Tei Shi (pronounced “tay-shee”) is the moniker of singer-songwriter & producer Valerie Teicher Barbosa. Growing up between Bogotá, Colombia, & Vancouver, Canada, Tei Shi is heavily influenced by her ever-changing environment & cross-cultural identity.
Since her first two EPs, ‘Saudade’ (2013) & ‘Verde’ (2015), “introduced her to the world as a skilled & fluid vocalist… [Tei Shi] has fully stepped into her own, brewing up confections centered on trusting your own intuition,” (Pitchfork). Her groundbreaking song ‘Bassically’ garnered over 21 million streams on Spotify alone & set the scene for her critically acclaimed debut album ‘Crawl Space’ (2017) – leading her to embark on world tours & make headway in the art & fashion world.
She wrote & was featured on Blood Orange’s ‘Hope’ off his album ‘Negro Swan’ & starred in its music video alongside Tyler the Creator & A$AP Rocky, also performing the song onstage at 2019’s Coachella Music Festival. In November of 2019, Tei Shi released ‘La Linda,’ her much- anticipated second full-length album. Emotionally evocative & sonically daring, “the 11-track project sees Tei Shi more self-assured & fully formed than ever” (i-D). On this album, Tei Shi further embraces her Latin roots & multicultural identity, seamlessly shifting between the languages & musical genres that make her such a unique songwriter & noteworthy artist.
Tei Shi went on to release her 2020 pandemic-made EP ‘Die 4 Ur Love’, followed by her third full length album ‘Valerie’ in 2024. 2025 holds her fourth album, ‘Make believe I make believe’, with its initial singles ‘Best Be Leaving’ and ‘Drop Dead’ released this Spring.
