Interview with Crystal Shawanda

With an impressive array of awards and accolades, thousands of concerts to rapturous audiences throughout North America under her belt, and a remarkable recording pedigree to her credit, Crystal Shawanda still struggled mightily for many years to find her place within the music industry.

A Juno-winning singer/songwriter whose soulful, rootsy sound has allowed for a nearly seamless bridging of the traditional country and blues worlds, Crystal’s unique aboriginal cultural background has left her feeling like an outsider at times.

But that search may be at an end, as the process of creating her latest album, the cathartic, bold and refreshingly authentic Fish Out Of Water sees the talented artist not just coming to terms with her unique place in the industry, but embracing and truly celebrating it.

 “My parents grew up listening to Country music and that’s what I grew up singing and loving. But when my parents  weren’t home my brother used to sit in the basement and he would crank up a lot of B.B. King and Muddy Waters.  He also really loved Etta James, and I had never heard anyone sing like that. I used to sit at the top of the stairs  and just listen to these amazing songs and these incredible voices and I knew I wanted to sing like that, with that much passion and be so unbridled. I could feel the hurt coming through in their voices and music.”

“I feel this album is a happy medium for me. It’s a little bluesy, a little country, a little rootsy, but with a lot of soul. I love every song on this album and I want to perform them all live. I really think I have hit my stride: this album is who I am, I really have found my voice, and I couldn’t be happier.”