Right now, it seems like the music industry is geared more towards looks than actual talent—especially as far as R&B is concerned. If you sing better than you look, chances are you’ll probably be reduced to being a songwriter while some other artist with a million dollar image and two dollar voice recites the very same lyrics than came from your soul.

But every now and then, the sun, moon, and stars align, and create the perfect balance of both. There are plenty of honorable mentions that be considered on that list, but one new songstress that definitely deserves to have her name stenciled in amongst those is Bajan singer/songwriter Shontelle.

Born in Saint James, Barbados, her musical career started to flourish after constructing the monumental island hit ‘Roll It Gal’ for Soca star Alison Hinds. From there, the song got re-worked and she teamed up with another singer from her native homeland by the name of Rihanna, (some of you might have heard of her) to perform it as group called J-Status. Capturing the ear of music execs here in the states, she now has the opportunity to bring her talents to the world stage via her debut album, Shontelligence. Being only the second singer from her island to have a hit record from a major label in SRC, it’s safe to say that with her impact along with that of her fellow countryman, the island of Barbados will continue to “roll” without a hitch.

SixShot.com: When did you first discover that you had a singing voice?

Shontelle: Probably when I was about 3 or 4-years-old. I used to hide in the closet, and sing to myself. Then my mom knocked on the door one day, and she was like, “You know we can all hear you?” “So you should just sing for all of us.” Then I was like, “Okay!” [Laughing] “Yeah, that would make sense!” [Laughing] 
 
SixShot.com: [Laughs] So after your mother dragged you out of the closet, when did you really start making a name for yourself?

Shontelle: [Laughing] After that, I started singing at school, and being in the school choir. But when I really made a name for myself in Barbados was when I wrote a song called ‘Roll It Gal’ that was performed by Alison Hinds who is a big Soca star. Also, that same year, I did a song called ‘Colours.’ All the music was for carnival, and after I did all of this stuff, that’s how Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken heard about me, because their wives are from Barbados.

So they called me up, and wanted to sign me to their production company, SRP because they liked my style of writing, and they really like ‘Roll It Gal.’ Then we ended up doing another version of it with a group called J-Status, which featured Rihanna and I. That version was release in the UK and other parts of Europe, which did really well; so pretty much that’s how all of this stuff started bubbling.      
 
SixShot.com: So as a singer/songwriter, is it hard at times to differentiate what material you’d like to keep for yourself versus things you write for others?

Shontelle: Yeah… Sometimes it goes that way, and other times you’re like, “Wow! This song is really good!” [Laughing] But you know exactly who you’re writing for, and there’s no question about it being a “you-song” or not. But it can go both ways.  
 
SixShot.com: Has there ever been a time where you wrote something for someone else but was reluctant to give it to them because you knew it would be a hit, and when it blew up you were like, “Damn, I should’ve kept that one!”

Shontelle: [Laughing] Luckily so far, nah. I haven’t really experienced anything like that yet. But I do have song where I start to write, and I know they’re not for me, but I haven’t passed them on yet and I’m trying to hold on to them for as long as I can because I’m not sure yet… [Laughing]

SixShot.com: [Laughs] How did you first start off writing material for other artists beside yourself?

Shontelle: When I was in my teens, I started floating around the music scene in Barbados, and I had lot of friends who were musicians. I also had a lot of friends who were aspiring producers, and I would hangout in their makeshift studios; like all my wanna-be artist friends and me. We would all write songs for each other, and we would enjoy it. I was around 18 or 19 when I wrote that song ‘Roll It Gal,’ and that was the first time that a real artist performed one of my songs.
 
SixShot.com: Also you have a close relationship with Rihanna. Did you guys always know each other even before the music started popping off, while growing up in Barbados?

Shontelle: Well we met each other in school. It’s the state’s version of ROTC, and every school has a unit. We were at two different schools, but our schools are the oldest and most prestigious in Barbados, so certain schools would always go to camp summer together. I met her one year at camp where I was the drill sergeant, and that was the first time I ever remembered meeting her. Just her appearance alone was so striking, and she was taller than everyone else and really gorgeous. I thought to myself that she was going to be famous, but I thought it would be as a model, I had no idea that she wanted to be a singer, or that she was even into music.

