Photo Supplied by Sasha Stoltz PR

Shanaya Patel – Five Questions With

Jenna Melanson·January 30, 2024

Pop Singer, Songwriter Shanaya Patel Is Placed To Soar

Canadian Pop singer, songwriter, and musician Shanaya Patel brings honesty and originality to her music and has the music industry paying attention. The confident, heartfelt voice combined with her passion for the piano brings lyrics to life. From a very young age, Patel knew what she wanted, and it was more than evident that she had the talent to go with the dream. Taking her cue from a world inspired by Ariana Grande, Alicia Keys, and JP Saxe, Patel worked hard to perfect her craft and to make her music her own. The singer-songwriter’s YouTube cover of Julia Michaels’s “Issues” earned 4.1 million votes for her MTV ‘Cover of The Month’ nomination. In 2022, ready to step into the light, Patel signed with daCosta Talent, garnering her a spot in the changing entertainment industry, from music to Voiceover and on-camera acting. It’s safe to say Shanaya Patel is placed to soar.

Following the success of Patel’s two singles, “Not Bitter” and “Good Company,” expectations are high for the rising artist. With her growing popularity, Patel took the stage at many events including appearances at iconic music venues The Danforth Music Hall, and The Opera House in Toronto to rave reviews.

In 2023 Patel released a small part of an original song on Instagram, earning a remarkable 1.4 million views. Patel followed with the full release of her single “August Twenty-Second.” The rest is history. The Pop sensation has proven she is on her way with grace and maturity far beyond her age. One thing is for sure Shanaya Patel’s voice is a gift to her and to anyone who listens.

First off care to introduce yourself to our readers?

Hey Canadian Beats, thank you for having me! I’m Shanaya Patel, I’m an artist from Toronto, Canada but born and raised in Mississauga.

Tell us a bit about your recent release.

I wrote “August Twenty-Second” during the pandemic. It was a super reflective time for me. Life was so go, go, go and when the pandemic hit, I felt like I could actually process everything that’s been happening in my life at that point in time. I used the date to anchor the story and the reminiscent feelings of that time period of memory for me. One of my best friends, who’s also an amazing artist – ghosthands, produced the track and we went through a couple of versions before we released the one you hear today. It’s a super special song!

How do you typically go about the songwriting process? Do you have a specific method or creative routine that you follow?

For me, the process is different almost every time. I get ideas and inspiration from everywhere, I have a whole “lyrics” folder in my phone for when something pops into my head or I hear something catchy that could be an idea for something. Or when I’m in the studio writing, we usually talk about what’s happening in my life and grab concepts from there. Sometimes, if I’m in my home studio, I’ll even pull up a bunch of samples and see what sparks inspiration and write based on the beat. It truly can come from anywhere.

Looking ahead, what are your plans for supporting this new release? Are there any upcoming tours, music videos, or additional content that fans can look forward to in connection with this project?

There’s so much new music + content coming this year which I’m so excited about! I’m excited to share more behind the scenes of the process of making all the new music as well as sharing more about live performances later this year, stay tuned!

Looking back on your musical career, is there a particular moment or accomplishment that you consider a turning point or a highlight?

There have been so many great moments recently so it’s definitely hard to choose. One moment I’ve been thinking a lot about recently is the day I dropped my song “Not Bitter”, last year in May. It was the beginning of a new era for me – I had all this music that I’d been working on for so many years and had been teasing on social media like crazy but had never felt like it was the right time to release until last spring. I was so blessed to have received so much love from friends, family, and fans and this really helped me propel my vision for the year allowing me to release so much more and enjoy the process of sharing what I’ve been building so far.