#UpNext: Shanice Sewell aiming to seize her musical opportunity
Though she initially started out journaling her life experiences, 28-year-old Shanice Sewell has now added music to her words.
The artiste, who says she has struggled with motivation and self-esteem issues, believes her music can uplift the soul of listeners.
“I struggled with motivation and I struggled with confidence, self-esteem issues so I started out writing, like journaling for myself initially and then that turned into songs about motivating yourself and picking yourself back up,” she said.
This led Sewell to embark on a musical journey in 2017, however, it was not without issues.
“I started in 2017 but I took a break because I was going through a lot. I came back on the scene and started releasing officially in 2019 just before the pandemic. I released a song called ‘Special’ and then another called ‘Carpe Diem’,” Sewell disclosed.
She revealed that her two-year break came through realising she was carrying childhood trauma into adulthood and decided that she had to take the time for introspection before continuing her journey.
The artiste added that when she reentered the music scene she was a better version of herself and on the brink of much success, however, this was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“I was pretty small in the industry but I think for my impact or for who I was, just starting out – seriously, I think I was on a steady pace. I was potentially about to go on tour but the pandemic changed that. But with everything happening, even who wanted to get me on board for touring, they got messed up too with the pandemic,” Sewell stated.
She added that the pandemic, though it took a toll on her, resulted in her creating one of her best songs.
“One good thing that came from the pandemic though, it almost mentally took a toll on me too but I guess that through the strength I have garnered I was able to produce one of the songs that I thought was just important for me to write for myself and a lot of persons as I got a lot of good feedback from it. It’s a song called ‘Minority’. While I was watching the uprising in the US over the police brutality, it was just so sad and I didn’t know what to do as a creative so I just wrote about it and I felt like I just couldn’t keep it because I wrote it one month and I released it the next,” Sewell explained.
Through the difficulties and the setbacks, Sewell stated that her music career has picked up and is doing well so far. The artiste added that while she hoped for a busier period, she is grateful for the experiences she has garnered.
“I don’t even remember where I got this quote but- slow and steady wins the race – and I think for me, where I am at, I am winning my race because ever since the door was reopened I haven’t been as busy as I would have desired but I could have been stagnant and doing nothing. Instead, I have been performing at quite a few local shows, getting a few opportunities to bless some people’s hearts and I have been getting some good feedback,” she explained.
When asked which of the songs from her repertoire has consistently been a crowd favourite, Sewell disclosed that ‘Carpe Diem’ comes out on top for various reasons. She said that the song would have grown on people since its release in 2020, and has received much attention from the Hispanic community. Sewell shared that the song’s popularity has also grown because there are multiple versions including dancehall, progressive house and neo-soul, some of which have collaborators.
“Another reason is that the title of the song is the motto for my alma mater, Morant Bay High School. Carpe Diem means seize the opportunity and I learnt that motto there and that quote has been with me all my life. I think because of what I went through in high school – being a creative and not knowing I was just a creative being, also because of the household I grew up in – I missed a lot of opportunities,” the artiste said.
Sewell’s songs can be found on streaming platforms including Audiomack and on YouTube where she also has some covers of other music.