Shanika Maria – The introspective lyricist

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

There was something about her. Yes, she was absolutely beautiful. She had flawless skin, beautiful coiled hair, and a passion in her eyes, and of course that voice.

I remember the first time that I met Shanika. It was at an event in Hamilton. She was one of the only performers, and when she began to sing, I was captivated by the deepness of her soul. The words seemed to pour out of her, her voice accenting each word, drawing the audience into her song.

My interview with Shanika is long overdue, but you know what they say, when the time is right, it just is. I would like to introduce to the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper readers, our Woman Empowered Shanika Maria.

Twenty-seven years old Shanika Maria grew up in Hamilton, Ontario. She is Guyanese/Trinidadian, and most recently moved to Toronto after living in France, where she was an English Teaching Assistant. When you get a chance to check her out on Instagram, you will see a creative vibrant soul, who is passionate about her craft, and dares to take on any objections to her free spirited nature. What I learned about her during our interview was interesting, and tells a different tale.

“Music has always been very therapeutic for me. I used to love to sing. Singing wasn’t discouraged, but it wasn’t encouraged. It was just something that you do, but not career wise. You know how it is. I took piano lessons when I was younger, but it was more about it looking good than me enjoying it. I am so grateful for it now.

 As I got older and was dealing with life situations, music, and creating music became my outlet. I was trying to analyse my parent’s divorce, why they were trying to stay together. It was a difficult time, but music helped me.”

She didn’t think of music as a career or something to share with others, but she would make covers, and put them on YouTube. She found ways to connect with other musicians. It was cool, but it made her very anxious to be critiqued that way.

“I was not in a space to hear the critique that I was getting. I was hearing stuff like, ‘Oh you have a nice voice, but your guitar skills are awful.’ I was only 14, 15, 16 years old. It was discouraging, because the criticism was not constructive.”

Shanika decided to go to school to study Psychology. She thought she would continue on with that, but in her third year, she moved to France to be an English Teaching Assistant. It was her first time experiencing something different. She did this in her early 20’s, and realized quickly that it was not for her.

During her time at Humber College a friend of hers shared her YouTube channel with a band that needed a back up singer.

“This is how I got into performing. I think I only did it once outside of that. The first song that I wrote and performed was when I was at Brock University. I went to a workshop and shared my song. I was so nervous. It was a very personal song about a situation that happened with someone I knew. It was a song about an abusive relationship (Man or Monster). A man having an abusive relationship with someone outside of his marriage, and it was written from the perspective of his wife. I had to think from her perspective. I was really trying to understand that viewpoint.

 I was asked to perform that night. When I finished performing, there was dead silence. I thought it was bad, but people were really touched by the song. I got really great feedback.”

After that, Shanika started to reach out to see where else she could perform.  She was performing about four times a year in Hamilton. It was very infrequent. She decided that it was time to do more with her music. She made her first EP (Childish Games). Childish Games was the first song she actually wrote. It came before Man or Monster.

“I am always trying to navigate different perspectives, things that have touched my life. My subject matter tends to be heavy, and sombre. It is a way for me to work through some of my interpersonal issues. I have always had a hard time being on the receiving end of critique. It is the idea of sharing and it not being received or interpreted well. People will tell me, ‘You are a really great singer!’ I don’t care about being a great singer, I care about the story.”

Whenever I get a chance to speak with a creative, I query about how the pandemic has affected them. Shanika shared with me her quarantine story.

“COVID-19 has allowed me to enjoy music again. Performing is what I have to do, but I prefer the creative side of it. If I perform, I prefer a more intimate setting. For my own well being, I need it to be a safe space.

I am really excited because I had an opportunity to work on a new EP. This project was different. I was toying around with Garage Band. There was a grant that I applied for last year, and I received it in January. When March rolled around, the ability to experiment and make things came together. I was here creating things using my computer, my voice, my controller, my guitar, some plug-ins, and mike.

This is when I realized how much I love working in a homey space. There is no judgment; it is just me. Structura is a five song EP. The first single called Melt will be out September 4^th, 2020, Essence, will be out September 18^th, 2020 and the full album will be out October 9^th, 2020.”

I had a chance to privately listen to Shanika’s new album. It is different from what she has done before. It is less lyrical, and not as thematically charged. The vocals are extensions of her beautifully written words. It is ambient, electronic pop music. The atmospheric droning sounds, feel very dreamy. There are drums scattered throughout the songs, and you can tell it was created with movement in mind. You can learn more about this beautiful mind by visiting her on Instagram (@shanika_maria), on Soundcloud, YouTube, and Facebook.

It is amazing when you get to delve into the mind of a creative. You never know what you are going to find.