Shams Ahmed wears many hats: creative director, vocal arranger, a capella judge, and much more.
Other than managing several brands, including his own, he regularly judges at international a cappella competitions, produces music, and takes part in the administration of his alma mater, Northeastern University.
One of his most quickly rising projects: Citizen Queen, a girl group making waves in the up-and-coming pop and R&B scene.
Shams Ahmed: Brand director, producer, music arranger
Ahmed keeps very busy within the music world. In addition to producing and arranging music, he serves as Director of Talent & Creative at Northeastern. As a musician, Ahmed focuses largely on a cappella, which he first dove into during his time at Northeastern University.
In 2013, a chance meeting pushed Ahmed into new projects. At the time, he worked in Investment Banking and Finance. Then, he met Grammy award-winning arranger and music producer Ben Bram, one of the people behind Pentatonix. This acquaintance led to a new opportunity in a cappella: the director of the A Cappella Academy summer program.
In addition to his personal brand, Ahmed’s other projects include Acapop! KIDS, a collective of young a cappella performers currently numbering 27. Ahmed is the group’s creative director, a cappella arranger and producer. He works alongside some of the minds behind Pentatonix.
Auditions to join the case remain open and can be submitted here.
Pride of Northeastern University
Hailing from New Jersey, Ahmed considers Boston home. As an alumnus of Northeastern University, he still actively contributes to the school as a creative director. As a student, he majored in finance. However, he also led the university’s a cappella group, the Nor’easters, who have a solid reputation as an award-winning group.
“Shams’ unique directing and arranging style became synonymous with the group’s signature sound, which is still emulated by collegiate groups today,” his website states.
Ahmed has made a name for himself in the a cappella world. Deke Sharon, the consultant for such projects as the Pitch Perfect film, calls Ahmed “one of the true standard bearers of 21st century a cappella… able to arrange, direct, coach … do it all!”
Another big fan: Mario Jose of the hit Post Modern Jukebox, who praises Ahmed’s personality and professional acumen, saying, “from beautiful arrangements to motivational masterclasses, whatever the project may be, you can depend on immaculate quality in everything Shams does!”
Shams Ahmed behind rising R&B group Citizen Queen
One of Ahmed’s latest, and most exciting, projects is the group Citizen Queen. With links to the likes of Ben Bram, some have called the group “the female Pentatonix.” Citizen Queen has five members, who specialize in a cappella covers of both popular modern hits and classics.
- Evolution of Girl Groups – Citizen Queen
- bad guy [Billie Eilish cover] – Citizen Queen
Though less than a year old, Citizen Queen has already landed a record deal with RCA. In addition, they have more than 20 million views on YouTube. The members of the group all come from different backgrounds, and have distinct strengths and styles as musicians.
“It’s so easy to let your identity slip when you don’t see people like you on the screen, and representation is so important when you’re a young person trying to build self esteem and confidence,” says Citizen Queen soprano Nina Nelson. “We live in a specific time in history where more and more women are taking less sh*t, and our music is becoming less about the man and more about empowering ourselves.”
In addition to Nelson, Citizen Queen includes beatboxer Cora Isabel, Mezzo-Soprano Hannah Mrozak, Bass Kaedi Dalley, and Alto Kaylah Sharve.
Listen to Citizen Queen’s entire discography on Spotify or Youtube
