Donegal singer-songwriter Shauna Scanlon has released her new single, Keeping On, ahead of her new EP Brand New. We asked her the BIG questions . . .
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She describes the song as "an anthem of hope and triumph through tough times".
Keeping On features local Ballybofey artists, drummer Mark McGirr and bassist Adam Ayres and guitarist Adam Hannigan.
Tell us three things about yourself . . .
I'm a singer/songwriter from Donegal and I am also an English and Irish teacher.
How would you describe your music?
My music is a mix of soul, funk and RnB with a modern twist and even a bit of folk thrown in sometimes. I write about things that I've experienced myself or that people close to me are experiencing.
Who are your musical inspirations?
My parents listened to a lot of soul and blues when I was growing up, bands like Deacon Blue, The Beautiful South and M People and I think that had an influence on my music. I love anything funky and soulful, Olivia Deane being one of the modern singers I admire. My harmonies and vocal arrangements are inspired a lot by Ariana Grande, I love how she layers vocals and creates a really full sound with them.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
The first gig I went to was Boyzone at the Mary From Dungloe festival, they were very young and so was I.
What was the first record you ever bought?
I think it was a Dustin song closely followed by a Destiny's Child single.
What's your favourite song right now?
A song called Polkadot by Dig and Jason Deery, who are also from Ballybofey. My local area is full of great music at the minute.
Favourite lyric of all time?
This is such a hard question! I'm not sure if this is my favourite lyric ever and I'm not a massive Swiftie but I love this line from her song Tolerate It - "I made you my temple, my mural, my sky/Now I'm begging for footnotes in the story of your life". She wrote this based on the book Rebecca, which is one of my favourite books. As an English teacher, I love the way she can take a story from a classic novel and give it a new lease of life.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
It would have to be Black is the Colour, it's so haunting but also so romantic. It's my go-to song and I even have the start of it tattooed on my hand.
Where can people find your music/more information?
You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok, just look for Shauna Scanlon music. My songs are available on Spotify, iTunes and all other streaming platforms.
Alan Corr
