Polo and More, Barbados 2014 Issue 9 | Page 90

T lle te hon S The first thing that strikes you when you speak with Shontelle Layne is how decidedly “normal” she is, with the reams of newsprint dedicated daily to the downright bad behaviour of many celebrities, not to mention their penchant for drama, you can see that this is one atypical artist, with her feet firmly planted on the ground, and with pride and purpose in her life. She’s beautiful, smart, funny, articulate, polite and one can go on and on... but I think you get the picture... oh and did I forget to mention she’s Bajan... and wants the whole world to know it. When you meet some-one like this, one needs to give a big shout out to the unsung heroes in the equation; the parents; as they are the architects of their children’s destiny, as ultimately they give them the foundation and the tools to build the castles or not that they eventually go on to construct. Family is very important to Shontelle and one of the things she says that keeps her grounded, she has 2 younger sisters who like herself are flourishing. One as a banker at Morgan Stanley in New York the other studying Law at UWI. So one can see that success and achievement is very much a focus in the Layne household. She is passionate about music, and you can hear the animation in her voice as she speaks about it. Even though she always knew she wanted a career in music, she was astute enough to know that the wanting and the actually reality of the music business are two different things, so like any smart young woman, she had a Plan B and actually went to University, almost completing a Law degree at UWI. But opportunity came knocking before she could finish and she couldn’t say no, thank god she didn’t. A successful singer, and songwriter who has penned songs not only for herself but for artists such as Alison Hinds, the mighty Rihanna, Kelly Clarkson and Shakira to name a few, she has even had the honour of touring with the Great Queen Bey(oncé) herself and had one of her songs “Battle Cry” being chosen to be on President Obama’s “Yes We Can” soundtrack for his campaign before his first election. Signed initially to record Label Motown, which is now a part of the mighty Universal Group she is in good company with artists the like of Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Maroon 5 as her compatriots. This bright shining star is definitely on the ascendency, where her career journey takes her next one hardly knows, but she is ready, determined and focused and the success of other artists only inspires her to achieve more and more and more. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAKE THOMAS