“Bajan beauty with sophisticated swag”, that’s the best way to describe Shontelle as she goes from ballad girl to dancefloor diva on her new album “No Gravity” which is in stores now (listen here)! Sound-Savvy caught up with the Barbados-born songstress to discuss her new album, and what the journey has been like prepping the new album, which includes her chart-topping single ‘Impossible‘. She also divulges some tidbits on a track she recently recorded with Rihanna for her upcoming 5th album “Loud”. Read the full interview or listen to the audio after the jump!
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Shontelle: Whatup Mack?
Sound-Savvy: What up? Hows it going?
Shontelle: Oh my gosh, busy as hell, but super, super great.
Sound-Savvy: I can imagine. Last time we spoke was like six months ago, you were you were prepping the album and you guys were still finishing it up and now we’re here…How has the journey been for you?
Shontelle: Honestly the journey has been nerve wrecking and it’s been really exciting. First of all I just feel really lucky and blessed to even be able to put out a 2nd album. There’s so many artist coming out at a rate that’s unbelievable like never before and most of them disappear. You never hear from them again and that was one of my biggest fears because there’s so much that you have no control over and you just sort of hope that the stars align and the planets align and everything sort of works out in your favor so I’ve been really lucky. While I was making this album I just couldn’t believe the people I got to work with and the people that were totally on board. It’s been a real thrill for me.
Sound-Savvy: Yeah, lucky and blessed -those are all words that I’d use to describe it. I mean, with this album you’ve had your biggest single to date with ‘Impossible’. That’s a huge record.
Shontelle: ‘Impossible’ is so huge, I can’t believe it. I really hoped that…I believed in the potential of it but to see it actually come to fruition is just…I’m still pinching myself that it’s platinum. I think it peaked at #13 on the [Billboard] Hot 100. It went like top 10 in radio which is amazing but for a song to affect people in a way…at least 1 million people loved it enough to buy it. And that has nothing to do with the people that illegally downloaded it so I feel really good to know because I tell you there are people whose songs are higher than mine on the charts but the song hasn’t gone platinum yet because the chart positions don’t translate to sales so I’m very lucky to be an artist in this sort of climate where music isn‘t selling but people are buying my music. I’ve just got to say thanks to everyone that is being so supportive. That really means so much to me cause we put so much work into everything.
Sound-Savvy: Yeah and the last time we talked, ‘Impossible’ had just come out and we were talking about how big that record was going to be, and look at it now 6 months later. That is amazing!
Shontelle: It was a real challenge too. I’m not going to lie, it was such a challenge working it – because a lot of stations didn’t want to add it because it’s a ballad. They were like “no one cares about ballads now” and I’m like “No, I’m bringing ballads back.” You got to believe it. Everyone would say the same thing. They would all say “This is the best song I’ve heard for the year but I can’t add it to my station because it’s a ballad.” And we would leave stations so disappointed, sometimes I would be close to tears. Like, ‘are you kidding me? You just told me this is the best song but you won’t add it.’ Then the people spoke. It was really the people that started online with fans just saying “Hell no! that’s crazy.” They basically like stalked and bombarded video stations and forced them to have to play it. Once we got over that hump it was like a mushroom explosion after that and I feel so lucky.
Sound-Savvy: That’s good to hear because a lot of times on this side the fans don’t really know what you guys go through as artists trying to get your songs played.
Shontelle: Oh man, yeah. Sometimes you really have to beg literally. I’m so happy that eventually the stations came around and said ‘You know what, if people really want to hear this song, forget about the politics and just add it’. I’m so thankful for that.
Sound-Savvy: Let’s talk about the album because your fans are behind you 100% and No Gravity is finally here… I love it. What should they expect from the new album?
Shontelle: First of all I think people are going to get a lot of pleasant surprises. People will see a side of me that I haven’t really been able to express before. I was allowed a lot more freedom to really experiment and have a lot more fun on this album. For one, most people know me for more ballad type songs but there are actually a lot of up-tempo songs on “No Gravity”. So I think a lot of people will be like “Wow, I didn’t know she could do that.” I edged it up a little bit because I felt like… I love making music for the art, but the same time I actually enjoy affecting people’s lives and having some sort of influence and in order for me to really do that effectively I have to reach more people. So I’m like how can I take the same messages and my style and sort of repackage it in a form that is more radio friendly and more club-friendly? Because I want to be everywhere. So that’s basically what “No Gravity” is. It’s a lot more guitars, harder drums, and really sweet melodies. I feel like people should expect a lot of fun and a lot of raw emotion because I also wrote a lot of stuff on the album so it’s definitely, purely me.
