He attended classes with DJ and turntablist Joseph Hahn. After graduating high school, Shinoda enrolled in the Art Center College of Design of Pasadena to study graphic design and illustration. The three formed the band Xero, and began to make a more serious attempt to pursue a career in the music industry. Shinoda attended Agoura High School with Linkin Park bandmates Brad Delson and Rob Bourdon. He later added the guitar and rap-style vocals to his repertoire during his middle school and high school years. By 13, he expressed the desire to move toward playing jazz, blues, and hip hop.
Shinoda's mother encouraged him to take classical piano lessons when he was six. Shinoda was born on February 11, 1977, in Panorama City, California, and raised in Agoura Hills, California. In 2018, Shinoda released Post Traumatic, which contained 18 songs about his feelings following the death of bandmate and longtime friend Chester Bennington. He has painted several pieces of artwork, some of which have been featured in the Japanese American National Museum. Outside of music, Shinoda is an artist and graphic designer. Shinoda is also the co-founder of Machine Shop Records, a California-based record label. The band later signed a record deal with Warner Bros Records.
Chester Bennington joined Linkin Park in 1999, replacing Wakefield as lead vocalist. He has also served as a producer for tracks and albums by Lupe Fiasco, Styles of Beyond and the X-Ecutioners.īorn in Panorama City, Los Angeles, California, and raised in Agoura Hills, Shinoda formed Xero, which later became Linkin Park, with two of his high-school friends: Brad Delson and Rob Bourdon in 1996, later joined by Joe Hahn, Dave Farrell and Mark Wakefield. Shinoda later created a hip-hop-driven side project, Fort Minor, in 2004. He co-founded Linkin Park in 1996 and is the band's lead vocalist, as well as rhythm guitarist, keyboardist, primary songwriter and producer. Michael Kenji Shinoda ( / ʃ ɪ ˈ n oʊ d ə/ Japanese: 篠田 賢治, romanized: Shinoda Kenji born February 11, 1977) is an American musician, singer, rapper, songwriter and record producer.