Interview with Shiadanni

Hello! It is Adam. Welcome back to bringing it backwards. A podcast where both legendary and rising artists tell their own personal stories of how they achieve stardom. On this episode, we hung out with Shiadanni over zoom video. Shia Was born and raised in Guadalupe, Mexico, and she talks about how she got into music. Didn't really come from a musical household, but her parents were very, very supportive of her dream. She started writing songs around 11. She also learned guitar at that point, but she's been singing her entire life. When she was really young in school, she would print out the lyrics. She had written to songs, laminate them, bring them to school. And then, you know, tell her friends, you sing this part. 0 (4m 17s): I'm gonna sing this part. You sing this part. So she tells us about that. She ended up working with different producers from age 13. She was writing songs in English then, but the producers and everyone she was working with was telling her, you know, you don't wanna write in English, write in Spanish. She wanted to be in the industry. So she listened, did that till she was about 21 years old, talked about having a whole album that never really even came out. She went on TV and radio and promoted this thing for a long time, but it never was released some singles released, but the full album never came out. She ended up moving to Canada at 21. We hear that story. When she got to Canada, didn't really play music or do anything for a year or so. 0 (5m 1s): The pandemic hits. She's got all this time at home and she writes this emo acoustic singer songwriter record, which she also hasn't released, but that really got the love for music back. And she tells us all about her new EP, which is called facing the mirror. And with this new EP, she wrote the entire thing produced. The entire thing recorded the entire thing. Absolutely no input from anyone but herself. And it's an incredible, incredible EP facing the mirror. So we talk all about that as well. You can watch our interview with Shia on our Facebook page and YouTube channel at bringing it backwards. It would be awesome if you subscribe to our channel like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok at bringing back pod. 0 (5m 44s): And if you're listening to this on Spotify, apple music, Google podcast, it would be awesome if you follow us there as well, and hook us up with a five star review, 5 (5m 54s): We'd appreciate your support. If you follow and subscribe to our podcast, wherever you listen to podcasts, 0 (5m 60s): We're bringing it backwards with Shiadanni. Awesome. Well, thank you so much for doing this. She, I appreciate it. 6 (6m 6s): Thank you so much for having me. I'm excited. It's the first time I get something like recorded on zoom. 0 (6m 11s): Oh, so it looks good. You look good. It sounds good. Thanks. Awesome. Yeah. Okay, cool. So this podcast is about you and your journey in music. And we'll talk about the new EP, which I was just listening to. It's awesome. And how you got to where you are now. 6 (6m 30s): Exciting. Why do so blurred? That's I want that. Is that a 0 (6m 35s): I'm blurred? 6 (6m 37s): You have like this filter glamor or is that your perfect skin? 0 (6m 40s): Oh, well it's a little bit of both and I'm just kidding. I have, I have good lighting, I guess. I don't know. Oh, 6 (6m 48s): Okay. 0 (6m 48s): Yeah. Well, I appreciate that. Thank you. You 6 (6m 52s): Have this perfect skin. 0 (6m 54s): Oh, well, thanks. Yeah. So I don't know. Maybe it's the lighting or your computer. I don't know either way. Well, I appreciate the compliment and your time. So where were you born and raised? Tell me about that. 6 (7m 7s): I was born in Guadalajara, Mexico. 0 (7m 9s): Oh, awesome. And how long were you there for? 6 (7m 12s): I was born and raised my whole life. Actually. I moved later to Montreal, Canada. I think I was 21 or 21. Oh, wow. 0 (7m 20s): My 6 (7m 20s): Whole upbringing is full Mexican. 0 (7m 23s): Wow. I used to I'm from San Diego. So we'd go down to Mexico all the time. Yeah. TJ and Rosarito and, and all of that, like growing up as a kid? 6 (7m 33s): Yes. Yes. It's super close. I actually never, I haven't been in the us as much. Like I think just Disneyland, which is like Cancun for everyone. It's like, when I say I've been in Disneyland, it's like, okay, that's not, 0 (7m 48s): Oh, that's just the like vacation destination for people. Exactly where we go to Cancun. You guys come up to go to Disneyland. Exactly. Wow. Well, what was it like growing up in, in, in guara? I would love to hear about that. 6 (8m 2s): I mean, it was great. It was fantastic. I miss it so much. It's just, you know, the perfect weather, the perfect food, the perfect. It's just so nice. I mean, once you travel and you go many other, like in other places, you can really appreciate your weather, which is something just normal for me growing up. It was, oh yeah. It's sunny. It's just that's life. 0 (8m 23s): Right. It's sunny in 70 degrees. Like whatever that's. Now, when you moving to Canada, that must have been quite a significant change. 6 (8m 31s): No, it's very cold. Like right now it's okay because it's summer, but winter here, it's brutal. It's minus 40 sometimes. And I mean, I don't go out. It's not like I'm outside like this, like being a warrior. I'm just, 0 (8m 43s): But still you have to just stay inside. Always. 