Signed to GB Records alongside TeeZandos, Shann is a London-based artist, previously featured on The Voice Kids UK. Get familiar…
What five words define your sound?
I would describe my sound as authentic, versatile, innovative and lyrical.
Tell me something unique about your creative process
I don’t just create from inspiration, I create from intention. Every verse, song or bar I pull from my own experiences and the stories of my people. I also don’t tend to follow trends or formulas. I trust my intuition and allow my creativity to flow without restrictions when making a song.
Which song of yours would you like people to hear first?
I want people to listen to ‘Suh It Guh’. It gives an insight into my upbringing that wasn’t seen when I went by “Lil Shan Shan.” Growing up is inevitable, as my first drop back under a new name it’s definitely one to be remembered.
What inspired you to make that song?
‘Suh It Guh’ was inspired by past and current life situations as well as thoughts on challenges that I face daily.
What’s the most vulnerable you’ve allowed yourself to be when writing/making music?
The most vulnerable I’ve allowed myself to be thus far is on a unreleased track ‘Not Us Then Who’. Usually, I hate sharing personal information about myself, I’m only able to do that through my music. I’m sure as time goes on I’ll be able to open up about so many more things and share personal experiences with my supporters.
What’s the best/worst experience you’ve had on stage?
One of the best stage experiences I’ve had was getting to perform to some of my childhood idols on The Voice Kids in 2019. Although I picked will.i.am as my coach, I was also a fan of Jessie J growing up.
Which artist/song/album made you want to make music?
Honestly, it wasn’t a specific artist, song, or album that made me want to make music. For as long as I can remember I’ve always had this need to create. I’ve always had melodies running through my head and just felt as if I feel music on a deeper level than the average person. Of course, I’ve been influenced by a ton of artists along the way but those who I look up to the most don’t really reflect in my art. For example, my queens Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill are some of my biggest inspirations but I doubt anyone would know that unless they asked.
What’s the meaning behind your name?
My artist name “Shann” is a name I’ve been called for as long as I can remember by almost everyone I know, it’s a nickname of my government name.
If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing instead?
If I wasn’t making music, I would be wishing I was. Apart from that, I feel as though I would still be creating somehow or studying to have a degree in law, or work in that field. No matter what, I would want to make an impact in the long run and leave something behind that lasts.
What’s success to you?
Success to me is freedom. It’s the ability to be my authentic self 100% of the time and to create without limitations. Naturally, it’s also being able to take care of the people I love; that goes beyond providing financially. It’s about creating stability, opportunities and generational wealth so in the future no one will have to struggle the way I did. If I can do that, I’ve won.
What moment in your life/career forced you to change direction?
Changing direction has never been an alien concept to me. I’ve always been used to it, in my upbringing people who were meant to be there for me never were. So, nowadays if something isn’t working for me whether that’s a friendship or a family tie… I change direction immediately. What forced me was when I realised in the past I wasn’t building something that truly belonged to me. In that moment, I faced a major setback in my career. At that time I was very young so I decided the best thing would be to put music on hold for a while until I was “old enough” to talk about the things I wanted to in the way I wanted to.
Where can people keep in touch with you?
People can keep in touch with me via my Snapchat @darealshann9 or my Instagram @darealshann_
