YouKnowIGotSoul had a chance to talk to R&B veteran Shanice about her discography as well as the residency that she is involved in with Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. The talented vocalist has been going strong for almost 40 years now and she’s showing no signs of slowing down as she revealed to us that she will also be recording some new music in the near future too. We also had a chance to talk to Shanice about her classic single “I Love Your Smile” and the longevity that the song has experienced especially with Chris Brown sampling it on “Undecided” which introduced it to a new generation of fans.
YouKnowIGotSoul: I want to start off by talking about this Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis residency that you’re a part of. How did that all come about for you?
Shanice: Well, I’ve been knowing Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis probably since the beginning of my career. And I’ve always been a big fan. I’ve always wanted to work with them. And just like over the years, it just never happened. Not because they didn’t want it to happen and not because I didn’t want it to happen. But you have record companies involved and there’s schedules. It just wasn’t the right time. But recently I ran into Jimmy Jam, and he said, “We’re going to be doing some shows. Would you like to sing with us?”. And I was like “Absolutely”. So they reached out to me, and the first show I did with them was in Minneapolis. We did a big festival in Minneapolis, and I got to sing with Ruben Studdard, who’s going to be with us in Vegas as well. And it went really well. And so they called me again, and we just did Japan. We did Tokyo and Osaka. So that was really cool. And it went from Tokyo to Vegas. And I’m excited because we’re going to get in the studio too and do some music. So I’m really looking forward to that as well.
YouKnowIGotSoul: And I know you don’t take any of this for granted. You’ve been in the industry for so many years now, and you’re still going. How does it feel to know that your talents are still being recognized at this point?
Shanice: Let me tell you, I am so grateful and I’m so grateful that after so many years, I’m still able to do what I love. So I don’t take any of this for granted. Like, when I hear my song on the radio today, I still get excited as if it’s like the first time. So it never gets old. I love it. I’m excited. I almost feel like a new artist, even though I’ve been doing it forever because I’m just that excited about it. So I just want to say thank you to all the fans for following me over the years, because if it wasn’t for their support, I wouldn’t be able to do what I love. So thank you so much for supporting me.
YouKnowIGotSoul: For sure. And obviously I don’t want to age you here, but your debut is going to be turning 40 next year.
Shanice: Oh my gosh. Are you serious? I feel old.
YouKnowIGotSoul: But it also speaks to your longevity in this game and just going through your journey. How would you sum up the career so far and the highs and the lows? But even thinking back to early on, that must feel like another lifetime ago for you, just all that you’ve experienced.
Shanice: When I think of my first album, it doesn’t even feel like it was that long ago. So when you said it’s going to be 40 years, I’m like, “Are you kidding me?”. It really feels like maybe 10-15 years ago in my brain. So it doesn’t feel like it was that long ago. I can’t believe how fast time is flying. But I just want to say Bryan Loren produced that album, and we just recently found out that he passed away. So when I think of my first album, he’s going to always have a place in my heart. He did an amazing job. He produced the entire album. He played every instrument on every song, wrote every song and produced my vocals. I was 14 at the time, and I didn’t know anything about recording. And I worked on some songs when I was 11 with Tina. I actually worked with Tina Marie before I worked with him. But that song didn’t come out. I did a whole album that was never released. But I learned a lot from Bryan Loren, and that album is going to always have a special place in my heart.
YouKnowIGotSoul: “Love Your Smile is one of those songs that’s stamped in R&B history. I know you’ve mentioned previously that that it wasn’t a song that you wanted to put out initially as a single. The label kind of convinced you to go that route. But as you’ve seen the success of that song over the years now, at what point did you kind of realize that it was going to be one of those songs that would never go away?
Shanice: In the beginning, I love the song. I just didn’t think it was the right first single. And like I said in another interview, I always wanted to be a rapper. So I thought it was too soft because I used to listen to some Salt-N-Pepa, MC Lyte and Queen Latifah. And so I was like, “This isn’t hard”. But after I got my Grammy nomination and I started traveling the world, that’s when I knew I was like, “Okay, I guess I was wrong. This was definitely the right first single”. I didn’t know that after so many years it would still be around, but when I used to travel the world and I got nominated for a Grammy, I knew that this must be a hit because I’m doing a lot of work. I knew it was a hit after I got my Grammy nomination and I got to travel the world.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Chris Brown obviously sampled you a couple years back on “Undecided”. Was that cool to see, to see another generation of fans gravitating towards something that you helped write?
Shanice: Yes. When Chris Brown reached out, I was so excited because I’m a Chris Brown fan. So yeah, it’s a whole new generation that’s singing my song. And it’s such a good feeling because it’s so unexpected. I really didn’t expect this generation to know my song after so many years to be singing “I Love Your Smile”. So shout out to Chris Brown. Thank you so much for introducing it to this new generation.
YouKnowIGotSoul: I got to give a shout out to my guys Tim and Bob. They helped produce “I’ll Be There” off your third album. That’s my favorite song by you because it’s such a magical record. What do you remember about creating it with Tim & Bob?