6 (8m 46s): Okay. I mean, lucky for me, I like work inside, you know, I enjoy it, but I don't imagine people who actually have to like go outside every day and like, that's brutal. I mean, yeah. And it's so long. It's six months of winter here. So not like 40 minus 40 every day, but, 0 (9m 3s): But still there's snow on the ground for six months outta the year. 6 (9m 7s): Yeah. 0 (9m 8s): Oh my gosh. That must have been quite the change. It probably never. You never got any weather like that where you grew up? 6 (9m 15s): No, actually, no. It's snowed once in Guadalajara and it was like, it was in the news. 0 (9m 22s): Oh, did it really 6 (9m 24s): Very bad. Ugly, like stiff snow, but we were thrilled. Yeah. No, it was very different. 0 (9m 32s): I remember in San Diego, it, it snowed one time. It was on, I just remember, I was like, Valentine's day when I was really young and it was like to the point where it wasn't even sticking on the ground. Like, it was just like snowflakes and it would just melt as it was kind of coming down. But it was like this huge deals on the news. And like, I remember coming outside and looking and being like this isn't like, this is snow. It was so unimpressed. But cuz I was expecting to see, you know, mounds on the ground and everything. But yeah, it's quite quite a change. I've moved to Nashville, Tennessee where it snows here. And it was a wild, seeing that waking up in the morning to like snow for a handful of weeks. But you get it for months anyway. 0 (10m 13s): So how did you get into music? Do you come from a musical household? 6 (10m 17s): No, I actually always been obsessed since very young age music. Music is just my life. I've always loved singing and I feel like it has like been different for me through my life and like evolved in different stages. But since I can remember it was singing for me. I just loved singing since I was very young, but in my family, there's no musicians at all. And well actually my mom is a painter, so that's the closest, oh 0 (10m 48s): I have this to art art within the hospital 6 (10m 50s): Art. Yes. So my was always painting in the house and I was exposed to music since a very young age because she would, you know, listen to a lot of Enya. Like all of these ambients sound artists. And I always loved that. So I always loved like instrumentals and classical music. And then my dad, he was not a musician, but he would listen to a lot of rock. So he had like led settling queen and like all of these great bands. So I kind of had like a mix 0 (11m 21s): Best of both worlds. That's awesome. And you said you're always singing. Do you play an instrument or did you take piano lessons or anything like that? Growing up? 6 (11m 29s): I, I started learning guitar at 11. Yeah. That was my first instrument. 0 (11m 34s): Okay. And was that something that you were interested in or your parents are like, Hey, you 6 (11m 39s): Should no, never. No. My, my family just was like, no, you know, like always, 0 (11m 43s): Oh they didn't want you to, okay. 6 (11m 46s): Now it's not, I don't think it's even me that I'm a musician. I, I would like prefer if my kid just would want to do something else just because it's just so hard, you know? It like, it takes a lot of courage and a lot of energy and like, I feel like I have a huge quota here already and likes like keeping stones. I just to something else, if I would have, if I would have children, I'd be like, please, no, just something else. 0 (12m 12s): It's interesting how that is. There's a lot of parents that are in whether it's movies, TV, music, they don't want their kids to, to take that rap rap just because it's so unpredictable. 6 (12m 24s): Yeah. Yes. So my family was like that and, but to me it was just also, my girls was like, I was not just the kid who, yeah, I love singing. No, I was, I would just tell people, no I'm gonna be a star. I was annoying like that at eight. 0 (12m 40s): Oh wow. 6 (12m 41s): At school teachers, like people hated me and didn't have a lot of friends because that's all I could talk about. You know? And I had this huge heroes that were like a lot of rock bands and at the time, which where I was growing up, it was MTV world. So I would watch ALA blink 180 2, this punk rock, pop era was what I was listening to growing up. And so I wanted to band and I was taking so seriously and I was like telling people in my class, please like just stand there and say like I would print lyrics and make them in plastic after and like tell people in my classroom, like, this is your part like this, this, and then this is my part. 6 (13m 21s): And then again, you, you know, I was like taking so serious, like, like a business since I was very little so. 0 (13m 28s): Wow. Were you writing those songs or you're just bringing covers. They 6 (13m 31s): Were terrible of course, 0 (13m 32s): But still that's some courage, not only to write the song, but to present it to people in your class and then be like, here's your part? You're gonna sing these lyrics that I wrote. Wow. Wow. 6 (13m 44s): Wow. Yeah. And then, I mean, I started, I did go to school, like of course guitar, but I suddenly realized I was the worst student despite like loving music so much. I was like, wow, this is terrible. I hate it. Because also another thing for me was like, I've always loved being a show girl. So for me like to be there, like, no, I just like, feel me. Like I wanna do something I want, I was always like a mix of like doing a show and like making people laugh and like doing impressions and all of these. And, and so learning theory and harmony in a classroom was just like waste of time for me, where I could be like doing a video clip in my house, like for fun and all of these things. 