Shan Ako

Joining the list of Brit School alumni is London-based singer/ songwriter and guitarist Shan Ako. Drawing on influences from soul, gospel, pop, R&B, jazz, folk and reggae, Shan began releasing self-produced music as a teenager, writing lyrics to provide inspiration to young people.

From 2011 to 2013 Shan joined the national tour of the Magic of Motown and then returned to her studies, gaining a degree in Music Business and winning the Project Aloft: Star for emerging artists, run by Starwood Hotel Group and BBC Radio 1.

In 2015 Shan joined the UK tour in the lead role of Whitney – Queen of the Night, before taking the role across Europe until 2018.

In 2018 Simon Cowell became her mentor for the live finals in the fifteenth and final series of The X Factor, subsequently performing on the XFactor Arena Tour at the beginning of 2019.

In 2019 Shan was chosen to play the role of Eponine in the critically acclaimed All Star Staged Concert of Les Miserables.

She went on to again play Eponine in the new production at the Sondheim Theatre in London’s West End in 2020, for which she won Best Performer in a Musical at The Stage Debut Awards.

Shan returned to The Sondheim as Eponine in Les Miserables, The Staged Concert until September 2021.

Actively engaged in her local community and church, Shan is a passionate supporter for mental health and well-being. She is currently studying for a Masters in Positive Psychology and this year received a National Diversity Awards nomination in The Positive Role Model category.