TONE 444 Vol 3 - She’Chinah

This week, we’d like to introduce you to She’Chinah; an independent R&B artist from Memphis, Tennessee whose allure is in her vulnerable lyrics and sultry tone. You may have heard her on Netflix’s Uncorked. We briefly chatted about her creative process and her outlook on making timeless music in general.

How do you get past creative blockages?

“I think I kind of just like relax. Any time I feel creatively blocked, I’m overthinking. I realize I’ve been doing this my entire life, so it’s nothing to take off for 10 or 15 days. And every time I take a break I just come back. It’s just singing.”

Your sound is so sensitive and vulnerable. What do you feel has had the biggest impact on how you develop your sound? Your voice? Your lyrics?

“Probably life, girl. Hahaha. When I did Solitaire, I was just going from being super extroverted to super introverted & you can hear it through the music. I was just talking about things I was going through. Even in this next project coming up, it’s just about what I’m going through. I just try to be aware and embrace life, so that wherever I’m at mentally I can express it in a song. But I don’t really release my fun songs… All my songs aren’t deep.”

Why is that??

I love timeless music.

"I sit on music for about a year before I let anyone hear it because with so many pieces that I’ve made… I grew out of them really fast. I just want to create songs that translate well on stage. If I grow out of it, then it’s not timeless.”

I would LOVE to hear more about your creative process for creating “Sense of It All,” off of Solitaire. It’s by far my favorite song by you.

“Girl you finna take me back. Hahaha! Sense of it All.. I was off of Highland Ave when I made that song, right by the University of Memphis. I was kicking it with my homies Teddy LOET & ford. Teddy produced it. Highlanders Media Group was the name of the group & I’d made that song with him. I barely remember what I was feeling. I was trying to make sense of things and just questioning myself. I was really in a sad place and confused and tired of sitting in a victim’s seat.”

Yeah, I loved your line about having to draw pictures for soldiers as a child because I remember doing that as a kid to support soldiers in a war that I knew nothing about.

“Wowww, thank you for peeping game on that!! I don’t know why I came in with that line. I just remember having to do that all the time and none of these people grew up to anything, but to amount to being racist… I grew up in a white school and I was just trying to make sense of it. I also feel like my parents raised me to be a genuine soul and not to surround myself with people just for what they can do for you. I was an early 20-something that was so discouraged. This feels like a different person, though. I’m not even in that headspace anymore.”

Lastly, how has social media been beneficial to your career?

“Girl, I don’t know. Hahaha. I feel like it actually needs to be, more so than it has been. I think it gives me a closer connection to people. I don’t know a lot of people on Instagram, but I love to connect. It gives me a direct line to my fanbase and right now my fanbase super intimate.”