0 (14m 27s): Right. Right. So instead of the, yeah, the technical aspect of it, you were more yeah. Like the creative hours, but that's kind of, that really worked out for you. Right. With the impressions. Was, were you always funny and just kind of witty like that. I did see the, you know, the video that went really massive with the guacamole where you're kind of playing two parts and you know what I mean? Like, was that something that you always kind of had? 6 (14m 50s): Oh yes. Yes. I've always loved like making people laugh. I, I enjoy that feeling a lot. Like just making someone's day better since I was like getting visits in my house with like, you know, a family of my parents that they would come over and oh, we want Shia, can she, can she like, you know, and I was a kid, so they wanted me in the table and I enjoyed that. I was like, oh yes, this is great. You know? So I always enjoyed that part. But for me it's always been, yeah. I feel like I love doing a lot of different things. I feel like that's been my course, like I wanted do this. I wanted that. I wanted that. And I enjoy so many different things and I love learning a lot. I'm so curious since I was a kid. 6 (15m 32s): So it's like, my brain never stopped. I need location. 0 (15m 37s): Well, that's just a lot of creative. People are like that. It's just like their mind is constantly doing, you know, running with, with these ideas or want needing like a release. So you, you said 11, you started learning guitar, but you just didn't really stick with it. Or 6 (15m 52s): Of course, no, I loved, I loved guitar, but I, everything I learned, I, I thought myself, I figured it was better for me at least. Oh 0 (15m 59s): That's yeah. Yeah. So you just used it at least was like an instrument to write or a vehicle to write your own songs or? Yes. 6 (16m 6s): Yes. For me it helped me. And this is what I tell every time. Like, I, I talk to people and they're like, you know, what do you recommend if you're like, like if you're starting, if you wanna make, be a musician, like, make sense. 0 (16m 19s): That's my last question for you, but we can answer it now and then we'll revisit it. So go ahead. 6 (16m 24s): Who's like 21, I think, I think, yeah. She said, oh, I, I don't wanna study medicine anymore. I wanna be an artist. I suddenly want to I'm like, like, yes, of course I'll support you. She's like, but how can I start? Cuz she struggles a lot with it. Like songwriting I'm like choose an instrument. Always. I think I know like probably in today's world, nobody cares and it's easy to make music and produce songs. Like I, I produce my, my record myself and I agree like you totally don't need to learn strings to play strings, but 0 (16m 57s): Oh wow. You produced that. The facing the mirror album or the EP. Oh wow. Okay. We'll get into that. That's that's incredible. 6 (17m 3s): Thank you so much. I love that album so much, but yeah. I told Nicole learn an instrument because it really hugs what you wanna say all the time. It helps you so much. It gives you so much confidence and I feel, yeah, it's the, the only way you can start to learn your language, your own language, you know, in music. I feel 0 (17m 24s): So you, yeah, I completely agree. So you're writing songs, you learned guitar around 11 and then what's like the next phase you were talking about bringing, presenting your classmates with your songs and saying, okay, no I'm 6 (17m 36s): About 0 (17m 36s): That. No, no, no. But like, but did you start a band? Did you end up starting a band or doing singer songwriter stuff? 6 (17m 45s): Oh my goodness. I never talked about this. This is the first time I talked about it, but I did have bands, but they were, you know, not professional bands, but I did have bands with friends who were forced to be in these bands. You know, it's not like, yeah. Rock bands mainly I think like two or three and I, we would play cafe and people were just like hanging out, you know? But I was like, this is my moment. This is the night I'll get discovered in this bar. In GU someone from the us is here. You know, in my mind, I always wanted to, to just be everywhere because I was used to like grow up. Sorry. I was used to seeing all these artists that I love. So of course I, I was like, I, I wanna do the same. 6 (18m 27s): I wanna be there as well. So I always felt like my city, you know, it was just not the place for me as well. I always felt like that. Even despite like loving my, my country and my city, I feel like, no, I need to, I need to be, I need to do everything. I need to get out. You know, the dream of every kid, it was for me. And I started with guitar and then I also always wanted to write in English. But for some reason, producers, when I used to meet with producers in Mexico, they were telling me stop. You know, they were like, what are you doing? Stop writing in English. And it was my dream to write in English, but they were telling me to stop and I was 13. So I said, okay. 0 (19m 6s): Oh