Life struggles often present prime opportunities for self-development. For Young Money Entertainment’s Shanell such struggles continue to define her journey and music to this very day. Shanell revealed that her parent’s divorce ended her picture perfect family dynamic and threw her into the mix of a new world where she and sister, D. Woods (former Danity Kane member) learned to use dance to their advantage.
“I love my father now, but when I was staying there he did his own thing. So from 11 to about 15 years old it was me and my sister taking care of each other. So we had to figure out how to get to and from school or get money for whatever extra things we wanted. So we started dancing around town and getting paid. We literally went from “The Cosby Show,” life to being thrown into a whole other world,” she says.
The pressures of readjusting to her new lifestyle eventually caused Shanell to feel apathetic about life and she nearly abandoned her craft until she discovered the outlet she credits as saving her life.
“I started hanging out a lot more and getting into trouble in school in Massachusetts and I didn’t care. When my mother finally got us and we moved to Atlanta it saved my life. I went to Tri-Cities High School where I had something to care about and work hard at. It gave me a tough skin and taught me to be confident.”
That confidence comes through in her music where she explores the realms of R&B, pop and rock. She has already amassed credits writing and/or dancing for the likes of Ne-Yo, Kelis and her label boss, Lil’ Wayne. Lyrically Shanell is unafraid to share her struggles with romance as heard on “Hate this City.”
“That was probably my first time being in love and it was three years ago. That person was in and out of my life for a long period of time. Eventually I had to separate myself. I couldn’t answer the phone or see the person. When I was able to clear my head and see the stupidity of the situation, I realized what I represented and decided to continue doing me,” she says.
As she prepares for the release of her debut album, Shanell is proving she has what it takes to rise to the challenge of any struggle with a song and a dance. –souleo
