Interview: Shiadanni falls across the sky like a meteor

Her voice burns as sapphire. Shiadanni glazes her melodies with a glistening, diamond-like sheen, her voice as a pelican sweeping overhead a lustrous countryside. Her visuals appear to adhere to a similar theatrical delight, too. Between her two most recent singles, the languid, high-dosage “Turn on My Brain” and “Kitty Mama,” a slinkier, provocative piece, she never sacrifices mood or ambiance to get an instant hit. There’s a particular way about her brand that strikes upon the very heart of artful, thoughtful filmmaking. In both cases, she takes great care in inviting the viewer into her world, one with a thrilling grandeur. And it always accentuates her music’s ingrained flavor.

“I have always been inspired by films,” she writes B-Sides & Badlands over email. In her case, when songwriting, she typically doesn’t “start a song without having an intuition for the video. They have always been connected, and this can be very challenging because I always dream big.”

An independent musician, she often must scale back the full scope of any particular video’s complete vision. It’s understandable, and it doesn’t necessarily mean the art itself suffers. “I’m pleased with the results for both videos,” she notes. “I don’t like to watch them or any of my older videos because I find million things I would’ve done different or changed.”

“It’s an infinite war,” she quickly admits. She’s a visionary in her own right, constructing glamorous fantasies that immerse and evoke electric emotions. “Since I can remember, I always felt I was living in an endless movie. Life wasn’t ordinary to my eyes, and I’ve always been a big daydreamer. I guess this comes out in my lyrics and visuals. The songs can be transformed in the production process, but I always try to respect their initial touch when they start in the guitar. At the end of the day, it’s about the story of it.”

Born and raised in Guadalajara, a western city in Mexico known for a vast mariachi heritage, Shiadanni mingles such a background into her sweltering, alt-pop music. Her songwriting touch points are as wide-ranging as you might imagine, running the gamut from Florence + the Machine and Lana Del Rey to Jeff Buckley, Courtney Love, and Joseph Arthur. As such, she cherishes the process while braiding up her unique, irresistibly caramel vocal into a surprising blend. Stories always remain at the heart of her craft, and it shows.

Last summer, the now-Montreal transplant had initial plans to issue her debut EP. Well, things have certainly changed. She is now eyeing a full-length release, accompanied with numerous visuals, of course. “Maybe two days ago, I was listening to it and looking its cover art, just taking everything in and thinking about all the videos I wish I could start working on,” she says. “And I came to the decision of making a short film with it because there’s no other way this project is coming out. It needs the visuals it deserves.”

Below, Shiadanni breaks down how she’s defined her sound, growing up in an artsy family, and her cat.

Your genre fusion is quite magnetizing. Over the last seven years, you’ve amassed two handfuls of songs. What has been your approach to defining your sound?

I am honestly a mix of any type of music that wakes something in me. I don’t think I have an approach for it. It’s just been life, stages in my personality. One thing is true, I’ve always been an acoustic lover, and all my songs start that way. I am still a rock girl listening to my same favorite tracks and artists, but the music I make has definitely shifted and shown different colors. Honest lyrics and true pain from artists like Janis Joplin to Bjork and Radiohead marked me to want to do the same, so I will always write from a place of truth. I also love soul music, jazz, classical opera. I have Pavarotti’s records in my phone because I need to listen to him before I start my day. I am thrilled that soul music is making a modern comeback with amazing artists like Jorja Smith, Sabrina Claudio, Daniel Caesar, and Dvsn.

You’ve said the last few years living in Mexico had been really mentally grueling for you. Once you moved to Montreal, was the relief pretty instant? What’s been your journey since the move?

It was an instant relief to find courage and leave it all. At the same time, I did struggle for a while when I first got to Montreal, especially because I left my family who is very dependent on me. I was feeling guilt for a while, [as well as] uncertainty, fear. At that point, I wasn’t enjoying making music. Actually, when I first got here, I didn’t write a song for a year, and I didn’t wanna touch my guitar or even think about it. I was mentally drowned about it, and I didn’t come here with a plan for my career or anything. I wanted to go far, so I wouldn’t reach the breaking point you think about. I can say after five years, I’m grateful for everything and wouldn’t change any decision. It got me where I am. I found myself as an artist more than anything, and I have the best relationship with my family now, so I could tell you that following your intuition truly is the best you can do for yourself, even if you don’t have a clue.

So would you say you’ve struggled with mental health for a while? How do you cope and reground yourself?

I do, and it’s a daily struggle. My culture has always been wrapped with taboos about it, and that’s the same reason more Mexican families struggle from it. It’s just an infinite stressful story of repeating patterns. That’s why it’s very important to talk about it and don’t feel ashamed of any of it. In my case, music has been there for me, and when I sing, I know I’m doing it for my mom and my grandma, who wanted to be a singer but was never allowed ⏤ just all women in my blood who I don’t know, who were silenced, or their dreams have always stayed in a box. I feel it’s my responsibility to do my best for them.