wow. Yeah. I was gonna ask you about that. The first two songs that I've saw on your Spotify were all in Spanish and then it changes obviously. So you were trying to write an English from that early on or you were writing English, but they weren't they producing telling you not to. 6 (19m 22s): Yes. I have a lot of playlist private playlists that I don't know if I'll ever released all of these songs, but they're just acoustic demos all in English when I was a teenager and nobody heard the songs because nobody gave me the confidence or the support to tell me nobody cares if you're in Mexico, just post the songs. Yeah. Afraid. Because of course I was always alone and I had the responsibility of, you know, it's all on me and I don't know anything I'm 13. So I never, I never released anything. All of these English songs. And I was just following what adults were telling me on these producers that I, I were telling me, no, you need to write in Spanish. You're in Mexico. So that's what I did. And I made a record, a Spanish record that had like 12 Spanish songs. 6 (20m 8s): It was like rock pop. And some singles are the ones, you know that they're they're on YouTube. Yeah. 0 (20m 13s): Yeah. Okay. It's and so how did, well, how did you meet the producers and everything like that sounds like being that young and already Mexico. 6 (20m 21s): Yeah. 0 (20m 21s): Going to the studio to record songs, 6 (20m 24s): Like a crazy person. I mean, trying to fight for my dream. I was going to Mexico city and, and trying to meet people. And my dad was supporting me at the time. He was my manager at the time, so. 0 (20m 35s): Oh, that's cool. So the very supportive parents then to, to really embrace that. Yeah. Okay, cool. Yeah. 6 (20m 40s): In a way, yes. He, he was always, you know, we're gonna do it. Okay. Because he realized that I was sick. So he was okay, she's not gonna do anything else. So we tried to do it in Mexico for a while. Yes. And we met with people, I recorded this album in a studio in Mexico city and it was fun. But at the same time I was loving the music, of course. But at the same time, it was not my dream music that I wanted to do. I was just trying to, 0 (21m 8s): You were, but you were doing music, so that's all you were like, okay, I'll, I'll settle with this because I'm actually doing music. No. Yeah, for sure. And you, and so how long does that last, like you said, you moved to, to Canada at 21 prior to that, like what was kinda the next step there that kept you going or like a validating moment that, you know, kept kind of keeping you moving forward? 6 (21m 31s): Yes. For a while I was going back and forth, Mexico city and, and Guadalajara because of this, because of work, I was going allowed to record Mexico city. And then it was just a long time there trying to figure out when to release. It was also this time was kind of in the switch into music going into just the streaming world, I think. Okay. I was still, I remember we, we promoted some songs still on the radio in Mexico. We were still in that world, which by the way in Mexico, probably still doing a lot of thing, a lot of this still. So if I would go produce, I mean, promote this album, there would be probably totally different system or, you know, plan or strategy. 6 (22m 17s): I don't know. Right. But at the time it was like this, I was going to newspapers, different buildings, interviews in person and TV programs, playing with the guitar. It was totally different. 0 (22m 32s): Yeah. And how it, and 6 (22m 33s): Like, I think eight years doing this, like promoting this record there, cause maybe the, actually the, the actual record never came out. Like I never, the whole thing. I was trying to promote two singles, then one single, then one, something like that. 0 (22m 50s): And then the Alma never, never came out. 6 (22m 52s): Never, no, it never came out because I was also in the process of changing teams, meeting another producer, changing team, again, meeting bad people, another bad people, you know, you go through so many people. 0 (23m 5s): Yeah. Just trying to find your sound and your team. 6 (23m 7s): Exactly. So at the end I was like, okay, this is not. And also it was, you know, it was sucking my spirit, my life away. Imagine like just trying to make it. And then you just meet with obstacle, obstacle, obstacle, obstacle. You're, you're doing it. You're promoting your songs, but it's not, it's not progressing as you, especially not the way you wanna go the direction I wanna go. So there was a moment where I said, okay, stop it stop. I cannot continue like this. I'm gonna have a heart attack. And I just spoke with my family. I said, I'm leaving. I had a drama moment. And I said, I don't, I don't even wanna do music anymore. I don't enjoy it. I don't enjoy it anymore. I don't wanna write a song. I, I stopped loving music for a while when I was in my 20 early twenties. 6 (23m 49s): So I said, I just wanna leave and, and just have a break. I need a break. And I needed a change of environment. I think very important. And that's what I did. That's how I ended up in Canada. And I stayed. 0 (24m 3s): Why did you choose Canada? Like, why did you choose where you did? 6 (24m 6s): So the thing is, I was lucky that my family thought about a second choice for us. I was very fortunate that way. So they, they started the process for, for the residents a long time ago for us in case if there was an apocalypse in case of whatever we needed. 