JUNO Award-Winning Blues Artist Crystal Shawanda Shares “Would You Know Love”
JUNO Award-winning artist Crystal Shawanda returns with her heartfelt new single, “Would You Know Love,” released January 10th via New Sun Records. Produced by her husband and collaborator Dewayne Strobel, the song blends Crystal’s signature raspy vocals with the raw emotion of blues and the storytelling soul of country.
Reflecting on the track, Crystal shares,
“When I sing it, I get emotional thinking about who wouldn’t be in my life if I had let love slip on by. Love endures, even when it’s tough.”
A trailblazer in music, Crystal was the first Indigenous woman to win both a Canadian Country Music Award and a JUNO for Blues Album of the Year. Born and raised in Wikwemikong First Nation, she continues to inspire with her powerful voice and deeply personal music.
Hi Crystal. What have you been up to since we last spoke?
I’ve been on the road playing some incredible shows, and in the studio recording new music and I’m just so excited to finally be getting my new album out into the world.
“Would You Know Love” is a powerful ballad that blends blues and country. What inspired you to write and record this song, and what does it mean to you personally?
My new single “Would You Know Love” was written by Sonny Tackett, and it sounds somewhere in between, where old meets new, and the blues meets country. It’s honest, vulnerable, and soulful. When I sing it I get emotional thinking about who wouldn’t be in my life, if I had let love slip on by. I think sometimes people walk away from love too easily when it gets tough, but that’s what makes it love. It endures.
The song was produced by your husband and longtime collaborator, Dewayne Strobel. How has your creative partnership evolved over the years, and what was it like working together on this track?
Our working relationship has evolved into a finely tuned machine. We pick up where the other leaves off, we challenge each other, and bring out the best in each other. Sometimes we butt heads, but I’m pretty sure Dewayne does that on performance because I sing better when I’m mad lol! At the end of the day, the music trumps our egos, and we just want the music to be the best it can be.
You’ve seamlessly transitioned between country and blues throughout your career. How do you approach blending these genres, and what draws you to both?
Music saved my life, to put it lightly. I grew up on the Wiikwemkoong Unceded First Nation, in the thick of intergenerational trauma. I grew up in a house where my family listened to all kinds of music, and they taught me that music was like cheap therapy. Country and blues were definitely 2 of the staples, and I am absolutely a product of those 2 sounds. I was always drawn to the stories and the rawness of it all. Both styles were born out of hardships, the songs were testimonies of those who had overcome their struggles. I could relate, and it inspired me to do the same, and I wanted to do the same for others.
What do you hope listeners take away from “Would You Know Love,” and how does it set the tone for your upcoming projects in 2025?
I hope the song serves as a reminder that love is to be treasured and matters of the heart should be treated as such. The song rides the fence between country and blues, and it definitely sets the tone for this new album, which is unapologetically my own brand of country blues.
As someone who has continuously broken barriers, what’s next for you both musically and personally?
What’s next is hitting the road and singing these new songs, with my family by my side. My husband still plays guitar and our 7-year-old daughter Zhaawande joins us on stage now, singing backgrounds and playing percussion, and word has spread and a lot of gigs are specifically requesting that she joins us on stage because she really gets the little ones inspired and dancing. I’m also wrapping up a Children’s lullaby album, and we have also expanded and rebranded my record label New Sun Music, we recently signed some exciting artists of all styles, and we have new music coming out from Ping Rose, The North Sound, and Low Budget Rock Star! We are celebrating our 15th year, as the first record label owned by a full-blooded Indigenous woman, so it’s exciting to still be evolving and growing after all these years.
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