Artists
Shantaia
Shantaia is a Saskatchewan-born country singer & songwriter currently based out of Nashville, Tennessee. Singing and performing from a very early age, she wrote her first song about losing a loved one at age nine. Writing songs about her life and experiences has been second nature ever since.
The 2019 SCMA Emerging Artist has played festivals all over Canada, including The Cavendish Beach Music Festival, North by Northeast, Dauphins Country Fest, and Country Thunder Saskatchewan. Additionally, Shantaia has opened for acts including Kane Brown, Chris Lane, Ryan Hurd, Emerson Drive, Charlie Major and recently she went on a tour of the east coast with The Washboard Union and Raquel Cole. She is a 5x SaskMusic Award Nominee, and 7x Saskatchewan Country Music award nominee.
Since moving to Nashville, Shantaia has been hard at work, writing with some of the biggest writers in Music City and playing milestone shows including The Listening Room Cafe and Whiskey Jam. At the end of a great 2023 festival season, Shantaia was crowned as the Boots and Hearts Emerging Artist Showcase winner and released the single she won through the competition with Universal Music Canada. “What I Wouldn’t Do” was penned with longtime collaborator Ryan Sorestad, and Grammy nominated writer and producer Curt Chambers, and is a departure into a new, smoldering sound for Shantaia.
Q&A WITH SHANTAIA
PRS: Who have been your primary musical influences, not only as a guitarist, but also as a songwriter?
Shantaia: Chris Stapleton is a huge influence, as a songwriter, artist and guitarist. I love the tones he uses, and he’s inspired me to play more electric!
PRS: You’ve amassed a small collection of PRS gear over these past few years, which guitar / amp is your favorite piece?
Shantaia: Currently, I own and LOVE the SE Silver Sky! It helps that she’s a pretty Stone Blue as well!
PRS: What do you love the most about your PRS guitars in general?
Shantaia: I love the tone of my Angelus A60E and have had a lot of sound guys say how much they love mixing a PRS acoustic, which always feels like a compliment! I love my Silver Sky because of how easy it is to learn on. I love the neck size and easy feel, and comfortability of the fret board. Sound wise, it has just such a whole-body sound that I love. I enjoy challenging myself with multiple genres and this guitar crosses over super well!
PRS: We’ve primarily seen you performing with your trusty Angelus A60 acoustic, but increasingly we see you playing electric. Is this representative of an overall creative shift in the Shantaia sound?
Shantaia: I would definitely agree that the want to play more electric guitar goes hand in hand with my brand and sound shift. Leaning into my influences like Chris Stapleton which is usually quite electric heavy. The sound has just “edged” up quite a bit in the last year and a bit, which you’ll see with the consistent release of music this year!
PRS: You recently posted a mysterious teaser advising us to remain calm. Is there anything more you can tell us about that? A new single perhaps?
Shantaia: A new single is right! Faster Horses is coming out on January 24th, which we will get to celebrate together at the PRS 40th anniversary party! This song is a true look into my roots as a horse girl, one who’s independent and loves a good challenge. It also solidifies the dark, edgy, country/blues/rock sound that I’ve been crafting for a while now. I can’t wait for y’all to hear it!