Shanice: I loved working with Tim & Bob. The one thing I loved about them is they love to do a lot of harmonies and stack backgrounds. I love stacking my backgrounds. Some people don’t like and when I say stack for people that don’t know about those who are watching that don’t know about studio stuff, you sing one note and you sing it four times. And then you sing the next note and then you sing it four times and then they piece it all together and that’s what makes it sound really full. Some producers don’t like to, so they may stack maybe twice. But Tim & Bob, I love the way they produce their vocals. And I had such a great time because we worked so fast together. And I definitely want to do more music with them for sure. And what’s crazy, when I was working with them, I didn’t know they were new guys. Like, they were so dope to work with because they had such a great ear and they knew exactly what they wanted. It didn’t take us days to complete one song. And so I thought that I didn’t know I was one of the first. This is something I’m learning today. But I really had a great time working with them. Like I said, vocally, we had a lot of the same ideas. So when they vocal produced me, I kind of was like we were on the same page. So I love them.
YouKnowIGotSoul: What kept you grounded throughout your career? Because it’s easy, especially early on, to get caught up in all of this. But from what it seemed like on the outside, you just enjoyed making music and that’s what it was about for you.
Shanice: Thank you. What kept me grounded? I just I feel like when people change, they obviously had that in them to begin with. And then the success just brought out who they were all along. I’ve never been the type of person that was like I don’t like even when “I Love Your Smile” was number one, I was traveling the world. I’ve never felt different than anybody else. So I think that’s why I stayed humble because I just I felt like everyone else. I didn’t feel like I was better or anything like that. I think what people change is because that was just how that’s just how they are. So and that’s not me. And I’m just doing what I love to do. And I’m just grateful. I think it’s because also because of the way I was raised. I always had great support from my family. I grew up in church. So I thank God for all the blessings that I have.
YouKnowIGotSoul: I want to fast forward to your self titled album on LaFace. I feel like that album is one of those hidden R&B gems. I don’t know if everyone caught it at the time. But when I listen to that album now, there are a lot of good songs on there and you sound top tier on those Babyface songs. Just talk about that album and that missed opportunity. Because I feel like if it was pushed properly, it could have taken you to another lane there.
Shanice: I was so excited to be on LaFace and to work with Babyface and LA Reid. It was such a great time. I was very pleased with the album. I felt like there was a lot of songs on there that should have gotten a fair chance, but it didn’t. So “When I Close My Eyes”, they really pushed that one. But then after that single, it was like the push wasn’t as strong. And there was a song I did called “Yesterday” that Justin Timberlake liked so much that I opened up for NSYNC years ago, he said “Can I sing that song with you on stage?” so we turned it into a duet and did it live together. That was one of my favorite songs on the album. That didn’t really get the right push. So I was a little disappointed that they didn’t push it like they probably should have. But I want to give a shout out to all the producers that worked with me on that album because that’s actually one of my favorite albums. And thank you to LA and Babyface for even giving me the opportunity.
YouKnowIGotSoul: And you kind of blew us mind with the fact that you did it on another podcast. And I had to hit up my guy Damon Thomas to confirm this. “Never Gonna Let You Go” by Faith Evans was originally created for you?
Shanice: Yes, it was. Damon Thomas wrote “Never Gonna Let You Go” by Faith Evans at my house on my keyboard. And it was actually written for me. But the label said “No, we are going to give it to Faith” which is great because Faith is one of my good friends. She killed the record, it was obviously meant for her. But the song was definitely it was originally written for me by Damon Thomas.
YouKnowIGotSoul: Did you end up cutting that song?
Shanice: No, I was just with him when he was writing the song, but we never got to record it because as soon as Babyface heard it, he was like “No, I think this one fits Faith”.
YouKnowIGotSoul: And just to wrap things up, I got to give you props because as you went independent, one thing that you did which I thought was really brilliant is you started posting YouTube covers of songs. And I think it really reminded people that Shanice is out here singing with great vocals. Just talk about that era for you, being independent, trying to figure things out after being in the major system for so long. What was that like for you?
Shanice: I did that as a test. I have a cousin of mine. He is the one that told me to do that. Because after I left LaFace, I had a new baby. I just got married. And I was trying to figure things out. And I wasn’t sure people even wanted to still hear me sing. So after I started singing covers, I started getting a lot of views. And I’m like “Wait a minute”. I am sitting here trying to be on the major label and the fans obviously still want to hear me sing. So it was actually it gave me like a boost. It gave me the boost that I needed to get back out there and just put out my own music and start touring. So I want to say again thank you to the fans for that. Because I was at a point at that time, I was seriously thinking about just not singing anymore. Because the industry was just so cutthroat. And I just didn’t enjoy it. But I have always loved singing. So I said I love to sing. And obviously the fans still want to hear me. So I am not going to stop. So doing those YouTube videos gave me the push to keep going.
YouKnowIGotSoul: No, and I got to commend you for that. Because it does not seem like ego has ever been a big thing for you. Even during your hiatus, at times you were singing backgrounds for Toni Braxton, for Usher. I can just tell you just love singing. And that is what it has been about for you.
Shanice: I just love singing. And that is the thing. You have to do it for the love. I think some people get into the business for the wrong reasons. They think I just want to be famous. And I want money. Aall of that will come and that is great because of course we all need to have money. But you have to do it for the love. And then all the other things, the money and all that, will eventually come along. I think a lot of people do it for the wrong reasons.