill” is about the sacrifices you have to make to live the musician’s life, what are those sacrifices?

S: Well, I’m just completely distracted from, like, everyone. From my friends, my family, even my dog. I haven’t seen my dog in, like, two months. There’s a big isolation from everything you’re close to, and as a musician you’re just uprooted from anything familiar. And you sort of find yourself surrounded by things that are cool, but also it can be nerve-wracking and saddening to do all these things alone and not really share it with anyone.

AP: As someone who embraces fluidity, what advice would you give to people who don’t fit into boxes?

S: Everybody’s situation is different, especially in certain areas. If you grow up in a progressive area it’s not the same thing as being in a conservative state, especially not, like, middle America. But I think you just have to be fearless and not care, and do whatever makes you happy. I know that’s so cliché and it’s been said a thousand times before, but I used to go to school dressing crazy like every damn day. I didn’t care because I just wanted to do what makes me happy, and I like expressing myself through clothes. It’s kind of like writing a song. You wake up and are, like, “I want to wear this, it’s just fun for me.” I definitely got picked on for it by a few people, but I think everyone realized “oh he really doesn’t care, he doesn’t care he is just doing whatever he wants.” Once you don’t care and own it, it’s usually not a problem. At least not for me.

AP: If your career could go anywhere next, where would you hope it would go?

S: I don’t know. If I could try and do a guitar and bass kind of band that would be fun. I realized I really like discovering new music, and helping anyone I can to get it out to people, or out into the world. Just helping other new artists.

AP: You have a lot of other interests besides music, are you hoping to pursue any of those in the future?

S: Oh yea, totally! I love to write, I love to screenwrite. There’s my comedy, too. I’m also just playing songs for other people and other things too. Just the album put a lot of things on the backburner, but I also have been working with a band, managing them and helping them out. I can definitely do small things here and there.

If you like dancing, fun, and drum machines, make sure go see Shamir at The Sinclair tonight, 11/18! Tickets are still available here.