Living in a Colorful World with Shenna
By Mary Perez
Graphic by Emily Lantzy
Her bright red hair is strikingly distinct, but it’s not the only reason why Shenna is an artist who you won’t forget. Playing with colors is not a new concept for the pop artist; her past works, Dream in Color, Made of Gold, “Magenta,” and her latest EP, Blue Memories, all combine a consistent theme of mixing identity and genre for a uniquely Shenna style. Her discography explores a myriad of different influences, but she still manages to maintain a wonderful authenticity in her messages. After her stunning performance at All Things Go Fall Classic that morning, I spoke with Shenna about her recent EP release, musical influences, and the future of her music:
For people who have never heard of you before, how would you describe your music?
I’d describe myself as indie-pop infused with R&B. It’s highly energetic, but it comes with a message to embrace who you are.
Congratulations on the release of Blue Memories! How does it feel to have that EP out in the world?
It feels like a message that I really wanted to get across for a long time. I was kinda nervous to put this out because all of my songs are very positive. I just went from releasing a single called “Confident” that’s like, “Hey guys, mental health awareness week! I’m also going through what you’re going through.” I just wanted it to be like therapy, and it’s therapy for me too.
What themes or concepts did you try to explore in Blue Memories that were different than some of your previous works?
I tried to come across with the theme of how social media can be very toxic. A lot of people think “Oh, it’s networking or posting my daily life,” but not everybody is always happy. Sometimes the pressure of seeing everybody else really happy around you might make you feel like “Wow, am I even doing anything right now with my life?” I just wanted to get it across that social media is not life.
Were all of the songs off of that EP written specifically for Blue Memories?
They were actually just saved for a while. As you know, a lot of artists just create music, but these were just ones I had in the vault. I was like, “You know what? It’s time.” I really wanted to put these songs together, and the theme went with them, as well.
What artists impacted the EP?
For the EP, I really love Sia. I love her storytelling; she’s such a great songwriter. I love really good songwriters. Corinne Bailey Rae always tells a story with her music, and I feel like every Rihanna song is a bop. Whether it’s slow or fast, her writers, her team, herself; they’re just great.
Were there any outside influences that also played a role in the EP?
I guess being around a lot of friends all the time and seeing what they’re going through. Especially living in New York, I people-watch a lot, like I’m on the train, saying like, “Wow, what is this person doing? It’s crazy.” I write a lot of my songs while I’m on transportation because I’m always in a car or on a train forever.
Something that is very evident in your music is your usage of colors to highlight different ideas, so where did you find the inspiration to do that?
My first EP was called Dream In Color, and it was my first project, so I was like “Yay, I’m so happy! I’m a kid.” For a while, it was actually an accident; it wasn’t supposed to be on purpose. I was like, “Oh, made of gold!” I have a song called “Made of Gold.” Then it was like, “Magenta? This is getting ridiculous. I have to keep going!” So now I’ve decided as an artist, every single project I release, I’m going to make sure it has a color. Not every song has to have one — that’s too much, I’m gonna run out of colors! You know how Bruno Mars had that one era, 24k, where everything was all old-school feel? I feel like it’s gonna depend on where I am in my life and what color is that, like blue is a moody color.
Any idea of what the next color will be then?
I’m not sure right now! Now that this show’s over and I just released a project, I’m in a good mood right now, so we’re gonna see. I think it’s going to be really dancey honestly. I’ve been experimenting with a lot of electronic stuff lately, so I might fuse that into my music.
What have you been listening to lately?
I listen to a lot of underground artists on Spotify. There’s this guy who’s named Chiiild who’s amazing! I look on Spotify’s new artists all the time. I listen to a lot of my friends more than I listen to bigger artists, which is crazy. I feel like Top 40 music is great, but you find the best music underground. You gotta support them!
What challenges do you face in being so honest in your music and the experiences you share as an artist?
Recently, I’ve just learned how to open up more as opposed to just putting out music of what people want to hear. I feel like a lot of artists make music for now, which is also important, but you still have to get a message across with your music. I mean, you can put out little bops here and there, but I want people to feel really empowered when they hear a song.
Where do you see your music going in the future?
I really want to tap into the international scene. I travel to London a lot, so I’m going to start working with more London producers. I feel like it’s important to tap into that international scene; America is great, but we gotta get out there! You never know who’s gonna love you — you might be famous in another country. All doors are open. I just want to collab with more people.
Dream collaboration?
To be honest, I really like Tyler, The Creator. I just feel like he’s so awesome. I love Kali Uchis; I feel like we’d mesh well. I want to open up for her on tour.
Do you have any goals as an artist that you would like to accomplish in the next few months or even years?
I want to open up a charity foundation for depression, or not even just a charity, but a platform for other creatives to talk about it. There’s a thing called MusiCares for the Grammys. It’s for artists, but I feel like a lot of people don’t know about it. I want to create something that’s more underground. People have self-doubt all the time. I want to try to open up for somebody that’s big and I admire. I just love Lizzo, and her story’s crazy.
It’s interesting that you mentioned the mental health struggles in the music industry because that’s such an important topic that is definitely not talked about enough!
Yeah, a lot of artists go hidden for years. They’re going through it, and I want to help people like myself, not saying that I’m always going through it. I’m a happy person overall, but sometimes things get hard, especially when you’re DIY. That’s why a festival like this is so great because there are DIY artists mixed with people who just got in.
Any final words for your fans?
I always say this: embrace who you are, and don’t let anything stop you from doing what you gotta do.
Shenna is unapologetically true to her own style, and her music reflects how she follows the advice she passes to her fans. In today’s music industry, it’s important to have badass artists like Shenna who aim to make a difference in the world, and she recognizes how crucial it is to offer support to the unrecognized groups who may need it most. It’s exciting to see what her next color will be as we move into 2020! Blue Memories is now available on all streaming platforms.