0 (24m 23s): Oh, wow. Yeah. Just so, so you, you had almost a dual citizenship with Canada at that point or you, you were able to go there with no problems. I 6 (24m 32s): Residents. It was yeah. In the process at the same time. I couldn't go yet, but the moment in my mental breakdown I could, so I think it was destiny. 0 (24m 40s): Yeah. It sounds like it. 6 (24m 42s): Yeah. I ended up here and for a year I didn't write a song. I was not like, yay here for a year. I was completely in a very dark place trying to reconnect with myself, with art, with everything. And after that, it just actually that year, no, I didn't make a song that year, but surely after I was like, okay, I'll, I'll, I'll grab the guitar again. And I did like the most emo depressing, most amazing songs that I don't know if I'll ever release, I would love 0 (25m 14s): That's right. This sounds right at my alley. I love the emo depressing songs for you. 6 (25m 17s): Me 0 (25m 18s): Too. 6 (25m 19s): I love these songs. And I made an album that it's kind of like that everything's in a acoustic guitar and they have strings as well. Very orchestra, super beautiful. I love it. But it's so dark. 0 (25m 32s): Wow. You should just release it under a different name or something. Just like would put it out. 6 (25m 37s): I dunno what I'm with it, but I wanna do something. Yeah. But it's totally different than facing the mirror, but 0 (25m 42s): Right. But this is something that just kind of, did you record it all yourself? I mean, you said you produced facing the mirror, so you must have produced that all yeah. By yourself. Like how did that work? Did you just did it on your computer or something or, yeah, 6 (25m 54s): Yeah. Right here. I mean, I had the basics. I always had logic, but I always used it for, for demos and just basic stuff for the guitar. I always focused on the guitar. So I would just do demos, but then I think it was that album. I think it was when I started to use more orchestra sounds and add a little more things and add a little more things. I was like, oh yeah, it's not that hard and a little bit. And I started getting a little bit more confidence, I guess until the point where I did facing the mirror, which is last year. 0 (26m 28s): Wow. Okay. So, so this, like, you don't know the moment that you were like, okay, I'm gonna just pick this up and start writing this email record. It was just, it just happened to happen when it did. 6 (26m 39s): No, I didn't plan it. That was just, yeah. Oh my gosh. Like terribly, terribly, terribly, terribly, terribly lost. And all I did was record these songs. Yeah. And I was not expecting to make a lot of songs that when I made them and I looked at them and I listened to them, I was like, wow, this sounds like a movie. This could be a movie. And I started to plan a movie for it. I wanted to be, I don't, if I ever do this, then it's better to not talk about it right now. But I won, I had the whole thing figured out for this project. Sure. And then it took so long also meeting people because again, like I was alone at the, at the time also I didn't have management. 6 (27m 21s): I didn't have anything. So everything that I do so far in my life, I had to figure out myself like this video, I need these people. I need to call this. I need to figure out this. When is this coming out? So yes. But that, that this songs definitely gave me the confidence to, oh, I wanna keep, I need to make more music for sure. 0 (27m 39s): Sure. Were you writing those songs in? Were those songs in English or in Spanish? Yes. Okay. So then when do you start cause facing the mirror doesn't sound, anything like an E mode depress record, right? I mean, so tell me, when does, when do you start writing those songs and how does this, this album, you know, get put together and obviously it's out now. 6 (27m 60s): Yeah. Facing the mirror was also, time is a blur. I have blackouts, but I think it was the lockdown for sure. Okay. The lockdown for me was a fantastic time to just be in the stinky room and figure out production. I, I was just flying. I was loving the whole process of producing now with more elements and more layers and more instruments and yes. And I think it was the first time that I, Hmm. There's no acoustic guitar anymore here. I think it's the first time that the process for me was music first, you know, pads, instrumental strings voices. 6 (28m 47s): And yeah, for me, I think, I, I don't think I'll ever, well, I won't say never, but like to go back to guitar for me, like it's now a crime. 0 (28m 57s): Okay. As a orchestral sound, especially in the, the first song, how it comes in, it's just like, almost like this. Like I can see it at like a big theater and like a huge orchestra playing as you sing. 6 (29m 9s): Yes. I love, I love that feeling. And also I think I was thinking about it cuz someone asked me why, why you love voices so much like choirs and these voices and you know what I think it's because I was so alone, I I've always been so alone. And for me, music was that companionship. And I feel like how I love putting voices in my record because it made me feel less alone. It's crazy what? 0 (29m 33s): No, but it makes sense. Right. I mean to have that as kind of a, yeah. A partner so to speak. I don't know. 6 (29m 40s): Yeah. Yeah. I was feeling watched. I was feeling like, oh, it's okay. I were here. Yeah. 0 (29m 46s): Wow. So this was all put together during the, when the COVID lockdown happened. 