Have you ever felt tempted to send a playlist to your therapist in response to their weekly check-ins? If so, allow a fresh face in LA's music scene to expand the collection of songs that echo your feelings. With her transcendental approach and highly reflective lyricism, Shekina explores love, betrayal, tension, frustration, withdrawal, and growth in her music. Despite the universality of these themes, she manages to craft many of her songs as deeply personal, coming-of-age masterpieces - especially in her brand new sophomore album, For My New Therapist.
Her talents in vocals, piano, songwriting, and production - as well as her fluent mastery of English and Spanish - render her one of the indie scene's most versatile and innovative forces. Her upbringing in Boonville, CA, as a half-Filipina living in a predominantly Hispanic community, has broadened her global perspective from a young age. Playlists & Polaroids admires her diverse musical influences, ambitious mindset, and readiness to uplift her peers. We recently got to chat with Shekina, and she didn't hold anything back - keep reading to learn more about her artistic journey, new releases, goals in the industry, and more!
Photo credit: Shekina McEwen, graphic created by Karly Ramnani
YOU'LL LOVE SHEKINA IF YOU LISTEN TO: Olivia Rodrigo, SZA, Kehlani, Kiana Lede, Mariah Carey, Ciara, Beyonce
What drew you to the piano at a young age, especially growing up in a family that played many different instruments?
My sister actually had a keyboard piano, as she was also in piano lessons (we are 12 years apart). But I actually started my musical journey on a baby rainbow-colored xylophone from Walmart my parents must have gotten me for my birthday or Christmas. I started playing on that, and since the xylophone and the piano are so similar, both percussion instruments and a similar layout, I went ahead and basically stole my sister’s keyboard piano and messed around with it. From there, you can say the piano was practically my first love. Yeah, it was love at first sight.
What artists and genres of music did you grow up listening to, and how have they influenced your sound over the years?
So this is interesting. Starting with my father, he enjoyed listening to bands such as The Beatles, The Bee Gees, ZZ-Top, and The Rolling Stones. He also got into some of the music my mother would listen to once in a while. My mother on the other hand, really enjoys listening to Spanish Flamenco guitar music, Filipino ballads, Barry Manilow, Michael Buble, and songs with Spanish-Filipino elements (Filipino folk music is so similar to Spanish folk because of colonization), such as the song Bésame Mucho—which was one of my Lola’s (grandmother’s) favorite songs to sing and dance to—even at 92 years old! And lastly, since my sister was a 90s baby, and I just loved her world, her room, her keyboard piano, and everything she practically did and touched, I got into 90s R&B and Hip Hop, listening to artists like Mariah Carey, Boys II Men, Akon, Snoop Dogg, Chris Brown, Lil Jon, Usher, Ciara and so much more. I think all of these genres have influenced my sound in a way that which my music is so diverse. I could have an R&B sounding track, and the next a chill Indie-Alt track with some guitar in the background. I think a lot of artists don’t like to compare themselves to other artists and like to think they have their own sound, and I think my sound is literally all over the place. I don’t really like conforming myself to one genre–there’s been times I started producing thinking, “Okay we’re gonna make this R&B sounding,” but later I go back when I’m finished and I’m like, “This is not fully R&B,” or sometimes it’s the other way around.
Image credit: Shekina McEwen
What was it like growing up in a predominantly Mexican community, especially as a Filipino-American?
I think it was so interesting looking back, and I think it was a privilege. Being half-Asian my peers obviously knew I didn’t look exactly like them, so I did encounter some racist comments here and there by classmates and parents. But other than that, I got the opportunity to fully immerse myself in Mexican customs, traditions, and culture. In the 5th grade, I asked my classmate, Norymar, if she could teach me Spanish. I knew some before then, but it wasn’t until 5th grade that I actually wanted to know conversational Spanish and speak it well. Apart from that, my friend’s moms would be like my second moms, or like my Tias (aunts) that I never had in the States. I got to indulge in homemade Mexican meals all the time, like Posole, Menudo, Mole, Enchiladas Rojas Michoacanas, Tamales, Carne Asada, Tacos de Al Pastor and so much more I could name. I ate Mexican food, more often than Filipino food (Muchísimas gracias a Antonia Herrera de Mendoza (Doña Tonia), Carmen Lopez (Doña Carmen), y Agustina Perez-Medina (Doña Tina) por su constante hospitalidad, y largas horas y dedicación al haciendo un plato de su sabrosa comida <3).
Also not to mention Mexican street food from vendors, selling elote, fruit with chamoy, and taco hubs (which explains why I’m so picky about my tacos since moving away). I was also exposed to other parts of Mexican culture, like cookouts (the infamous carne asada), quinceañeras (a young woman’s 15th birthday celebration), Noche Buena (which is parallel to Filipino culture), el grito, bailes, jaripeos, Mexican dancing, Dia de Los Muertos (Day of The Dead), Primeras Comuniones, Bautizos and so much more traditions. I enjoyed being bundled up in the infamous tiger cobijas, while drinking a cup of Abuelita hot chocolate, while eating a good concha (Mexican sweet bread) from Mi Esperanza (the one tiny Mexican supermarket in Boonville). Also not to mention the arroz con leche that would be made during Christmas time (chef’s kiss). I was also exposed to the Mexican-immigrant work ethic. Boonville primarly contains agricultural-based work, comprised of over 30 vineyards. My friends and their parents would wake up at 5:00am and wouldn’t be done working in the fields until 4-5pm. Sometimes they would be working in scorching heat, in long sleeves (required by management), being exposed to toxic fertilizers and sprays and barely have enough free time in their day, but continued to work the next day to help provide for their families.