You’re mother being a painter, were you always fascinated with art and what it means to people?

Since I can remember, she gave paint classes to people each week in my house and used to put on classical music all hours while I’d spin in my dresses just doing a silent performance. I thank her for this because I do have an appreciation for classical and film music. She didn’t need to tell me art or music were important in a human’s heart. I just learned and knew that by simply watching her as an example. Sometimes, I get people messaging me on Instagram saying my mom was their art teacher, and it warms my heart that they remember. Honestly, I totally get it; she is just the best. She would be the first one I would sing songs to, and I probably started doing shows for my mom at the age of eight. Having four brothers, it would get crowded, but she would always stop to listen to me singing and would always call my name to sing or do acting impressions for her friends when they would come visit.

How have you seen the power of art in the world?

I’ve seen it because I live it everyday.. We need it. It’s the survival for many people like me, and it’s crucial that we don’t lose it, its purpose, its honesty. The empty money monster machine its always gonna exist, and if I’m being honest, it’s been very challenging, mentally, the past years for any artist to see that true art is hiding in the back. That’s one of the many reasons artists feel depressed in today’s world because it’s lacking true art. It’s just discouraging, and you really wonder should I even try, should I even release, should I even post something today? It’s sad that the music industry has become all about social media.

We didn’t know anything about Sarah Vaughan, just her voice. Now, most labels couldn’t care less if there’s talent. they care about how many views you get. Having said that, we can’t stay as victims, and mostly we can’t stop. We have to adapt and play the game without losing authenticity. Also, it is important to remind yourself to do your art for you and your survival, always ⏤ not for anyones approbation or admiration. More than ever we need to push and show what we can do because other artists need to see this. Companies have to make an effort to support the right projects. I feel it is getting better. Every time there’s more independent labels, artists and the power of individualism is getting stronger.

When you were first writing songs in English, what were you writing about?

They were mostly heartbreak songs. I was always very dramatic and very emotional. I remember taking my demos to a Mexican producer, all english songs, and he told me I was never gonna get anywhere writing in english in my country. Being 16, I did what they told me and wrote in Spanish for a long time. I enjoy both! And people still ask me to play a lot of those Spanish songs, but English songwriting has always been in my soul.

Nonetheless, I will always show my Mexican roots in my music. That’s just inevitable, and I’m so happy to express that in everything I do. I initially wrote about love and despair, and it wasn’t until I moved to Montreal when I started writing about life, death, and spiritual matters. Now that I think about it, it’s been so long since I’ve written a song for a man… I think “Kitty Mama” was one of the few that I’ve done like that ⏤ about being happy and in lust. But mostly, it’s just me talking to the sky and trying to survive.

In songwriting, what have been lessons you’ve learned?

Just to be yourself and be honest. Don’t feel ashamed to share your stories because people need to hear them. So many songs saved my life and marked me and just made me who I am. Music is powerful, and lyrics are so important. I am finishing my album these days and realizing my own words and just wondering what’s gonna happen after I share this. I am trying to not overthink and just do it. So I’m not taking any song off the list, and I’m excited to share it when the time comes.

In the last 12 months, and more recently, how have you been feeling creatively?

I guess you see the picture of what my process has been the last five years. It was very dark for a long time, and I started embracing that side of me more than anything. I’m so glad I did it. I don’t wanna go back to who I used to be as a writer, and I don’t think I even could. I found what I wanted to say, and I accepted myself and my past. I know I can dance a tango with my monsters. They come like friends, and they have a drink with me most of the time. I am not lost or scared, and I’m letting them speak through me and hopefully people can connect with what I do.

Being from Mexico, has the tragedy along the US-Mexican border really hit home for you?

It always does. It’s absolutely heartbreaking what many Mexicans have experienced. But I wanna stay hopeful. Mexico is full of artists, and there’s just so much talent. We are connected with it, and we wanna be part of it, music, film, painting, or anything. And at least for me, I wanna show the people who follow me that I keep trying my best and I’m not giving up. We have to bring our culture to the table and support each other.

You recently posted a new Christina Aguilera cover and your cat was “90% there.’ Like many pet owners, I can imagine your cat brings you some comfort during these very weird times, yeah?

For sure, my cat saved my life. It may sound silly, but it’s true. Animals can change your life, so I encourage anyone who hasn’t had the pleasure to own a cat to do it and see for yourself what I’m talking about.

When you’re approaching a cover, what is your general approach in honoring the original and spicing it up with a unique spin?

I totally do my best to honor the original because I’m such a fan and music lover, so that’s why I don’t to many covers. When I do, I definitely try my best to make it magical and try to make it my own. All the covers I choose to do are mainly because of that reason, and they hit close to home or changed me or woke something in me. I may not post trendy covers, that’s for sure, and I won’t appear in the first searches of YouTube but I just do what makes me happy.

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