Pop-artist Shenna’s bright singles have consistently glimmered and caught the eyes of many in the music industry. Color and fantasy are a part of Shenna’s identity as an artist. Blue Memories is the latest to continue this trend, this time bringing a gloomy, honest retrospective on her career.
Tracks from the EP have already received acclaim from a variety of publications. “Conversation” was premiered with Popdust and its video with Billboard. “I feel that people are so distracted by the media and technology that we are not having real face-to-face conversations anymore because of the many distractions around us,” she says to Billboard.
At the beginning of Shenna’s career, she found placements on a variety of shows with MTV, Oxygen, Netflix, and Fox. Past projects including her debut EP, Dream in Color, debut LP, Made of Gold and single “Magenta” have all attributed to her achievements. Through these releases, Shenna found a sweet spot in crafting colorful, vibrant tracks that blend identity and genre.
Now, “Blue Memories” reflects and preserves this momentum, recognizing the struggles it took to get to define herself. As a seasoned performer, Shenna understands what artists do to establish an identity. Being both Black and Syrian, Shenna was encouraged to go into different genres, craft a fake persona and ultimately not be herself.
“When I started, many people in the music industry wanted to sell a sexualized image of me and refined me to only slow R&B jams. Nothing is wrong with being sexy, but being put into that role wasn’t me and I felt forced into a box. Blue Memories is my process in expressing myself through my own voice, instead of those around me.”
“Blue Memories” speaks out against that influence and finds solace in her ability to be proud of her own identity and style, “For a lot of artists they will change their identities in order to get attention for their career rather than the music itself.”
Being both African-American and Syrian, Shenna possesses a multi-cultural style of music that blends all of her interests in one. The Arabic-inspired instruments and vocal runs used in “Blue Memories” were an accident that had felt natural to her. She chooses to make her identity a part of her music naturally, rather than exploit it.
The six songs of Blue Memories are all reflective of the different aspects of depression and the way society and social media perpetuate false selves that lead to low self-worth. Blue Memories offers another raw emotional side that comes from the success of the industry, now Shenna is hoping to change it and be self-assured in her future as an artist.
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