House Loves Shantel - New Talent On The House Music Scene

The fusion of female vocals to House Music over the last decade took the overall sound to a whole new level of sophistication, and this is evident when Shantel expresses herself in this peculiar genre.

This is the dawn of an age of fantastic new age female singers, and Shantel Semenya is among the few female vocalists heeding this prophesy.

In a musical landscape lacking in quality singers in soulful house music, her vocal is often the fused into the key building blocks of melodies and beats, while remaining sensitive to minor changes in intonation and vocabulary of the song itself.

Born and bred in Alexandra, she has become some kind of local celebrity, this is mainly due to her collaborations with various DJ’s which delivers intensely memorable musical experiences on the Alex Club Scene.

“When I get on that stage and transform my energy to the audience and they respond positively that makes me tick. I believe that music is the no 1 communication to a human soul it’s like therapy, hence the love for Soul Music”, she admirable acquiesces.

Shantel erupted onto national music notice with her collaboration with DJ’s and her collaborations with DJ SK and Lady TT has created a sought after brand on the Alex club scene.

“Daily experiences and what happens around Shantel is the inspiration to the spontaneous songs”, she boasts about the improvisational lyricism she employs to her craft.

And as fact has it that the female voice carries many of today's biggest dance hits, there is no wonder why most revellers always flock to the stages she graces.

Raised in a Christian household, it follows that she the music bug caught her and not surprisingly we now find she transformed her choral music training into a poignant musical style that is entertaining while remaining rooted in cultured expression of emotion.

But the local music scene is brutal, and the obstacle course maneuverer by most female vocals within an electronic music influenced environment is intoxicating, and more of them tend to become mere poster girls for brands that espouse originality and poise.

The strange role of female vocal performers as second authors is threatening to most male musicians when faced with the necessity of collaborating with women for the sensuality that makes modern music palatable to fans.

Reflecting upon that experience a few years ago, she recalls how she became interested in forming a band.

This proved futile an attempt, as the contemporary climate has studied musicians working as freelancers.

“Challenges are forever there in life and the secret is to learn from our challenges. I’ve been to auditions and never selected. Been hustling for a recording deal and no doors open. And I still struggle to get gigs, yet in spite of all that I still have that undying passion for my music.”

A tinge of despondency I sense as she laments the plight of the creative minds who are sadly caught in the cycle of surviving in a capitalist environment.

“You will be surprised how many talented people you will find in offices. It is SURVIVAL VS TALENT IN SOUTH AFRICA,” and this social condition has sadly forced her to find employment outside of her creative skills set.

And evidence of some of the gender-based attitudes she had personally faced is explicit in her sentiments about the challenges faced by women performing music.

The demoralizing effect of such hypocrisies based on the assumption that women never play instruments which haunted the lives and careers of other exceptional women who had succeeded as professional musicians in spite of the accusations is what encourages her.

In our conversation she makes clear the importance of self-reliance in this industry and its necessity in life, a primary theme of her eternal life-song.

But the voice speaks for itself, of fragility and self-empowerment.

It can be that she also struggled to define herself in the industry, but as we converse more about soul music, dreams and the future of the industry, she confesses that “the future holds great opportunities for me I can tell”.

Shantel does shy away from the importance of consistent vocal training, which is the hallmark of any fine singer. To achieve the present subtleties and complete control over the mechanics of tone production take exhausting hours of exercising, which she admits to neglecting far too often. But with the current recording of her solo debut, more work is going into her vocal technique. Having had Jazz play an essential role during the formative phase in her singing career, we are sure to have a taste of multifaceted vocal spectrum with her upcoming offering. So, be on the lookout in all your hangout spots for all kinds of talent, because you might be grooving to Deep House Tunes by DJ SK95 and Shantel.