Sound-Savvy: Your next single is ‘Perfect Nightmare’ which has been blowing up everywhere. It kind of has a different sound to it. I actually saw some clips from the video shoot. What is the concept for the video going to be like?
Shontelle: First of all, ‘Perfect Nightmare’, I’m so excited. Getting to do a Rodney Jerkins song is like pretty epic. I’m really excited about it. The concept for the video is this: First of all the director is Colin Tilley and he’s amazing. It is just really a story between me and this boyfriend I have. He is like a super champion boxer. He’s a Muay Thai fighter. He’s really, really hot so ladies prepare yourself for a lot of eye candy. But anyways, so my Muay-Thai fighter, superstar boyfriend…I notice I like superstar boyfriends. First I had a producer boyfriend, now I have a superstar athlete. Anyways, so he starts cheating on me. It’s like at first he’s really good to me. He’s really a good boyfriend to me. He really is. Not in the case of ‘Impossible’ where the boyfriend is bad. He’s actually really good but he cheats. He does everything right. He’s the best: attentive, he makes me feel loved, gives me all the attention I need, anything I need. But then when he’s at work he has this other girlfriend that’s always in the gym, but I actually know about it and I’m putting up with this stuff. And that’s literally…the video tells the story of the song which is basically I’m living the perfect nightmare. I’m living this life that’s actually quite tragic where I have no right allowing someone to do this to me, but I’m so in love because of the way he makes me feel and so that’s why I’m like “when will I wake up and scream no way”. This is a nightmare. Something bad is happening to me but I’m enjoying it. That’s really how the video literally tells a story. In the video I’m just going to say, since it’s not out yet, he learns his lessons. And I pretty much do wake up from the perfect nightmare.
Sound-Savvy: I can’t wait to see that one. You got me on the edge of my seat right now. I didn’t know that Rodney produced that one. He also did another record on “No Gravity” for you too right?
Shontelle: Yeah he also did ‘Take Ova’ featuring Pitbull.
Sound-Savvy: Yes! ‘Take Ova’ is one of my favorite songs.
Shontelle: It’s one of my favorites too! I can’t wait. I want to hear that in the club so bad.
Sound-Savvy: The vocals on it and everything, how did that song come about? That is just huge.
Shontelle: First of all when I was in the studio with Rodney he was like “Okay this is my year. I’m taking it back!” He said those words and he was 
very serious about it. He was like DarkChild is coming back in a big way. He’s got a lot of real big projects that he’s working on. He’s working on Ray J’s album right now which is amazing and other really huge artist that I’m not in a position to really say. He really wants to come back in a big way. What he said was, “I’m gonna take you to the clubs. People don’t realize how much swagger you have. We’re going to show them that you really do have a lot of swag.” He was like let’s just kill them. It was just so much fun working with Rodney and the whole DarkChild crew.
Sound-Savvy: That’s a really big record, a big club record. There is a lot of club type songs on “No Gravity”.
Shontelle: Yeah, it’s just a really fun album. Songs like ‘Take Ova’, and ‘No Gravity’, and ‘Perfect Nightmare’. The melodies, you can’t help but sing along. The beats are just really, really good.
Sound-Savvy: But you do slow it down on stuff like ‘Say Hello To Goodbye’, which is another favorite song of mine.
Shontelle: Yeah ‘Say Hello To Goodbye‘, I wrote that in Sweden actually. And recorded that with (Martin Hanson)? And he’s actually more of a rock producer. But like I said they really wanted me to experiment on this album so I worked with all kinds of producers. Producers who only made dance records, producers who only make rock and ballads. It was pretty interesting… ‘Say Hello To Goodbye, that song was actually very hard for me to record. Not just write, but it took me two days to record that song because the first day I couldn’t stop crying. It was just so sad.
Sound-Savvy: What inspired those emotions in that song?
Shontelle: What inspired ‘Say Hello To Goodbye’ was just…I was just literally going through a tough time in a relationship I was in. I was doing a lot of thinking about it. I was just like…I really feel like I have to say hello to goodbye. This might really be the end. I think the end is really nearer than I thought. I started getting really sad thinking about it. I said, let me just pour my heart out on paper. And then when it came time to sing it, to actually record it, it was harder than I expected it was going to be. So I don’t know what I’m going to do about performing it.
Sound-Savvy: That’s going to be interesting. The whole album like we said is really good. I like ‘Kiss You Up’ because it’s different. It sounds so innocent.