6 (29m 51s): Yes. 0 (29m 54s): Okay. Sorry. 6 (29m 59s): You scared me. Yes. Log down for sure. It was the beginning of the songs. Also. I didn't plan to make a record as well. I just was making songs, making songs, making songs. And I have so many songs that I wish to release like this facing the mirror. They're so old these songs and I can't hear them anymore guilty, but I just can't like, I have a couple that I enjoy, but I won't put this album in the car because it's just, I have so many other songs that are new and I wish I could just share like that. Actually, when I met my management, I told them I need to release an album, 20 songs. 6 (30m 40s): I need to do it. And they were like, no, you're not fan. I was like, how dare you? Like who cares? And it was a struggle because I I've always been in conflict with, you know, my heart as an artist and the business side of it, which is not realistic probably if, especially in some warming things up with this new type of music for me to want to release an album of 20 songs because yeah. They say, no, nobody has the attention for it. Like everyone's gonna skip it. I'm like, well, okay. I, 0 (31m 14s): I, in mind. Right, right. I see what they're saying in the sense that yeah, people's attention spans are so short and it's like put out a single and get a bunch of plays on the single instead of, because it's just like, no, one's digesting a full album anymore. It's more like playlists and singles. And, but I love the thought in, in the concept of writing a whole album, having it makes sense and why the first song was chosen for where it is and you know, and, and just the placement and the, and the story that an album will tell, I think is, is such a cool art in itself, right? 6 (31m 48s): Yes. Always. 0 (31m 50s): So with you said, facing the mirror, you weren't even sure it was gonna be an album. It was just songs. And then what, they just started to kind of flow together and it became what it is now. 6 (32m 1s): Yes. I think I started realizing they had a specific essence despite being different songs and yeah, I think they're probably very different ones. Like if you listen to them individually, but I think they have this same essence and I was too excited because I think it was the first time I thought, oh, this is me. This is me. As opposed to, you know, producing or releasing all of the previous songs where I don't know, it was just, it was still me. It's my songwriting, it's my songs. 6 (32m 42s): But I think this is the first time that I had the absolute freedom and time to discover my own how Shani music would sound like. And I felt so proud, especially because I did it myself. There was no one in the room telling me, oh no, that's not this notes can't be together. Which is the thing every time, because I, you know, I, I do everything by ear. I play everything by ear. So I, I bump heads a lot of the times with producers who are like, no, you're killing me with these two notes. I'm like, I don't care if they don't work together. It gives a feeling a sensation that is cool. And nobody is gonna notice that these notes don't go together. 6 (33m 21s): It's just you. 0 (33m 24s): Right. And I think that comes back to you not liking the technical aspect of it. Right. And, and like learning the, the theory. And, and, and I've had a lot of conversations with artists that have absolutely no training in that because they didn't want to have that mindset. You know, it's like, I don't want it almost like restricts you in a certain way. It's probably really beneficial in certain ways, knowing, okay, this note goes with this and this should happen this way. And you could work quickly, but also it might take away. You would never try what, you're what you're talking about. Like the producer saying that note, doesn't go with this. But you're like, well, I, it does to me. And it sounds rad and it's different than where, you know, it has a feeling, right? 0 (34m 5s): Yeah. That you would lose if you just thought of it as this note should go with this note. 6 (34m 11s): Yes. A hundred percent. I feel like all the decisions I took in this album would have never passed the check. If I would be in a studio with someone else, they would tell me, you know, oh, this doesn't, no, this is not a good idea. Oh, they're gonna skip here. Oh, what are you trying to say here? What are you, you know, why is your message with this line? Or what is your like, no, I don't, I don't even know. Like, I'm just trying to put a feeling or an emotion or who cares. Right. 0 (34m 40s): I love that. So this whole album, there's no other input. It was just you doing what you're gonna do record the whole thing. And just here it is, you presented it. 6 (34m 51s): Yes. 0 (34m 52s): I love that. That's so rad. I haven't heard that in such a long time. That that'd be the case. 6 (34m 57s): Hmm. Yes. I, I was afraid of, you know, am I, I was happy because I was satisfying myself. I was happy because I loved the music. I loved what I did, but I was like, oh my God, are they gonna really gonna care? Because it's not, you know, the usual type of music, it's not, it doesn't sound copy, paste, copy paste. To me, it sounds like a special album. And it sounds like instrumentals that you just don't have in a party playlist. It's something that you have to listen to and like, oh this, what is she saying? Or what? This is so dramatic to me, it's a special album. 