Then I would see her every year at different cadet events and stuff like that, and then our friends were kind of intertwined, so we would run into each other at places and would be hanging out with the same groups. It was pretty cool. We were signed to the same production company, but she got signed to Def Jam and I got signed to Universal.

SixShot.com: But it still seems like it worked out for both of you guys…

Shontelle: Yeah!
   
SixShot.com: Your debut album is called Shontelligence, and it’s going to be released on November 18th of this year. How are your feelings as the due date approaches? Are you nervous anxious?

Shontelle: Oh man! It’s kind of like an emotional rollercoaster. You’re so excited, but then you’re nervous, anxious, and you’re trying to stay away from reading anything or watching the TV, because what if someone says something that you don’t want to hear… [Laughing] It’s very nerve-racking actually, but I’m very excited about it because this is something that I wanted to do all my life. Coming from Barbados, I never really thought that it would happen, just doing mainstream music like that, so I’m really excited about it. 

SixShot.com: Do you think there will be enough room for you to make noise in the Pop/R&B world right now with so many acts being released?

Shontelle: I have a great team, and they work really hard with me. Together we work hard to make sure that we have material that will standout. I feel like I standout as an individual just coming from somewhere different. So that allows me to bring something fresh to the table. I look at artists like myself Rihanna, Akon, Wyclef, Shakira, and just basically artists that come from a different place, but our lives are still similar to the lives of people over here. So we’re still able to relate and bring some fresh sounds, and it’s kind of like M.I.A. or something like that. I really do think that we have some cool stuff.    

SixShot.com: So when you view the other artists that you just mentioned, how do you view them as? Would you view them as competition if they were coming out on your release date?

Shontelle: Even with my experience, there are other artists that I have met and I’ve heard them say things like, “Wow, this is gonna be scary because my album is coming out the same day as such-and-such, and there’s gonna be competition.” I guess it really depends on if the artist is the same genre as you, but for me I kind of just feel like it’s always impossible to find a date where somebody is not coming out. So you just have to be confident that you have something really great and you just have to be ready to do it. I’m sure that there is tons of competition if you want to put it that way, but there isn’t much you can do about that.

SixShot.com: At the end of the day, when people grab a hold of your CD and pop it in, what do you want them to take away from your music?

Shontelle: Listening to my album is going to literally be a journey through my mind. Most of the songs I wrote, or co-wrote. A lot of it is stuff that I’ve actually experienced, and being a female, there are quite a few songs on there that are empowering for women. I think the reason that I write like that is because women have come a long way, but at the end of the day there are still a lot of things women struggle with. Like self-esteem, love, relationships, and stuff like that. So I try to make songs that uplift people, and there is a song on there called ‘Superwoman’ and it was produced by StarGate.

I have another song called ‘Roll,’ which Steve Rifkind was like, “This song is so great, I’m making you record it, and put it on your album!” [Laughing] So I have a version of ‘Roll’ that’s on my album which is just me. I have another song on there called ‘Life Is Not An Easy Road,’ and it’s a song about being in the struggle, and it’s supposed to uplift you. I try to make positive songs that are fun and enjoyable. There are club bangers on there, there are ballads on there, and the is poppy/Reggae stuff because I’m from the islands… [Laughs] It’s really nice blend, and it’s definitely letting you know who I am, and where I’m from.

SixShot.com: With you saying there are club bangers on there, Reggae stuff, ballads, etc. Would say that any particular one of those is your area of expertise, or are you well diverse when it comes to all of them?

Shontelle: I feel like I am pretty diverse, and I’m lucky to be able to make all kinds of music. It was a challenge at first because I am from the islands, and when I first got signed everyone wanted me to do Reggae. So I kind if had to fight and let them know that I do other things too, [Laughs] and they gave me a shot and everyone was really excited about it. After that, we just experimented with making all kinds of music, and that was really important to me as writer, because if I’m going to be writing for other artists, I want to be as you said; diverse as I can be. So right now, I feel like I’ve done that.