Shalisa

Twenty-four-year-old Shalisa van der Laan discovered her passion for music at a young age. At just eight, she participated in the Children’s Song Festival, Kinderen voor Kinderen, and in 2012, she joined Marco Borsato’s team during the first season of The Voice Kids.

In the meantime, she acted with the Nederlands Kinder Theater and auditioned for Disney for the role of singer-songwriter Nina in the series Just Like Me!, ultimately landing the role. Disney was so impressed with her talent that they later invited her to voice the Disney Princess “Elena of Avalor,” a role she continues to enjoy to this day. Her talent also caught international attention, leading to a contract with the American label Hollywood Records, where she released her first solo single, “Not Alone.”

Beyond acting and singing, Shalisa developed her skills as a songwriter. In 2015, she wrote the song “Million Lights” with Hansen Tomas for the Junior Song Festival, winning the national final and representing the Netherlands at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in Sofia, Bulgaria. This experience ignited her passion even more, and by 2019, she had been accepted into Codarts Conservatorium to deepen her musical training. Now ready for the next chapter, she aims to conquer the Dutch music scene with her band. Her first single in Dutch, “Karma,” was released on March 26, 2021.

Shalisa’s songwriting talent has not gone unnoticed. She now writes both Dutch and English songs for and with a host of renowned artists, including Mikki, Thomas Berge, Sophia Mason, and Romy Monteiro. She collaborates with Joe Buck, Marcel Fisser, Jan Schröder, Yori Swart, Jeroen Ruschen, Jochem Fluitsma, among others. Recently, she signed with the internationally active CTM Publishing.

In 2024, Shalisa released her debut EP, Alter Ego, accompanied by an independent short film that brings the stories behind the songs to life.