Getting To Know... Shayla McDaniel

Having already impressed so many with a string of fresh and vibrant cuts over the last few months, emerging Knoxville-based singer and songwriter Shayla McDaniel is back once again with her latest uplifting jam 'Better Days'.

Channelling a warm and sweeping groove from start to finish, 'Better Days' makes for a wonderfully lofty return for the artist. Bringing back more of that luxurious production and soaring voice she is known for, her latest release is a warm and enticing offering that oozes breezy aesthetics.

So with the new single available now, we sat down with her to find out more about her background and what has inspired her most in recent times.

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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?

Guitar. Ever since I was a little kid, I wanted to learn how to play guitar. I don’t know why, but it just seemed so cool. Violin was my first instrument (not counting the recorder in year 5). There was a bass guitar floating around my church after the bassist went off to university. My little brother was interested in music too, so he messed around with it for a bit, but got bored with it. I thought I’d give the bass a go. I thought ‘Hey, this has strings, my violin has strings, so why not!’ About the same time when I was about 12, my brother and I saved up our money and bought an acoustic guitar from Toys R Us and started learning how to play with a DVD. I haven’t put down the guitar since, and I still play bass at church with the choir.

What kind of music did you love as a teenager?

I was a huge Switchfoot, Relient K, and Lecrae fan. I listened to a lot of Christian rock and rap. I also listened to a lot of gospel music. Looking back, I realize most of the songs that I really like that we used to and currently sing at church are by Hezekiah Walker. I loved listening to and playing his music then, and still do now.

What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?

This is a really, really tough one. I don’t have a favourite song, but any of the songs in my ‘Favorites’ or ‘navy’ playlists would be amazing.

Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?

If I’ve got an idea bouncing around in my head, I’ll sit down with a pen and paper, my guitar or piano, and the voice app, then see what happens. I’ve almost always got my phone with me, so whenever I have a tune, a beat, or lyrics pop into my head or I hear an interesting phrase in conversation, I put it in my phone. When I sit down to write but don’t have any ideas, I have a pool of ideas to use as a starting point. Sometimes, I just open up Logic on my computer, grab an instrument, and play whatever comes to my hands and build on that. After I get to a stopping point, I’ll return to the song another day and keep working on it until I think it’s done. I can finish a song in an hour. I can finish a song in 2 years. Usually, it takes about a week. Every song is different. If I really like it, I’ll record it with my full band treatment.

Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?

Joseph, Lianne La Havas, and Deep Sea Diver are some of my favourite artists, and fortunately for me, all of them have released music fairly recently! Also, I’ve got a weekly Spotify podcast called ‘Recent Favorites: A Podcast/DJ Set Thing, IDK’ where I highlight indie artists I’ve been jamming to lately, with some colorful commentary in between. I’ve been listening to a lot of Latir since starting the podcast.

How many of your songs have you written about people in your life?

I’ve released 8 songs that are about people in my life. I think I’ve written around 6 more that aren’t out.

What has been the funniest or most unusual moment in your career so far?

I can’t really think of anything really out of the ordinary or super funny, but one memory does stick out in my mind. I was playing an outdoor show at a brewery. It was a little after sunset on a warm autumn evening. I was singing a smooth, slow jam. Then I saw what I thought was a black fuzzball land on my left arm. A split second later it started crawling. I quickly realized it was a spider and tried to shake it off without completely freaking out in the middle of my song. I felt a pinch. It bit me. My arm swelled up a bit at the bite site, but nothing too serious. I told my mom about it and said that if I pass out or weird stuff starts happening, tell the doctors that a small black spider bit me. I was joking, but kind of serious. I took a Benadryl just in case. Nothing happened, thank God.

That’s the only thing so far. Still waiting for my spidey sense, wall crawling, and web slinging to kick in...

If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?

Joseph, they’re one of my all-time favourites. I started listening to them at a really important time in my life, and they’ve been a huge inspiration to me.

If you weren’t a musician, what other path do you think you might have taken?

I’m not sure. I’ve always just kind of stumbled along, not really knowing “what I wanna be when I grow up” until I found music. I’d probably be doing something more “normal” and boring. I’m very thankful that I have music!

And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?

You have to start somewhere. Learn as you go. You just have to start. What’s stopping you?

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Shayla McDaniel's new single 'Better Days' is available to stream now. Check it out in the player below.