ONR (pronounced “honor”) is singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and self-taught
producer born Robert Shields who was raised in rural isolation on a sheep farm in the
Scottish Highlands. Inspired – not to mention bored – at his family’s farmhouse on cliffs
overlooking the North Sea, Shields began writing and performing his own songs aged
12 or 13, teaching himself piano on a battered instrument missing half its keys that he
uncovered in the family shed. While still at school, he had his first break: he won a
songwriting competition, judged by Coldplay’s Chris Martin, and was later offered a
place at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, founded by Sir Paul McCartney,
which he declined. With such an isolated childhood, his songwriting was his form of
escapism, a craft he was intent on perfecting first and foremost. His hard work caught
the attention of a manager who flew him out to LA – his first time out of Scotland ever –
culminating in a label war, yet he understood the heat of success and still didn’t feel
quite ready, both mentally and musically, and turned all of it down. He continued to
hone his skills by fine-tuning his songwriting and perfecting his live show, performing
hundreds of gigs across Europe, eventually touring with acts like Bastille and Jake
Bugg, while immersing himself amongst Scottish hit-makers Lewis Capaldi and Calvin
Harris. Now Shields has finally figured out who he is as a songwriter, making music that
is true to himself, of which he is proud. He recently signed a deal with Warner Records
and is currently prepping for the Spring 2020 release of his Must Stop EP, four sparkling
synth-pop gems with an anthemic rock undertow that are almost entirely written, played
and produced by Shields himself in his home studio in Dumfries and Galloway.