SHAH FRANK
Photo Credit: Karolina Jez
SHAH FRANK hasn’t been around for long, but she’s a name that certainly is here to stay. The Brooklyn native came onto the music scene in 2018 with the release of “Paradox”, a song that shows off her unique R&B sound. Since then, the artist has released 3 singles that all have character of their own. Shah says that her musical style comes from years of worship of TLC, Aaliyah, and Whitney Houston, which becomes clear with the artist’s wonderful lyricism. Her latest release, “Stella’s Heart,” is her most popular song to date, and she’s got an EP on the way later this month. And get this — she’s a lawyer. The artist decided to pursue music full time after obtaining a law degree. Talk about multi-talented! We recently sat down with SHAH FRANK to talk about the new release, what the artist does in her spare time, and more!
Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get started making music?
I’m an R&B singer-songwriter based in Montreal. I always wanted to do music so I decided to focus full time on it after law school.
What have you learned most about yourself in your time releasing music?
At the end of the day, you may have the best music in the world but the most important part of the process is to get your music out to the people. They decide what’s hot or not !
Congrats on the release of “Stella’s Heart”! What was the inspiration for the song?
Thank you! It was based off Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire but in my version Stella chooses herself over her significant other. To me, self-love is the essence of happiness!
Has your musical style changed over the past few years? If yes, how so?
Kind of... basically I was all over the place and now my music is more an extension of who I truly am than a trend.
Walk us through your typical songwriting process.
There’s always these random moments where the inspiration just bursts out of nowhere so I always keep my phone near to record the idea before it slips away! On the regular though, I love writing in the mornings because that’s when I feel most inspired... you’re still connected to the “dream world” and so I find that my imagination is a lot more vivid then. I always take 1 hour ... whether I come up with something or not it’s a habit I like to roll with unless I’m in promo mode for the release of new music.
Who are some artists that have helped shape your sound?
TLC, Aaliyah and Whitney Houston.
What can we catch you doing on your day off?
Either in bed, binge watching a tv-series with a bag of chips and a pack of jujubes or spending the day out meditating, reading (still eating that bag of chips) and taking care of myself.
Describe your music in just three words.
Crazy. Sexy. Cool. ...hihi!
Who do you owe your biggest thanks to?
My parents... it sounds cliché but they’re the ones who put me on this track early on even when they say they wished I’d become a lawyer. I grew up listening to music all day watching my parents dance in the living room and my uncle has a music career in Haiti. The stars were aligned.
What’s next for SHAH FRANK?
My debut EP, Stellaria Story is out mid-November and I can’t wait to share it !