Shenna - Exclusive Interview + Takeover 11/2
Shaping her identity as an artist, musician Shenna has released an epic new hit titled “Blue Memories.” This fire woman in music often speaks publicly over her depression and struggles with mental illness, as many of us do. Shenna’s recent notability ranges from being featured on MTV, to being featured on Billboard, and furthermore receiving over 500K+ streams on Spotify. Any woman that speaks with great measures of vulnerability is a woman we want to invest in. Check below as we talk with Shenna about her recent gig with the incredible Sofar Sounds + more!
“When I started, many people in the music industry wanted to sell a sexualized image of me and refined me to only slow R&B jams. Nothing is wrong with being sexy, but being put into that role wasn’t me and I felt forced into a box. Blue Memories is my process in expressing myself through my own voice, instead of those around me.”
Hey Shenna! Thank you so much for talking with us today. Tell us a little bit about yourself!
Hey guys! I’m Shenna and I am an r&b/pop singer-songwriter from VA who now currently lives in NYC and I’m just climbing my way in the music industry by writing for tv and film, touring, and trying to inspire others to embrace who they are!
What would you say has been the biggest turning point in your career?
I would say my biggest turning point was when I got my first song on a tv show! I remember I was in rehearsal and my producer Austin called me and I was like “omg guys my song 'Take Your Time” is going to be on MTV’s Finding Carter!” I didn’t realize that my songs playing on tv shows would help build my audience! People started shazaming my songs and my following and numbers increased organically!
We saw that you just played Sofar Sounds! We’re huge fans. What songs did you perform on it? What was your experience like?
Thank you! I love Sofar too! I played some songs off my Ep such as “Hope You’re Happy”, the EP title single “Blue Memories” and “Conversation” to name a few. It felt good to talk to the crowd about the message behind each song and to really take my time with it and play it acoustically with no production sounds!
Where do you find aesthetic inspiration?
I find aesthetic inspiration honestly by spending way too much time looking on clothing sites. I’m literally that person that puts things in my cart and never pressed the “check out” button it is a hobby of mine to look at Pinterest boards and editorial magazines! I like to style to express who I am so I dress up wherever I go usually because it’s 100% me.
What song off your new EP do you want people to hear first? Which one is your favorite?
I would say I made each song pretty short so they listen to all of them but, I definitely want people to listen to “Blue Memories” “Hope You’re Happy” and “Alone” because those three songs embody how I feel all the time. My favorite song is “Faded Memories” because the way I wrote that song in the moment made me attached to it!
What advice do you have for young women who want to succeed in music?
I always say this but I want young women to embrace who they are and stay true to what they are passionate about! Do not let others get to you and put you down!
