Shawn-Aileen Clark came to New York City to study dance at Marymount Manhattan College and quickly became engrossed in studying the choreography of classic American Broadway musicals. At some point the melodies of such composers as Gershwin, Rogers, Berlin, Loesser and others became so inspiring that Shawn switched from dancer to singer. She immediately started a career as a band leader with the swing group Bim Bam Baby which worked regularly in and around New York City as well as repeatedly touring the east coast.As her approach to music matured she found herself being drawn more to a jazz interpretation of the songs she loved so much. This led to Shawn forming the popular jazz band Lapis Luna, which plays several times a week at New Yorks most prestigious venues like the Rainbow Room, Blue Water Grill, 21, The Museum of Natural History, and provides music for hundreds of events, both public and private, every year. The band has performed at the Port Jefferson Jazz Festival, Stamford Summer Music Series, Pawcatuck Jazz Festival, The Rock Island Music Festival, and the Virginia Beach Jazz Festival.Shawn learned on the bandstand from some of New York's finest jazz musicians like saxophonists Dmitry Baevsky, Chris Byars, Vito Dieterle & Evan Schwam, trumpeter Richie Vitale, bassists Chris Pistorino, Corin Stiggall & Ari Roland, pianists Ehud Asherie, Whitney Ashe, Spike Wilner, Brooks Hartell & Sascha Perry, and drummers Phil Stewart, Joe Strasser, Tootsie Bean, and Brian Floody. Since starting her singing career 7 years ago, she has been in publications from all over the world, most notably Art Forum and Smithsonian Magazine, featured in many projects with top photographers, and was seen & heard on NYC TV Channel 13 City Arts where she was said to be a film noir waiting to happen.