6 (35m 39s): So I just thought, oh my God, am I, should I have done? Should I dropped a, a pop pop before? Should I, you know, you think, oh, and I feel your vision can get so contaminated with today's world. It's so hard. It's so hard to swim against the current and to have the courage to say, no, it's fine. I don't need to do that. I won't do a TikTok trend. I won't. But you, the world is telling you, you have to, you know, and it's so hard for musicians because we are trying to adapt. We are trying to make our projects be heard. And it's right now, TikTok is the way I think everyone's promoting on TikTok, but it's also, man, it's so hard. 6 (36m 24s): It's such a conflict because you just wanna make music. You just wanna make music for yourself. And I feel, yeah, the vision can get contaminated. At least for me, I I'm in that struggle where I want to make real music and I want to swim against the current, but I'm faced with the consequences. 0 (36m 43s): No, I, I completely hear you. Yeah, it's do I put a pop, a pop pop song out because I know that people are going to immediately be drawn to it. Like, oh, like, this is cuz there's a style that obviously works. And, and for a mass amount of people, if you're just playing that game, but I think the record you did is amazing. And I think it's something that sounds like it should be like a theater performance with, like I said, like an orchestra and everything else. And to what you said about the, you know, jumping on these TikTok trends, it's like, you were able to separate yourself from that, by creating your own, you know, niche within that, like your video and viral, like we're talking about the, the guacamole video, because it was something that you did and, and you were just doing you, whereas like if a hundred people try to repurpose that or do their version of it, like it will never land the same way. 0 (37m 38s): You know what I mean? 6 (37m 41s): Yeah. That's true. I 0 (37m 42s): Feel, yeah. I feel like just because, I mean, yeah, right. Like it's being authentic and you're being authentic on the record or you're being authentic in that video. And, but I can see what you're saying where it's hard to, to blur the lines because you're like, well, these other things are working, but yeah. So, but so did what you, you know, you did there anyway. 6 (38m 2s): Yeah. Something that, that I really tell my followers because I feel like a lot of creative people follow me a lot of like artists and just in many different areas, a 0 (38m 13s): Lot of people follow you relate, 6 (38m 17s): Relate to what I do. And they love hearing advices, you know? And, and I always say like, it doesn't matter what you do because I am guilty. I make, I make comedy on TikTok because it, it works. And of course I do it because I'm smart. And I know it's gonna, it's gonna support the main passion that I have have, which is music. That's why I started doing it. I wa I said, okay, I have this skill and I'm, I'm just gonna do it. I'm gonna make comedy. And this opened so many doors for me, but I was, I had so much ego before that, that I didn't wanna do it for so long that I said, I'm not gonna join the circus because I'm an artist. 6 (38m 56s): Right. And I I've been repeating to everyone. Okay. You need to stop with your ego and be smarter and actually grab the circus and make your own circus and like do it your own way and bring your own rules. Because if you say like, yeah, everything is trash, everything is trash. I'm not gonna join. Well, I, you actually could make, could make it less painful if you were there and you know, people are gonna see it. They're gonna be like, oh, okay. There's good things. There's okay. You motivate people. You inspire people. You, people are like, okay, I'm gonna do it. Oh yes. You know, if I would've seen someone like doing something very cool, which there is a lot of people now, I feel like more people are getting like the courage to go on TikTok now. 6 (39m 39s): And it's inspiring to see people who, who are creative and who have talent and who like are yeah. Who have smart and who have smart purpose behind the content. I think you can tell when you watch something and you're like, oh, this person, I know what they're doing. 0 (39m 56s): Right. Right. Yeah. You can, when you see the stuff that does work and lands, it's like, oh, okay. I, I understand how that, yeah. Like I said, it, it it's really has to be authentic or people can notice it like instantly. And you'll see that with what videos do what I love, how you have that harp rate there. Did you use that on the record? 6 (40m 17s): I used it. Yeah. 0 (40m 18s): Wow. When did you learn how to play the harp? I saw it in a video that you posted too. It just, that's why I was curious. 6 (40m 24s): It's my favorite instrument so far. I think there's just something about it. So spiritual. It just there's no instrument like the harp, you just don't need voice at all. You just let the harp play. I learned probably like five years ago. Yeah. It was one of my biggest dreams since I was little. Yeah. And yeah, it's not an instrument. Easy to find. 0 (40m 51s): Also I was gonna say like, you just show up at your, the music shop and say, throw a mark in the back seat. Like it's not a portable one either. 