Q: I love the energy in “LOUD.” What are some influences in the song?
SHELBYY: Lyrically, this song was written in November of 2020, still in the thick of quarantine, a time where everyone was itching to return to normalcy. We based the song around the desire to go out freely and do something so normal like see live music and hang out with friends. Musically, we took an early 2000s punk-pop vibe and ramped it up. Avril Lavigne, Paramore, and Blink-182 were our biggest references when dialing in the production for this record. Most of my closest guy friends and bandmates come from a heavy metal/rock background, and it has definitely infiltrated my music taste over the last few months. I wanted to add some heaviness in the guitar parts to give the song more of an edge. Influence to me is a combination of the music I listen to plus the people I surround myself with, who also introduced me to new styles of rock, like progressive metal, classic rock, alt. rock, ’90s and 00’s punk, etc. I’m a pop writer at heart, so this song is definitely a blend of my pop style formula with my punk-rock alter ego.
Q: What is your story with music? How did you fall in love with it? Q: When would be a pivotal moment that you realized you wanted to do it
more seriously?
SHELBYY: I discovered songwriting at a very young age. I believe I wrote my first song around 8 years old. I loved creative writing in school and loved music as well and started fusing the two without even realizing I was doing it. I didn’t know that songwriting was a legitimate thing, all I knew was that I was expressing how I felt. I used to like writing little fairy tales and create elaborate stories in my head, so I suppose you can say I was a storyteller first before I was a songwriter. But in reality, the two are synonymous. I started taking songwriting more seriously my freshman year of high school when I took a Songwriting 101 seminar taught by a senior. I played an original song for the class and the response was overwhelmingly positive which took me by surprise. I enrolled at Idyllwild arts academy that following summer for a 2 week songwriting intensive program and learned about the business side of the music industry for the first time and learned the different types of formulas when it comes to ‘hit’ songwriting. This was where I learned about Belmont University for the first time as well and was like “WOAH I CAN MAKE SONGWRITING A CAREER? YOU CAN DO THAT??”. Pretty mind-blowing to a 16-year-old. Not only did I fall in love with the songwriting camp, but I fell deeper in love with my craft. I got to co-write with other songwriters my age for the first time which was unreal. Fast forward some years and I graduated from Belmont University in April of 2021 with a degree in Songwriting and Music Business. I guess dreams really do come true.
Q: Who are your main influences?
SHELBYY: Joan Jett, Hayley Williams from Paramore, Travis Barker/ Blink-182, Avril Lavigne, Green Day, Maggie Lindemann, TessaracT, Mötley Crüe, AC/DC, Van Halen, Kitten, Mod Sun, Three Days Grace, Rina Sawayama, Billy Idol, P!nk, Bon Jovi, Fall Out Boy, Periphery, Miley Cyrus, Willow Smith, Blondie, Queen, Jet, Steel Panther, REI AMI, No Doubt/Gwen Stefani, Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish, Katy Perry, Linkin Park, Audioslave, Bring Me The Horizon and soooo many more.
Q: What is your favorite song that you’ve written so far? What makes the
song special?
SHELBYY: This is probably the toughest question you can ask a songwriter because every new song that I write gets better and better. I like to call it “new project syndrome” because every new song/project that I start I fall in love with and it becomes my new favorite. And it typically becomes what I play in the car over and over again. So my favorite is always my newest song. My friends would say their favorite is “Snow White”…but that’s not out yet 😉 (soon I promise)…
Q: What do you like most in your songs?
SHELBYY: The energy! My songs are very upbeat, danceable, the kind you’d want to blare in your car with your friends with all the windows rolled down at any given time. They’re party songs, feel-good songs… Songs that speak to the youth and make you forget about reality for a second. I’ve dedicated so much of my time, energy, and love into these records and I hope that is translated into the music I make. With every release, the song isn’t mine anymore. It’s yours. Enjoy them, because there is so much more coming. This is only the beginning. Stay tuned…!
Interviewed by Katrina Yang
FOLLOW SHELBYY:
