Shana Rose is a local folk/indie singer. Currently living in Falmouth, she writes her own songs and lyrics using inspiration from people around her.
This interview with the young musician offers a more detailed and personal insight into her life and her music. You can view her website here.
“Ever since I could speak I would sing,” she tells Cornish Story as she traces her steps back to her earliest memories. “My parents always tell people stories of me dancing around in my pyjamas, making everything and anything into an impromptu, pretend microphone. I love the feeling I get from people really enjoying my music and I’ve always wanted to be a singer – though I simply have no idea where that desire came from!”
Shana describes her own music as “emotion fuelled, calming and truthful”, weaving the personal touch of her own lyrics in time with light notes and chords played on guitar, which she has been playing since she was eighteen.
She grew up in Leedstown near Hayle before moving to Falmouth to pursue a degree in English. Inspiration for her songs can stem from anywhere, between the people she’s known through her life or even real life situations which have happened to her. In her music, she translates this across in a gentle folky rhythm, usually performing in local bars, pubs and, sometimes, street corners where she busks.
“I normally play at Jacob’s Ladder in Falmouth,” she tells Cornish Story. “It’s such a lovely little pub, with great people and I’ve met some really amazing musicians. They have an open mic night on Sundays for original singers, and that’s probably where I play the most.”
“I would probably say that the best gig I’ve played so far was The Godolphin Arms in Marazion. It was the middle of the summer and the pub was packed! Everybody was singing along, and it was so great to see everybody just really enjoying listening.”
Drawing inspiration from a broad range of other artists, such as Fleetwood Mac, Emeli Sande and Kate Nash, she channels her inspiration into creating new songs of her own and, above all, always having a story to tell in her lyrics, whether they’re funny, sad or, more simply, a hard lesson well learned.
“I would say that one of my main influences is Carole King,” Shana relates, when talking about which artists she takes inspiration from the most, “and I feel that is reflected in the openness of my lyrics. I really mean what I sing, and I feel that in this way my music could be seen as being quite similar to her.”
Carole King is an American singer-songwriter, who has co-written hit singles for globally famous artists such as James Taylor, Mariah Carey and Joni Mitchell, and whose career has made a significant imprint on the music industry for over several decades since the 1960s.
“Though I also find inspiration through Adele, as again her lyrics are often very meaningful and true. Honestly, I have many different influences, which range from whole albums of specific artists, to maybe just that one song which I connected with, by that one artist who I know nothing else about.”
Her own music is all lyric based, and so the words she sings along with the melody are of significant importance whenever she performs her songs, as this is where the story lies.
“I would say that the thing I explore most in my music is the sense of doubt and sadness you get from knowing that you’ve made mistakes in the past,” she explains, “and the effect that has on your future outlook on life. My lyrics tend to express my emotions at the particular time I’m writing, and although some people will say they all sound sad, I actually find quite a few of them inspiring, as they were written at a time when I was just thinking ‘I’m not going to let this hold me back anymore. This is my life and I just want to make the most of the time I have left.’ ”
Shana is extremely passionate about her own music, as well as other people’s and has met many other locally talented artists in the area which she feels adds extra inspiration to the local music scene which she is a part of.
However, more than this, she feels it inspires her to carry on with song writing and performing, knowing that people enjoy it, and, above all, “to never give up”.
“Sometimes it can be so hard to keep on trying when it feels like you’re not really getting anywhere. It’s great the know that I have friends and fans who just really want to hear my next song, and just really want to be there when I finally do have my first album, or my first major gig!”
As a lover of music and everything else that goes along with it, she hopes to expand her fan base and simply carry on writing music that she and other people get to enjoy, whether that’s online or face to face, at a local event or simply just sat with friends.
You can listen to a sample of Shana Rose’s music on her website or you can usually find her in Jacob’s Ladder on open mic nights where she likes to perform.
If you would like to contact Shana about her music you can do so through the Cornish Story website, using our Contact page here.