6 (41m 1s): Yeah. It took me a long time to find the one I wanted and to, you know, a lot of years to, to find one. Cause it's not something you go, I want this one. No, like you 0 (41m 11s): Don't walk in a guitar center and leave with a, 6 (41m 15s): So this is my favorite sound in a harp. It's not even a huge one. It's like a medium one size, but 0 (41m 22s): It's still the tall, as tall as you are, at least in the video you're holding. And it's like, it 6 (41m 27s): Looks, it looks massive, but I'm actually so tiny. Like when I hold my cat, they think it's a huge cat. And I'm just the tiny one. The cat cat 0 (41m 38s): Normal. 6 (41m 39s): I'm like, see a cat now it's just a normal cat. 0 (41m 44s): Okay. 6 (41m 46s): Love the harp. Used it in the, I love songs and I love it. I love to use it more for random improvs. Just random melodies. It's so nice for it. When you just want to make something a short clip. I love it for it. Yeah. 0 (42m 4s): Yeah. It's beautiful instrument. I think it's cool. What you said earlier about not listening to your record or at least the facing the mirror album in your car because you you're already like 10 steps ahead of that. Is it because you like the music you're writing now? Like you don't wanna be like re influenced by it or is it what you're doing now? Totally different. Or you're just like, okay, that was one thing. And I'm done with it. I'm just looking forward. 6 (42m 31s): I think I just can't listen to the songs because I just hear so many mistakes of not mistakes, but maybe 0 (42m 39s): Things you'd wanna change maybe. 6 (42m 41s): Yeah. For sure. Be like, oh, over here, I should have done this. I should have done because I do every sound from the kick to whatever it is. Wow. So I'm like, oh my God, this kick needed a different compressor, you know? 0 (42m 54s): Yeah. You could, yeah. You could get yourself stuck all day doing that. And I've asked, and I'm wondering if that, cuz I've asked artists about this when they were producing during COVID or the lockdown is, did you get caught up in that at all? Like oh yes. Spending way too much time re-listening to it and just like minuscule tweaks instead of just being like, okay, this is done. Like I can't even go back and listen to it. Cause I'll spend another six weeks, you know, changing compressors on the kick drum 6 (43m 22s): Actually for me, I, I do the songs very quickly. I'm just, I think my problem is I don't stop. So instead of perfection in one song, I just go to the next and go to the next and go to the next. And so I think, yeah, I don't, I'm guilty of not spending the, the right time in each song, you know? So people might not hear the things I hear in the songs, but I'm like, oh, okay. I, this is missing this or this is missing that. And also I'm learning as well because I just started producing. So there's a lot of new things that I buy library sounds, things like that, that I keep buying and I'm like, oh, if I would've had this pluggin for that track, like, God, this is the best plugin ever. 6 (44m 8s): Why I didn't use this, you know, 0 (44m 10s): So. Right, right. You could get caught up in that for sure. So the new songs you have, it sounds like you're always writing, but this is new and we're talking about this. Are you doing any shows? Supporting the EP? Oh 6 (44m 22s): My goodness. We are gonna start shows hopefully this year. 0 (44m 26s): So are you excited for that? 6 (44m 28s): I'm excited. It's I've never played live before I think. 0 (44m 32s): Wow. Aside from those gigs when you were a kid. 6 (44m 36s): Yes. That's it. I did a lot of acoustic shows, but I've never played with tracks. I've never had my years. Like this is the first time I'm rehearsing with eight years and trying to adapt the songs to a live show. It's it's gonna be my first time ever. So. 0 (44m 53s): Wow. That must be exciting. 6 (44m 55s): Yeah, for sure. I'm excited. I mean, despite singing like a crazy person through all my life, I, I was not out there as much as regular musicians might be because I guess for me it was, I was always in my world and trying I was in the other side. Right, 0 (45m 11s): Right. Well, that's really exciting. I, I hope you come to the United States and play Nashville, Tennessee. I would love to see you. 6 (45m 20s): I would love to. I think we're gonna start with Canada though. 0 (45m 23s): Yeah. Makes sense. 6 (45m 24s): Yes. Start here for practice 0 (45m 28s): And then work your way down. I love it. 6 (45m 30s): And then we'll go there. 0 (45m 32s): Awesome. Well, thank you so much for your time today. This has been so much fun. My last question, which you've, I think you've answered three times so far, but I'm gonna ask it again. If you have any advice for aspiring artists. 6 (45m 45s): Yes. I, I think I would say just try, I, I, it sounds cheesy because I said before, you know, to swim against the current, because it's a message I always repeat to try to, to try to not get caught up with all the noise right now, because it's just so saturated, so full of everyone wanting to do it. And I feel go back to your purpose and why you wanna do it. Why you love music and try to, to find your own language in music. Yes. To try to find your, your authentic, your authenticity, which is what's gonna be your power.