Rising star Shelana Azora has been turning heads since her debut five-track EP, Epiphany, was released in 2019. Hailing from East London, the Dominica-born emerging singer-songwriter was attracted to music as a child she loved to listen to her favourite artists on the radio and then try to create her own songs; she would think of random melodies in her head and fell in love with creating music as a way to express herself. “I think the idea of creating something so personal that I could hopefully one day help someone in their own journey, made me want to become a musical artist,” she comments.
Shelana Azora has a wide range of musical influences, citing 00s R&B is what made her. Naming some of her favourite albums from her ‘05 CD collection like ‘Destiny Fulfilled’ and ‘The Emancipation of Mimi’, she would listen to the same albums over and over again. She now recognises listening to the powerhouse voices of Destiny’s Child and Mariah Carey is what helped her form her own style and musicality. “Now a lot of my music is inspired by the nostalgia of old skool R&B and I love it,” she goes on to say. Taking interest in meshing R&B and hip-hop styles of music into her own songwriting abilities to create a distinctive twist on her sound, she is a force to be reckoned with.
‘No Time’ is the latest single Shelana Azora will release on August 24th, 2021, teaming up with producers Taco Social who captured her sound so well in this lush R&B-Pop record. “I realised the power that music has to affect our mood and emotions, and I wanted to write a song that would put me in a positive mindset and remind me of how far I’ve come every morning,” she comments on the track. Wanting to release a relatable and inspiring tune while letting the listener know it’s important to keep going. “My self-belief has been one of the biggest hurdles I’ve had to overcome as an artist, and after 10 years of being a musician, I still struggle with doubting myself. I literally made this song for myself, so I could put it on my Morning Playlist and allow myself to be my own inspiration just for once,” she continues.
As Shelana Azora is continually experimenting with variations of R&B, she would describe the aforementioned track as bouncy, inspiring, pop-R&B sounds with a gorgeous melody to make the listener want to dance to the infectious beat.
Like everyone else, Shelana Azora doubts herself and feels like she’s nowhere near to where she wants to be in life at times, which comes out in her music in a resonating way that will hit deep with the listener. “We put a lot of pressure on ourselves as young people to have it all together - but the reality is that no one actually does! I know a lot of people battled and are still battling with their mental health this year, and this song is a simple reminder that there’s always light at the end of the tunnel,” she comments. “All we have to do is keep going and be proud of ourselves every day for the small steps we take.”
“I’m living my 8-year-old self’s wildest dreams,” Shelana Azora mentions when asked what drives her forward as an artist. As a child, she would fantasise about being able to go to the studio, create music videos, and put her music videos out into the world for people to experience. She feels honoured that she gets the opportunity to do that every day which is the magic that drives her forward. “It’s a brave thing to be an artist, and I would love to show so many other young people that you can really do anything you focus your mind on,” she says.
As the global pandemic of COVID-19 has shifted many things in everyone’s life, Shelana Azora mentions this time gave her time to reflect on her journey as an artist, especially to figure out what direction she wanted to go in. “ I was able to write in solitude without the pressure of feeling like I had to release something,” she says. Music was all she had to give that gave her some sort of hope for the future during these uncertain times, in-turn, helping her to dig deeper into her music abilities and talent.
With the release of Shelana Azora’s debut EP, Epiphany, in 2019, the launch party was a musical highlight citing it as one of her proudest moments in her life thus far. “Nothing will ever beat the electrifying feeling of performing live, especially when every single person is there to celebrate your music,” she comments. This journey was an important era for her which excites her on what’s yet to come.
Closing out the interview, Shelana Azora finished off by saying to expect some collaborations with some very talented UK and maybe even some international artists. “I’m keeping the sweet R&B vibes coming for you all.”
Shelana Azora classifies her music as a sentiment to create without bounds and limits without being defined by one thing wanting to keep her own identity in her music. She experiments with her music and she wants to be able to create her art without being labelled or boxed into one genre. Now, with a versatile catalogue of music under her belt, she is ready to take the UK’s R&B/Hip-Hop scene by storm. Watch this space. “Be the person you always knew you could be because you owe it to yourself to be free,” Shelana Azora comments.
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Words by Danielle Holian