Shannon Bex
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Shannon Bex | |
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![]() Shannon in 2006 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Shannon Rae Bex |
Born | March 22, 1980 |
Origin | Bend, Oregon, U.S. |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
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Years active | 2002–2019 |
Labels | Bad Boy (2005–2008) |
Formerly of |
Shannon Rae Bex (born March 22, 1980) is an American singer, dancer, and reality show personality. She was also a member of girl group Danity Kane.
Early life
[edit]Bex was born in Gresham, Oregon, to parents Pamela and Marshall. She has an older brother, Marshall Lee, who owned a video production company working with companies like Nike, Gatorade and Verizon.[1] She started dancing at the age of six and began training in ballet. A year later, she danced in The Nutcracker under James Canfield for the Oregon Ballet Theatre. It was not until the age of twelve that Bex started to train in other styles of dance like lyrical, modern, hip hop and jazz. Her family moved to Bend, Oregon for her high school years, where she attended Mountain View High School. In school, Bex was involved in drama, dance team, and choir. At 19, Bex learned more about performing with a group when she was a Portland Trail Blazers cheerleader. At age 22, Bex joined a cover band, and this was her first paid musical engagement.[1]
Career
[edit]Bex danced and sang for five seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers. She appeared on the 2003 series Fame, finishing as the runner-up to Harlemm Lee. During the finale, Johnny Wright said he would sign her. In 2005, she was featured as a potential "band" member on MTV's Making the Band 3, Season 2, before finally making the group. Danity Kane's debut album debuted at No. 1 on August 22, 2006, as did their second album Welcome to the Dollhouse on March 18, 2008. Shannon was also a member of the duo Dumblonde with fellow Danity Kane group member. Bex was the only married member of Danity Kane.[2] Being the oldest member of the band, she was sometimes referred to as "the mother of the group".[2]
In January 2009, bandmate Dawn Richard confirmed Danity Kane's demise. She stated that the remaining girls were all invited back to the Making the Band series and the group, but that only she and fellow band member Aundrea Fimbres showed up.[3] Bex had already explicitly voiced her discontent about the dismissal of bandmates Aubrey O'Day and D. Woods from the group.[4][5] Richard stated that she was not sure of Bex's reason for not returning.[3] Bex was "officially" released from her Bad Boy recording contract by Bad Boy Records founder and president Sean "Diddy" Combs in the April 16, 2009, episode of Making the Band.[6] During the April 23, 2009, finale of the series, Bex said that her not showing up for the 2009 season of the show was a "personal choice" and was nothing against the fans.[7] In addition, she hinted at pursuing a country music solo career.[7]
In March 2011, Shannon announced the formation of her new band, Bex, with several of the members of the pop-rock group Elliot.[8] She showcased her band Bex at the Dance Track Magazine's 2011 Artist Awards gala, honoring dancers and choreographers for their work with major artists such as Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Christina Aguilera, as well as with major films and small screen art. It drew a full house of talented artists to club "King King" in Hollywood, California, on March 27, 2011. As of April 2012, Shannon announced she was releasing a country solo album instead of an album as the group called Bex, which disbanded before releasing any music. Shannon's solo album was due for a 2012 release and being released independently.
In May 2012, Shannon started a fundraising campaign to raise money for her debut solo album, which she hopes to produce herself, independently. The funds contributed so far helped to bring Shannon's song, "I'm Out", to life. Shannon released her first solo single, "I'm Out", on May 14 on iTunes. She released her debut EP, via PledgeMusic on September 18, 2012.[9]
In 2013, Danity Kane reunited consisting of members: Shannon Bex, Aubrey O'Day, Dawn Richard, and Aundrea Fimbres. In 2014, Aundrea Fimbres departed from the group, thus making Danity Kane continue as a trio. Danity Kane came to its second disbandment when member Dawn Richard punched Aubrey O'Day. Despite their disbandment, Danity Kane still released their third and final album, DK3, on October 27, 2014. Shannon Bex and ex- Danity Kane member, Aubrey O'Day, have come together and created a new alternative dance/pop duo under the name Dumblonde.[10]
In 2019, Bex transitioned out of touring to pursue her role as co-founder and Chief Communications Officer at Vooks,[11] a streaming platform bringing storybooks to life for children around the world.[12]
Discography
[edit]Albums
[edit]Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US | US R&B/HH | US R&B | |||||
Shannon Bex |
|
77 |
Singles
[edit]Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | |
---|---|---|---|---|
US | US R&B | |||
2012 | "I'm Out" | 44 | — | Shannon Bex |
"I'm a Woman" | — | — |
Music videos
[edit]Year | Title | Director |
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2012 | "I'm Out" | Mode Adjust |
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Artist Interview | Shannon Bex of Danity Kane: 'Reality' in the Music Biz". Thatsmygig.com. October 7, 2019.
- ^ a b Consistently stated on air: Making the Band 3.
- ^ a b Vena, Jocelyn (January 28, 2009). "Danity Kane Have Split Up, Dawn Richard Says. 'It's devastating for me,' Richard says of the 'Making the Band' group's dissolution". MTV. Archived from the original on February 1, 2009. Retrieved January 29, 2009.
- ^ Vena, Jocelyn (October 16, 2008). "Danity Kane's Shannon Bex Says She Was 'Shell-Shocked' By Bandmates' Dismissals. 'This is real life to me,' singer says of Diddy giving Aubrey O'Day, D. Woods the boot". MTV. Archived from the original on October 19, 2008. Retrieved April 2, 2009.
- ^ Making the Band, MTV (October 7, 2008). Retrieved October 7, 2008.
- ^ Making the Band, MTV (April 16, 2009). Retrieved April 16, 2009.
- ^ a b Making the Band, MTV (April 23, 2009). Retrieved April 23, 2009.
- ^ "Shannon Bex: New EP!". PledgeMusic.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015.
- ^ "Aubrey O'Day, Shannon Bex rise from Danity Kane's ashes to form dumblonde". Los Angeles Times. March 30, 2015.
- ^ "Shannon Bex". Linkedin.com. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
- ^ "How This Danity Kane Alum Reinvented Herself by Reinventing Children's Books". Forbes.
External links
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Shannon Bex at IMDb
- 1980 births
- Living people
- American women pop singers
- American female dancers
- American dancers
- American cheerleaders
- NBA cheerleaders
- Danity Kane members
- Participants in American reality television series
- People from Bend, Oregon
- People from Gresham, Oregon
- Singers from Oregon
- Singing talent show winners
- 21st-century American women singers
- 21st-century American singers