Shantoi holds hope close to her heart. Living in the Bronx comes with many challenges, and like others before her, Shantoi has had to deal with them each and every day.
By throwing herself into the arts, she flourished with her inspirations as she would spend her mornings during the weekends listening to music with her headphones plugged in, nodding her head as the vocals and the tunes did wonder to her insides.
As she developed through her musical creations, with rigorous vocal exercise and countless hours spent writing music, she faced a different kind of the challenge; an all too familiar struggle every creative has had to deal with: attention.
With a burning hopefulness that the world will be a better place once again. Shantoi places faith that with her music, her voice will be heard all over the globe, fostering an environment for love, peace, unity, and oneness.
Divulging her talents within her latest single, “Privacy,” Shantoi tiptoes on the tightrope of R&B and Hip-hop with her melodious establishments. Offering us the mid-tempo dazzle of the instrumentation, we are plunged into the sultry intoxication of Shantoi’s lush vocalization. Thriving in the twinkles and bass-forward beat that makes up the composition of, “Privacy,” Shantoi shines brightly as she performs her beautifully curated tale.
Making it known that she doesn’t ask for much, all Shantoi wishes for is the delicate touch of the apple of her eye. Flaunting her independence around like it’s going out of style, Shantoi offers up a piece of herself to her audience that shows the delicate side of her dripping in vulnerability. The nostalgic essence of the reverberations exuded has us under the spell that Shantoi has cast out. We find ourselves completely immersed in the music as we got lost in the winding turns of her glorious vocal range.
Using her inventiveness to express her inner sentiments. Shantoi places her emotions on a higher level that has us reaching to be on the same level as her. Mesmerizing us with the depths of, “Privacy,” Shantoi has us singing along to each word presented in this smooth hitting jam.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Shantoi! Congratulations on the release of, “Privacy.” We love the nostalgia that this track brought us as we listened to it. What moment inspired your writing process for this song?
The moment that inspired my writing process for this song is one day I was sitting down thinking and I wanted to write a song that independent women can listen to. I feel sometimes society allows people to think that all women want a man to take care of them and in some cases for most it’s true but to an extent. This song represents women who don’t need a man to take care of them financially but who just want TLC.
As an artist, do you experience writer’s block? And how do you handle it when it arises?
As an artist, I definitely experience writer's block. I can be listening to beats for hours and only come up with one line. How I handle that is I take a break for the day and I come back the next day or two and try again until I get a vibe.
Could you please share a glimpse of how your creative process has evolved over time?
Over time I would say my creative process has developed because I never really had a set idea on how I wanted to brand myself as an artist as far as image, music, etc but now I know exactly how I want to be viewed overall in all aspects that relate to music. I feel over time I’m becoming more moderate instead of wanting to be looked at as a sex symbol. So most ideas I come up with creative wise will represent the women I am now
If you had a magic wand that would help make your journey as an artist easier, what would you change?
If I had a magic wand that would help make my journey as an artist easier I would put millions of dollars in my account to cover everything I would need to get me to the next level.
2020 has been a very challenging year for everyone. What has been keeping you inspired to create music? What advice can you give another artist who's finding it difficult to do so?
What inspires me to keep creating music is the therapeutic aspect that it gives me and others. When I write songs about myself or songs that are relatable it feeds apart of my soul. It’s a way to let out words that you can’t really say to people. The advice I would give to another artist is don’t stop what makes you happy because you never know who's watching or who you are helping therapeutically. Also, do it for you first because when you create things from your heart people will gravitate to you more on a deeper level.
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