Born Danielle Balbuena in North Bergen, New Jersey, Shake is of Dominican descent and an openly gay artist celebrated for her authenticity and unique style. She attended North Bergen High School, where she balanced her time between playing on the school’s girls’ basketball team and writing poetry. During this period, she joined the 070 crew—a collective whose name references the various Jersey zip codes its members hail from. The crew includes Ralphy River, Tree Safari, Phi, Malick, Razsy Beats, Ether Phoenix, and J-Sebastian. Together, they released their first collaborative project, The 070 Project: Chapter 1, in December 2016.

Shake’s breakout hit, “Guilty Conscience,” comes from her critically acclaimed 2020 debut album, Modus Vivendi. The song and its remix by Grammy-nominated group Tame Impala have garnered nearly 70 million combined streams on Spotify and an additional 9 million plays on YouTube, cementing her place as a rising star.

In 2022, Shake continued to make waves with notable releases, including a guest feature on Madonna’s single “Frozen” and her tracks “Lose My Cool” featuring NLE Choppa and “Skin and Bones,” the lead single from her album You Can’t Kill Me Because I Don’t Exist. As an openly gay artist, Shake’s music and presence resonate deeply with her audience, making her an influential figure in the LGBT community.