Colin McShane is a singer and songwriter based out of New York City. GUIDING LIGHT fans should recognize his music, because his songs have guided their beloved characters through many ups and downs throughout the past year. McShane tells Soap Opera Weekly about his musical background and how he got his tunes on TV.

Soap Opera Weekly: Have you always dreamed of being a musician?
Colin McShane: Yeah, always. I got my first drum set at age 5, and I have been playing music in some form or another ever since.

Weekly: You have been involved in many bands throughout your career. How is that similar/different from a solo career?
McShane: It's pretty much the same. It's ultimately just a name change. Rather than a band name, it's my name, but I still play with a band. I never really changed the format. I always wrote all of the music in the band, and I still write all my own songs.

Weekly: Which musicians have inspired you?
McShane: Anyone who is able to accomplish anything is such an inspiration, [and] music as a whole. I don't have a particular favorite kind of music. I like a bit of anything.

Weekly: How did you get your start in the industry?
McShane: When GL reformatted in the beginning of 2008, executive producer Ellen Wheeler wanted to incorporate music from up-and-coming musicians. I submitted about 10 songs, and four of them got chosen for recurring themes in the 2008 season. I have been asked to submit more music, which I am currently in the studio working on.

Weekly: What comes first, the song or the scene?
McShane: They [do] the scene first. They have a music department and a music supervisor who works on the show, [and they] have access to all the different music that they have licensed. They are able to marry the song and the picture, based on mood.

Weekly: Were you a GL fan before having your music on the show?
McShane: Yes. Now I watch it a bit more.

Weekly: Your songs are also going to be featured on MTV's The Hills. Tell us about that.
McShane: I licensed some songs to MTV networks, and the first play they are going to get will be on THE HILLS. I just signed the licensing agreement with MTV Networks, so that clears my music for all of the channels they own — MTV, VH1, Comedy Central, etc. It's the same kind of music: modern pop rock. It's got a mass appeal.

Weekly: Has your fan base changed since your music's been on these shows?
McShane: I don't know if it's changed, [but] it has definitely expanded. I have been able to pick up a more mature demographic than I had in the past. There is one song that I licensed to GL called "It's All For You." After it appeared on the show on March 25, it became a top seller, and I got a crazy amount of downloads from iTunes, Rhapsody and eMusic. I was very excited about it.

Weekly: You recently started your own label, Orphididies Productions. How has that process been for you?
McShane: After I got my songs on GUIDING LIGHT, I had all of these [other] opportunities come up. I decided it would be best to form a company and make everything official. I released both of my albums through my record label. I met Brian Bacchus, who A&R'd Norah Jones to her Grammys a few years ago, and he was able to sign me and my record label with a company called INgrooves, which is the largest digital distributor in the world.

Weekly: Where can fans purchase your music?
McShane: On iTunes, Rhapsody and AOL Music. There is this new company that I am working with called Umixit.com. I actually have all my songs that were on GL on there. Users can download the tracks for 99 cents, and then remix them. They can add their own vocals, change the background beat or change the whole mix of the song.

Weekly: Are you currently performing anywhere?
McShane: I'm in the process of setting up a show. I'm hoping for January, but right now we are really hard at work on the new songs. So we are in the studio.

For more information on McShane and his music, check him out at www.myspace.com/colinmcshane.