Shontelle: Yeah, Kiss You Up is one of my little babies too, that’s the one I got to work on with Tony Canal and that was our intention. We wanted to make a song that doesn’t sound like anything else. I feel like that is what really establishes you as an artist and really sets you apart. They were just like “No, we know you can sing. We know you have swag. We know you can deliver. But you need to do something that is really going to make people’s ears perk up like oh, what’s that?”. That was what we really were attempting on that one and I’m really happy that the feedback has been so good.
Sound-Savvy: I think you got a great album here with “No Gravity”. I like that fact that you put the remix for ‘T-Shirt’ on there. How special is that record for you because that was like your first big record.
Shontelle: There was a lot of mixed feelings about if we should put T-Shirt, the remix with The Dream. But the truth is, there are so many people that I was never able to reach on my first album. And lot of people still don’t realize that the same artist that sang T-Shirt is the same artist that sang Impossible so everybody knows T-Shirt, but a lot of people still haven’t connected the dots so they were like you know what, let’s put the remix on the album cause a lot of people haven’t heard the remix either. I actually feel really good about it because I do think it was a good idea for us to do that. I do love that version with The Dream so much.
Sound-Savvy: Yeah, I think it’s great. I like the vocals. You guys sound so great together.
Shontelle: I don’t even have to say he’s super talented. Working with him has always been fun.
Sound-Savvy: Yeah he’s a good guy. What’s coming up for you? Are you touring right now, hitting the road?
Shontelle: Right now I’m just on the road with the busiest grimiest promo schedule ever and it’s literally going to be like that I think throughout
"That’s my mantra right now: There’s no gravity."
the year. I think between right now and Thanksgiving up through Christmas it’s going to be just me promoting the album. I do have a lot of shows and stuff booked. People can pretty much stay tuned and catch up with me at Shontellemusic.com, Facebook, and Twitter. I post all the dates up, so you can find out when I’m going to be in your town or your city.
Sound-Savvy: I hope your coming to Charlotte. Please say you’re coming to Charlotte?
Shontelle: I know I really do feel like it…I looked on my schedule and I saw something about Charlotte. So I feel like I might be making it there before the year is out.
Sound-Savvy: Charlotte or Atlanta, either one.
Shontelle: Yeah, ATL too.
Sound-Savvy: Yeah definitely, so before I let you go, I do have a bone to pick with you because…
Shontelle: What’s that?
Sound-Savvy: You and I were supposed to have a rendezvous on DJ Hero and that never happened.
Shontelle: Oh My Gosh, don’t worry. Don’t worry, we’re so going to have it. I thought you were gonna be mad with me because I didn’t tell ya’ll about working with Rhianna.
Sound-Savvy: Oh yeah, I do want to know about that! I heard about you working with Rihanna. Now what’s the status of that?
Shontelle: We got a chance to finally get in the studio together. The song that we worked together on is going to be on her album “Loud” that’s coming out. It’s confirmed which I’m really happy about. I just hope it’s finally going to squash all the rumors because I know that there were a lot of rumors out there with people trying to sort of make it like there was some beef with me and Rih but we were just like, huh? We totally support each other and we’ve been trying for a minute to work together but we just finally found the time to make our schedules work.
Sound-Savvy: What’s the name of the record that you guys did together? Can you tell me?
Shontelle: I can’t even tell you. I can’t say anything except like that we did over the phone together.
Sound-Savvy: Is it a dance type groove or is it slow?
Shontelle: Huh? You’re just going to have to stay tuned….
Sound-Savvy: Uhh ok…
Shontelle: That was the tease.
Sound-Savvy: Well as long as I get my DJ Hero match, you talk a lotta junk about your DJ Hero skills
Shontelle: We’re gonna play DJ Hero, just don’t kick my butt too bad.
Sound-Savvy: I’ll try not to. My schedule’s been so busy I haven’t played in months. Shontelle, again it has been a pleasure speaking with you. It’s always great talking to you.
Shontelle: Thanks Mack.
Sound-Savvy: I’m looking forward to the new album “No Gravity”. The review will be up on Sound-Savvy very soon. It’s an excellent album folks. Make sure you pick it up and support this wonderful artist Shontelle. Thank you again Shontelle for taking the time out to talk to the Sound-Savvy readers.
Shontelle: Thank you so so much.
Sound-Savvy: No problem we’ll talk to you soon and wish the best of luck with everything.
Shontelle: Thank You and love you guys.
Sound-Savvy: Love you too.
Shontelle: Alright, laterz.
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