Rising Star Shayna Leigh Discusses Debut Album ‘Drive’

You have a musical theatre background. How has it influenced your musical style or performance style today?

I’ve been performing since I was in elementary school so I think that’s helped me to feel really comfortable on the stage, which definitely comes in handy these days. I think there is definitely a theatrical quality to my work; I like to experiment with different dynamics and push the envelope in that way. Also, musical theatre requires you to really learn how to tell a story through a song. As a singer/songwriter, I tell these stories very differently, but I tell them nonetheless so I am really grateful I have my theatrical background.

You say that you like to keep your lyrics universal, a key element of pop writing. How often do you tie in moments from your own life?

Every song I sing is tied to some experience in my life. I don’t necessarily always write about that experience specifically in the lyrics, but I think it’s really important that each song mean something real and true to me. In my opinion, that is the only way to really let people in and allow them to connect with you and your songs. That being said, I like to keep things universal because I believe that most of what we experience is really just that: universal. We are all in this together and most of what we go through is relatable and understandable and the more we embrace that the better off we all will be!

What was the inspiration for your new single “Typhoon”?

“Typhoon” is the closest thing I have written to a love song. At first I was nervous about it, because as I’ve said in a few interviews recently, I try to write music about concepts other than romantic love because I think there are so many songs about that particular topic. At the same time, it is a part of life and I decided to give it a try! “Typhoon” has become one of my favorite songs. To me, it is a song about love of any kind- love for your partner, friends, family or even love for music, art, whatever it is you love! It is about the transformative power of that love. I’m so glad I gave it a chance.

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