I can't create at home...

another day or I'll scream. I am less than 2 weeks away from the final rehearsal before we record the final songs from the album. I have a beautiful space in my home to create in, but after 2 years of creating there in lockdown, I have to find somewhere....ANYWHERE to write. Today I chose this diner in Millburn, because it's raining and my dog just wants to follow me everywhere today (like everyday!) and though I love him, his silence of laying there just makes me want to curl up with him and forget about the "work."

Yes, songwriting is work. Music is a job and it's a job that I love but I'd be a fool to think that it will get done on inspiration alone (yes, I'm learning this at Berklee) but that it takes finding a space, setting a timer and pouring yourself a huge cup of coffee  and making a plan. 

I scarfed down eggs and black coffee and pushed out two new songs in under an hour. Don't know if I'll record them but I've gotten in the habit of writing everyday just so when it's crunch time, I'm not starting at 0. 

Thanks for your wonderful and kind comments on my blog posts so far. It's really nice to have you share within the intimacy of my website as opposed to the overexposed and large mass that is social media. Some days I miss it, but most days I just don't care. I care about what I'm creating and discovering about myself without being swayed.

Happy day, happy life to you all-

xoxo

SS

From the...Hotel bar in Milwaukee

I've waited almost 3 years to say this...

...my 4th album [SET LIST] is complete. Wow. It took a global pandemic, a mild nervous breakdown, letting my hair go silver and banning myself from social media to finally sit down and plan this album. I admit, I'm a bit ADD. It's all good.

Anyway.... It's 10 (maybe 11 or 12, I'm still writing as I send this out) gorgeous songs to give you. We rehearse April 4 and record the rest of everything top of May in Brooklyn.

I'm sitting at the hotel lobby bar of my hotel writing this on what will be my last travel gig for almost month.(insert Hallelujah chorus)  I'm writing this knowing I'll have to time to just breathe and make a game plan for how I wanna release this thing. I'm doing it without a label this time. I have no idea how I'll release it, I just know: it's going to be my favorite album thus far, it's full of passion and heartbreak, it's well played and well produced with the people I love and that love me.  I don't have a team of "experts" (yawn) telling me it's Grammy worthy or "cohesive" or convincing to do it one way or another. It's my party.... It is how an artist IS supposed to create. We create and give it to YOU and just let it be in the world.

That's it. Well, I'll tour it and distribute it and yada, yada, I'll put it out there full force. To be honest, my agents are booking my tours for this fall and next Spring/Summer and they are like "sooooooo, how's the album coming along?" I'm happy to report, I'll have something to put out there this Fall and I can't wait to bring it on the road. 

Thank you to all of you that responded to my blog last week.  Leaving the socials has been monumental for my creativity and all around happiness. Happiness and peace is key when you want to accomplish something or make better choices for yourself and the people you love, ya feel me?

Thx for listening.

xoxo

Shayna

Welcome to my Blog! From the....

From the West Michigan Symphony 

Late last night, after wrapping up my "party for 2" Mardi Gras celebration with my daughter, we spoke about Lent and what it meant. I'm not a religious person, even though from birth, I've been a baptized "good Methodist woman" and even married a Methodist man, but we never go to church. We, like most people I know, celebrate the holidays and I get what I get out of lessons from the Good Book and get on with it. Christmas and midnight mass, Easter egg hunts and what not and I usually take the Lenten season to do something ridiculous like cut out carbs. :(  Not doing that again.

This year, I decided that social media was stealing my soul slowly and honestly, I didn't feel like I was really connecting with anyone on a deeper level about music or art.  It felt like the Matrix; we all aimlessly posting and liking and clicking and scrolling and judging others and ourselves and making bad decisions....basically looking for validation. Love. Acceptance. All of this from a tiny, blue thumb. 

Yuck.

On that note, I am an independent artist and I rely on the internet to sell myself. I know, sounds gross. No really, I needed to connect with you all during my 40 days of no socials, but only through my personal website. These blog posts are only for anyone who's decided to join my mailing list because they really want to be here. I don't care if you like it or even bother to read it, but it's an outlet to share my adventures. So far, I feel free. I read the newspaper today (wow, what a concept!) and did my laundry. I packed neatly and got to the airport on time. I was calm and organized. I didn't have Twitter telling me how I should feel about the attack on Ukraine or Instagram begging me to buy the Lumen device to measure my metabolism through CO2. I'm sorry, WTF???

Today, I'm in Michigan singing with the West Michigan Symphony. There's a marquee with my name on it. I'll never be too cool to not see something like that I think, wow that's unreal. It's extremely humbling. 

xoxo

S