Tell us about yourself and your music
I grew up in a church in Texas where I was groomed for stage performance. I started off with piano lessons but when my parents saw I picked up other instruments naturally I kind of just fell into it. So I have a lot of experience with live music and my own music reflects the live quality of R&B
Talk to us more about your latest release
My latest release, “Soul Haven” is an EP of original music written by me and produced by a talented team of producers in Houston. “Analogue Escape” and we came together to give the music the most soulful versions of these songs we could muster
What inspired you to write this release?
This release is made up of songs that mimic love situations of my past, love through life advice and love of who I am as an artist
Any plans to release a video?
Actually, the video for “I Want You” is currently in its editing phase and will be released soon via my YouTube channel.
Any plans to hit the road?
Right now I’m based in Dallas but I’ve been doing some light networking in Austin, Atlanta, and Los Angeles which I’m very excited to announce performance dates once I get everything squared away
As an indie artist, how do you brand yourself and your music to stand out from the rest of the artists out there?
As an artists I feel visual representation is just as important as the sound. And one thing I always make sure to do is visually give my fans authentic and soulful content m. Like for example in my music video I’m wearing an Afro, in my album cover there’s a side profile of my natural dred locs. I make myself stand out musically, in my honest opinion, is my voice. It’s scratchy, imperfect, and real. Everything is so perfected and auto dialed in the studio, I wanted the natural tone of my voice to be what stands out in my music.
Who have you been listening to lately?
As far as new artists I’ve been listening to Anderson Paak. His voice is very soulful to me. I think he’s one of the most underrated artists of our time
Tell us about your passions
My two passions are my children. They keep me going, bright eyed and bushy tailed. Being a mother is one of the hardest and most rewarding jobs you can ever have. Investing in my children really challenges me to be a better artist
What else is happening next in your world?
I want to secure sponsorship and be recognized on larger platforms like festivals and things of that nature. I would also love to collaborate with producers in other genres of music
Thanks for an awesome interview, Shayna!
Connect with Elise Amara
Twitter: https://twitter/eliseamaramusic
