Welcome to the Official MySpace page of Shanie Evans!
www.myspace.com/shanie_evans.
Shanie (pronounced Annie with an "SH') got her start in music after being cast as "Dorothy" In "The WIZ" the performance "bug" never left her as she went on to perform in various musicals including "Brer Rabbit" with Loretta Devine. With her witty humor, energetic smile & strong passion, this singer will steal your heart. She co-produces and writes most of her songs, which are a blend of Pop & Rock. Heavy guitar cords and memorable melodies meet personalized and poignant lyrics which create a sound and style all her own. On the album Shanie worked with producers Rob J.(tracks 5 & 7) of "N'Spyre Ent." and Blake English (tracks 1,2,3 and 4) of "Broken English Ent.". Blake has worked with such notable stars as Brandy, Jennifer Lopez, Toni Braxton, and Kelly Rowland to name a few. Shanie also had a talented group of other musicians grace the album. Lawrence Breaux (LB) on drums, Shane on Guitar and Base, Nadira Bailey on violins, Dennis Dodd jr. on drums, Zane Carney on guitars and Rollin Dexter on Harmonica. All background vocals were done by Shanie and Denver Dowridge who is also featured in tracks 3 & 4.
She has a distinct voice vocally and metaphorically speaking. Her first album expresses many emotions from the pain of loss to the healing power of hope. "My music is an expression of the experiences and the trials that I've journeyed through in my life so far." Indeed Shanie faced hardships early in life. Born in Toronto, Canada to an immigrant couple, she and her two siblings found themselves being moved from city to city across North America by their mother after a tumultuous separation. Her then single mom tried to secure the best life she could for them, sporadically finding work as a singer in various opera houses.
Eventually however, amidst enduring pressure, Shanie's mother would succumb to a complete nervous breakdown that would result in Shanie being abandoned at a young age. Orphanages and foster homes would follow. " Looking back on it, I just kept putting one foot in front of the other, doing my best to survive. When you're that low, it feels like you can't go any lower. You can only go up as long as you don't let the negative situation define you." Track # 4 (Mutha, Fatha), a unique blend of rock, reggae and pop, speaks to the hearts of parents, reminding them of the power they have to make a difference in not only their own children but the world. While track #1 (Unchained) is a call to arms to break the strongholds that sometimes enslave and hold us back. Now Track #2 (Can’t Lose), flat out addresses one unfortunate reality of the music businesses…black women are conspicuously absent in contemporary mainstream rock & roll music. Not being deterred by this one bit, the situation has actually encouraged her to be a pioneering artist joining the ranks of many other unknown sisters in this genre. “Why limit myself to doing music that others think I should do simply because of my skin color when my musical tastes are much broader.” Shanie grew up listening to a wide range of music from Hip-Hop to Techno to R n’ B, to Rock n’ Roll. Some of her influences are Run D.M.C., Mother’s Finest, Bon Jovi, Guns N’ Roses, Tina Turner, Lenny Kravitz and Gwen Stefani, among others. With all these influences, Shanie naturally formed a sound that is aggressive while emotional and dramatic while melodic. “Making my first album was an extreme release of so much that I’ve been holding inside for some time now. It’s been very cathartic and empowering. Exhausting yet invigorating at the same time. I never wanted to leave the studio once I got there. Once I left though, I’d notice how emotionally taxing it could be. Oh, and coming home at 3 am in the morning might have had something to do with it. Over the course of making this album my voice evolved so much and I’m very happy with the sound I’ve achieved. I’m ready for the next one!!!
View Shanie Evans's EPK”
