Shanta Fuentes has been gracing the stage since the tender age of 6, and by age 16, she had already played her first open mic. That was when she was discovered by German Record Producer, Toby Gad, and began to develop a career in the music industry.
After starting a family, she took a hiatus from music. Shanta then chose to rededicate her life to God in 2016, and she felt called back into music as a ministry. Since then she has independently released her debut single that earned her an award from "The Akademia Awards" in Los Angeles, California. Shanta Fuentes has graced us with the release of "Lenses”, that will be featured on her upcoming EP debut 'Desert Rose', that is slated to be released in August 2020!.
“Lenses” has a strong, unique and groovy pop melody that is sure to make you want to turn it up and sing along. This song shares a powerful message of gaining a new perspective on life. The lyrics express the struggle of how hard it is to live that picture-perfect life. By the end of the track, Shanta assures us that it's all going to be alright!
In the mood for a catchy inspirational song? Take a listen now. We are sure you will be singing along.
We love the powerful and vulnerable lyrics of this song! Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind it?
At the beginning of the year, I had to make a serious decision about continuing to create and pursue music or to stop indefinitely. I was going through a lot personally and I couldn’t see how I was ever going to obtain tangible success in music. It was like all the odds were against me. Although I was aware of my gifts and that God wants me to use them to bring him glory. I had a hard time allowing myself to believe it. So I prayed about this decision for several weeks before the new year began. One day in mid-January I came across a website for music production, www.sfrbeats.com. I don’t know why or how exactly I ended up on this website, but as I began to listen to the available beats for sale I came across one entitled “Conquer” by Lisa the pianist. I immediately fell in love with the production. It was like the music was ministering to me. Soothing my wounds of doubt, fear, and rejection. I began writing about everything I was feeling and going through. It was like a burst of inspiration and therapeutic. Life is sometimes like an illusion and if you change the lenses in which you see things, you can change your perception and then the narrative. I knew at that point that the right choice was to keep doing music.
You have mentioned that after rededicating your life to God you felt called to come back to music. What is the message you aim to promote within your music?
Philippians 4:13 “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
This is such an amazing song and we can't wait to hear the full EP! What was it like bringing your songs to life through the production? Have your songs changed through the process?
Bringing a song to life is a phenomenal feeling.
Going from a few instrumental chords or lyrics to a fully produced record masterpiece is almost like seeing your newborn baby for the first time, indescribable.
Each song has its own journey and impact.
We would love to know more about your creative process! Can you tell us your process when writing a song? Where do you draw inspiration from?
For this EP I had the privilege and pleasure of working with various production from other producers as opposed to producing the music myself. So the creative process was different from how I previously did songs, which was by initially just jamming on my keyboard and inspiration would come. This time around I had established a vision for the entire EP project based on the vibe of my single “Lenses”. I knew I wanted to write about my personal experience with God and Life. I wanted to showcase my New York City roots in Hip-hop and R&B and mesh it all together into inspirational music.
What's keeping you inspired in 2020?
2020 has been a year of unprecedented on a global scale. I stay inspired and encouraged through prayer and meditation. I also listen to my mentors; Adam Ivy, pastor D Louis, and Ron Carpenter. Last but certainly not least, my children keep me motivated. I want to lead them by example.