Interview with Crystal Shawanda

CRYSTAL SHAWANDA'S country roots run deep. Born Native American, she was automatically Country - joined to the land and the real stories of everyday people. To Native Americans, music is everything. It’s their history, their dance, and used to remember and to forget. It’s a way to celebrate life and mourn death. At 12, she accompanied her truck-driver father on a long haul to the southern United States, and visited Nashville for the first time. At 13, she recorded her first album in Nashville, all of which were songs that she wrote. Over the next several years recorded 3 more independent albums, traveled back and forth to Nashville, honed her craft, and finally got a full–time gig at the famous Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge on Nashville’s world famous Broadway. While working at Tootsie’s, Crystal began to work with producer Scott Hendricks (who has produced Faith Hill, Brooks and Dunn) and it was then that Nashville music-business legend Joe Galante signed Crystal to RCA Records/Sony Music Nashville in 2007. Crystal’s first single You Can Let Go was the fastest rising single in Canadian BDS History and reached top 5 in Canada and top 20 in the US. In 2009, after five hit singles in Canada & a massive tour with Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley, Crystal was named the Canadian Country Music Association’s Female Artist of the Year. Now, she has a brand new song called I'm Gonna Love You Anyway. Tune in and get up close & personal with this talented Canadian Country artist. <itunes:block>