Who's Makin Noise?
Shonie
Slip N' Slide artist Shonie wants the world to see her passionate side. The Miami based singer/songwriter signed to Def Jam during the summer of 2009, but she doesn't have it in her to get too comfortable. Her primary goal is to make herself a household name. Shonie's confident enough to say that she wants to be at iconic status when it's all said and done. It's a rare thing to find a newer artist so self-assured and dedicated to her craft, but twenty-one-year-old Shonie maintains that this is only the beginning, and she wants to take the rest of us with her on her ride to the top.
Shonie is originally from the Bronx borough of New York City, where she started off like many superstar artists, singing her heart out in the church when she was barely out of her toddler years. "You know, I wasn't in the choir very long but I was always around musical people. When I got signed...," she paused with a smile, then said, "It was my family who kicked me in the butt, actually, to get me out there and put my records out there." Nevertheless, growing up in the specific neighborhood where hip-hop was birthed, had to have had some sort of effect on her. The art of spitting had to have rubbed off, right? Well, it did: the young singer wanted to be a rapper initially. "I really wanted to rap", Shonie said with a grin, "But my mom was like, 'No. You're gonna sing,' then when I got signed to the independent label [South Beat Entertainment], they were like, "No, you're a singer." That was when I was seventeen, so I haven't rapped in a long time."
Shonie kept her tough hip hop edge though she was no longer jotting bars. She started writing love lyrics instead. Her family relocated to Miami when she was nine years old, and that same year, she wrote her first song. "It came outta nowhere," Shonie said, laughing, "I play a lot of instruments by ear and I was just playing around and came up with a title, 'Want Me' or 'I Want You'. Something like that." By the time she reached age seventeen, her vocal abilities had matured and people took notice. She signed a recording contract with Miami based indie South Beat Entertainment under the watchful eye of James Jackson. Jackson used his connections to bring DJ Khaled onboard to host Shonie's first mixtape, which was distributed nationwide. She's gone from working with rap princess Trina, to Flo Rida and Cool & Dre. She applies the practices of those who inspire her (Aaliyah, Betty Wright, Missy Elliott, Mariah Carey) to her own career. When asked if she feels more influenced by modern artists or by those from 'back in the day', she took a deep breath and emphasised, "Everybody has to look at 'back then', people that started way before us. Beyonce, Rihanna- we all gotta look at them: from Billie Holiday to Lena Horne and Betty Wright- all of them- they're icons. They teach us, that way, we can teach others."
The songstress, has obviously taken some important cues from these icons: determination, hard work, and an insatiable hunger for authenticity through music. "My genre is just real music. You get into show business and you've gotta put on a show but at the same time I want people to know me. I'll have songs about my life, certain songs for the club, to get your swag on, songs to make love to...", she said, "I just want it to be a real album because I want everybody to relate." All of her talent, commitment and integrity, eventually led to major record labels paying attention to her, but the always-focused Shonie, didn't jump to make a quick decision. She methodically planned how she would blow everyone's mind. "You've got to keep grinding because there are times when a label could mean something and there are times when it doesn't mean anything. They're looking to see what you can do as an artist."
In May of 2009, Shonie was trying to decide between Jive Records and Def Jam. She claimed that the call from Def Jam "came out of nowhere", and it was time to fly to New York City and perform for LA Reid in his office. "I went and I did it!", she beamed, "A lot of big producers were there. Dream was standing right behind me! This all happened like four months ago in May! It's happening really quickly..." Now she has a thumping track "Can't Let Go", featuring her new labelmate rapper Fabolous. It's a cut that's quickly gaining momentum as Shonie pulls her debut album together. Determination and talent has paid off for the songstress, but she doesn't - not even remotely- entertain the idea that she's somehow "made it". She's still grinding, writing new songs, working on new material. Shonie has an air of sweet girlishness when discussing fashion, but as the topic turns back to music, she's as serious as any veteran of the music business. "I want people to look at me as an icon. I always think that once I stop singing, I'm definitely gonna continue being a writer," she smiles sincerely and simply says, "I want to be known as someone who puts out good music."
-Nadine Graham
