Today we’d like to introduce you to Shanny.
Hi Shanny, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a soul singer and songwriter originally from Newark, Delaware. I moved here to Atlanta in 2018 to create new opportunities with my artistry. I began singing when I was five, in church as the preacher’s kid. Around age nine, I was kicked out of the choir because I never wanted to listen to the director (lol). Due to that, I stopped singing for years. Before I moved to Atlanta, I had a chance to live with three of my little sisters and because of that experience, I fell back in love with writing, back in love with music, back in love with the raw talent of musical gifts. I would always tell everyone I could sing yet still so afraid to open up my mouth and just share my gifts. After experiencing a few hardships along the way, I made up my mind to live freely, to take advantage of the opportunity to experience life in this form and to do everything I can to make my purpose, my dreams, a reality. I’ve had a ton of setbacks along the way, been told no and rejected a few times or more, still I go. My hope is that everyone who takes a moment to check out my sound, they’ll decide to continue on this artistic, soulful journey of mine.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
When I consciously chose to pursue artistry the biggest challenge was getting out of my own head. I know most artists can agree that we are usually our own hardest critique, especially when we care so much and love what we do. We not only want our supporters to love and appreciate our craft, on the flip side, we want to be proud of what we are releasing to the world. My grandfather said this line when preaching “We are our biggest enemy. Many times we think of the enemy as in those who do not believe in us, the devil, etc. BUTTTT enemy breaks down into inner (‘inna’) me…you are what holds you back” I will never forget that. Deciding to sacrifice everything to follow after my dreams has been all part of this. Through every obstacle, I stayed true to the goal. Finally, finally my life now somewhat resembles what I hoped for since age nine.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
You can find my most recent tracks on ALL streaming platforms. I have two released tracks, ‘Blame Me’ and ‘Starlight Free Papers’. I also sing on YouTube here and there. Every once and a while I find a random instrumental, freestyle anything on spot to vocally train myself, and then I post to share. If you enjoy my sound and want to be part of my journey, I thank you in advance for your support. I am available for booking for most events. Especially, church related and open mics around the city.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
The way to get out of your own head is through building confidence, through getting out there and just doing it and getting better every time. You keep going at it and you do not stop. No matter how many no’s, no matter how many streams, views, likes you do or do not get, you keep going. Your support will find you and it will be authentic. Building myself up to be confident in trusting that my words, my style, my artistry it has its own special place that has been part of the lesson. Many roadblocks, lessons, etc. come in many forms in a journey like this, whether mental, spiritual, emotional, etc. To start from a little girl who just loved to sing, to singing in a choir, to performing in talent shows, to hiding my voice after all of that, then to now writing songs, to me sharing me with the world, and to performing, I can say I am appreciative of every setback, every no, and for every lesson. No matter what, I keep going! Always keep going!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ishanny__/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuHF0AmgaDm-qlogIYt_N5g
- Other: https://linktr.ee/IShanny
Image Credits
SDR Photog
