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Cape Town - Shekhinah reps the coast but now lives in the J-Sector, which means she's our newest treasure and we won't easily let her go back.
Most famous for singing on the hit track Back to the Beach, Durban-born Shekhinah just recently signed to Sony, something she’s quite excited about. “It feels good to have such a big and highly reputable label behind me,” she said when #Trending caught up with the laid-back songstress. Let it be known, she was an absolute pleasure to chill and vibe with.
“My sound is poppy. I’m inspired by R&B and soul music, but my sound does have all the traits of pop.”
Musically, her inspirations are Amy Winehouse, Lauryn Hill, Jill Scott and Britney Spears. The inclusion of Spears is a bit unexpected. “Oh my gosh, don’t you just love Britney?” I couldn’t deny it, Britney was a boss to me at one stage.
And her creative process? “I’m melodically inspired, I put the melody down first as it’s the first thing that comes to me. I then create a long, one-take sketch; after that, I piece together the different words and try to stitch together a story.” She also plays the keyboard, which she loves to compose music on when she’s at home.
The 22-year-old has worked with some heavyweights behind the production desk. “Black Coffee was the most humble producer I have worked with, he knew better than me, he suggested changing the initial chorus to a verse. Sketchy and I both had ideas that worked well. He knows my voice really well,” she says.
“I’ve been singing since Grade 7.” She sang in choir and was told to rock the solo, so she did.
Everybody around her was absolutely blown away by her pipes, but Shekhinah really wasn’t bothered. “I was trying to be a ballerina ... later I did a few theatre auditions and started chilling with people who were as passionate about performance as I had become.”
She cites Khaya Mthethwa and Minnie Dlamini as peeps that pushed her to go for it, back in Durban.
If you’re yet to experience her brilliance, now is the time to stop sleeping. She took us back to the beach and I’m certain she’ll transport us to many other places through her soulful pop sound.
