Duncan Sheik performs at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. Catch up with the artist at: DuncanSheik.com

Duncan Sheik comes off with a very unassuming attitude. He sits back, watching our world at large. In concert, he plays off-the-cuff, taking requests from the audience, easily changing the set’s lineup. Different guitars with different settings must be brought onto the stage -- out of order -- but that’s all right. Sheik simply moves with the flow.

It is Sheik’s easygoing nature and mellow spirit that connects so well with audiences. Not only does he seem to care about his fans and their opinions, he honestly does. The concert date I attended in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., was Sheik’s way of touching base with his fans, letting them know that he was still thinking of them. The Duncan Sheik news groups that can be found on the Atlantic Records Web site are also indicative of his interest in connecting with his fan base. Duncan frequents the news groups to check out what people are saying about his work and to take part in the discussions.

“I can have conversations with fans, and we get amazing philosophical conversations going,” Sheik said. “They talk about sometimes their personal problems, sometimes larger issues and the songs.”

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Sheik said the dialogue is really gratifying to him because it helps people see their problems as part of a bigger picture. As a matter of fact, he’s impressed with the format of the Internet in general. It can be used for a variety of reasons. For musical artists, the Internet can help them get their music out to the world. “They are able to sell CDs, they are able to get their music exposed in different ways,” he said. “It’s a totally excellent medium for that.”

Even with all of his Net-surfing experience, Sheik said there is still a lot that not only he has to learn but that everybody does. “I’m getting there, but I feel like I have a ways to go,” he explained. “As a medium, the depth and breadth are there. I think that there is a lot of potential, and actually I think it has the potential to change the world.”

Sheik turned 30 in November -- an event that he said he was going to spend with his friend Peta Wilson from TV’s La Femme Nikita. The two actually share the same birthday. The Scorpio graduated from Brown University in 1992, with a degree in Semiotics, and his debut album, Duncan Sheik, was released in 1996. The self-titled album featured the pop sensation “Barely Breathing,” which gave Sheik a Grammy Award nom in the Best Male Pop Vocal Performance category. While proud of his accomplishments thus far, Sheik went on to his next work Humming, a much more intellectual album that contains meditations on life.

“I’m very, very proud of that record, and I’m kind of moving on to other things. In terms of how I feel about [Humming], it’s been an interesting process for me because I think the record was a little bit less commercial and less concerned with singing tortured love songs,” Sheik explained. “It was more concerned with talking about a wider set of issues. I think that was a more tricky thing for some people -- and my own fans. Hopefully, at the end of the day, people kind of understand what I’m trying to do with this record.”

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