I remember in my U.S. History class, during our free time, I was sitting next to my high school best friend Heidi Delgado and I was talking to her about Asian history within the U.S. and even Mexico, and she went “...Sometimes I forget that you’re Asian.” I think she said that because I was just so immersed in Mexican culture, really since kindergarten.
It's super cool that you grew up around chickens and on a farm! Could you give us a fun fact about chickens that might surprise some people?
I think a lot of people think you have to have a rooster and a hen for a hen to lay eggs, but that is not the case, because a hen can lay eggs on her own! They just won’t hatch into baby chicks.
What drew you to USC's Music Industry program? Do you think you'll stay in LA even after graduating?
I think what drew me to USC‘s music industry program was the many successful alumni who graduated from USC, the Trojan network, and all the connections one can obtain by just being a student here. I’m so grateful to have the privilege to be educated by renowned professors, who also have connections in the music industry as they’re not really full-time professors but also have jobs as executives in the music industry. I plan to stay in LA, but then again you never know where life may take you.
What were your favorite parts of working on your new album, For My New Therapist? How did you come up with the title?
I think it’s really just the ability to sing what I feel. Being able to express the thoughts in my head, using real life experiences and conversations and producing that into music. I mean, I do this with all my songs, but I think this album really just shows vulnerability and realness, and that not every song is a la-la love song. I was actually planning on making a love-themed album next after Jaded, but I noticed myself writing more songs about the other difficult moments of my life, even concerning matters of love and the heart. I was deciding between bittersweet and For My New Therapist, but I think I stuck with For My New Therapist because I quite literally had gotten a new therapist at the time, and I thought of my set being the list of trauma I tell her. In a sense, I could just hand this whole album to her and she can be there to listen as she usually does.
In what ways does For My New Therapist build on the stories you began to tell in your debut album, Jaded?
I made Jaded during a difficult and pivotal time in my life, in the midst of COVID-19, and social distancing, and quarantining. And I think now I am still affected by that time, I went through a lot of challenges I won’t forget and I am still going through now. It seems as if For My New Therapist is a sequel of Jaded, but yet in a new phase of life as I transitioned from high school to now college.
What's your favorite song to perform live and why?
I think my favorite song to perform live in general is “Leave The Door Open” by Bruno Mars, I just love the melody of it and the style of music. But as far as my own music, I performed an original recently at USC’s Tommy’s Place, called “If It’s Not You” (it’s unreleased). I really enjoyed singing that song because it was based on a real-life experience and it kind of got me in a peppy mood!
I love the production and harmonies on several of your songs, especially "while it lasted." Could you walk us through your approach when producing your own music? What advice would you give to other up-and-coming women in music production?
Thank you! I usually start with a chord progression and loop that, and sometimes I add another chord progression which coincides with the first and layer it, as I did with “while it lasted” with the piano and synth chimes. Then I carry on with some bass, then add a drum beat to it and from there add anything else I would like. Personally in my production process I like layering, whether that be with MIDI instruments or with voice. In terms of voice, that could mean harmonies and/or taking my voice, making a new track and lowering it down another octave to make the voice sound more fuller, as well as layering with a higher octave. My advice for women in music production is to not allow outside voices affect your flow. Your sound is your sound, and there will always be critics but keep pushing. Learn from other producers and what they do, use Youtube and the internet to your advantage. And if what you do is kind of out of the norm, that’s okay too–don’t conform yourself to just one set way of doing things.
What inspired your goal of starting an independent record label that amplifies POC artists' voices? What aspects of running a record label excite you most, and what would you call the label?
I think ever since I knew I wanted to work in the music industry, I always wanted to help artists, producers, musicians, songwriters, etc. And personally, I think a lot of record labels, especially in America, don’t give POC artists the opportunity to showcase their talent, and a lot of executives in these record label operations happen to be white. It has been a recurring issue over the course of time in the music industry with the lack of diversity, as well as gender segregation, with the lack of female representation in record label operations holding executive positions, or even being music producers. I know that so many artists get their foot in the music industry, young, and not really educated on record label operations or legal affairs of the music industry, and because of this lack of knowledge, they are taken advantage of by executives in the music industry and then left with debts they can’t pay, or face lawsuits they are stuck with. I want my record label in the future to be independent and help amplify POC voices and I also want artists to get the royalties that they deserve especially for all the hard work that they put in. As far as the name, there isn’t one particular name set, but I do want to include “Sequoia.” This dates back to my NorCal roots as the Sequoia tree is a common tree in NorCal, that takes a while to grow, but once roots are settled they are hard to remove and tarnish. I think that represents what I’ve been working towards.
And finally the P&P Classic! What's a lyric from any song on For My New Therapist that speaks to you personally? What was going on in your head as you wrote it, and how do you connect to it?
I think a lyric that speaks to me personally is from my song “2 Steps Fwd” where I say: “It’s that butterfly effect / And you’re about to fall / Wings cut– its a defect / Once you go and answer their call.” During writing this, I was in a vulnerable place, fighting the urge to talk to people and surround myself with those who weren’t good for me. Referencing the butterfly effect, something as small as taking that call can cause more damage to me than I realize.
To say that Shekina's dynamic artistry and go-getter spirit inspire us would be an understatement. Her multitude of talents and unmatched drive is allowing her to achieve big things and make a difference in her community. Before jumping straight into For My New Therapist, we highly recommend checking out the foundation she's established with Jaded - a strong body of work that fuses contemporary R&B with global influences. If you're hoping to further familiarize yourself with this up-and-coming powerhouse, we've compiled our favorite tunes from Shekina and similar artists into a playlist for you!