After building up her credentials behind the scenes, India Shawn is ready to thrive in the spotlight. The singer, born and raised in West Covina, California, cut her teeth as part of the songwriting team Full Circle. To date, Shawn has written for Anderson .Paak, Monica, 6lack, Chris Brown, Diddy’s Dirty Money one-off, Keri Hilson, and more. After moving to Atlanta, she broke out as a solo artist during the aughts, releasing her debut album, Origin, in 2012. The album included features from James Fauntleroy and Hit-Boy, as well as production from John Key. Origin’s release was a rewarding moment for Shawn, who grew up singing in her church’s youth choir. Over the course of the past decade, Shawn has utilized SoundCloud to share her music, sung backup for .Paak, and returned to the West Coast, moving to Los Angeles. Since returning to California, Shawn has become part of the SoCal Soul community, which we featured as part of our SCENES docuseries.
SCENES offers a deeper look at emerging communities of artists and fans who are shaping music and culture around the world. SoCal Soul is less of a unified sound than a collection of artists who are united by their love of R&B music and desire to push it forward based on their passion for it. California has long been a leading hub for R&B music and India Shawn is part of a new class of artists keeping that tradition alive through their soulful touches. Shawn lists Destiny's Child, Lauryn Hill, Brandy, and Mariah Carey as influences, but she’s upfront about California having a huge impact on her artistry. In our sit-down with Shawn, she explained how coming back to California after spending years in Atlanta influenced the overall sound of her 2021 album, Before We Go.
“Just coming back to L.A. after Atlanta, where I was for 15 years, was like a rediscovering of Los Angeles and a rediscovering of myself,” she tells SoundCloud. “And honestly, coming back here inspired the whole project, which is why the album starts with song one: ‘Cali Love.’”
“Cali Love” is a stripped-down romanticization of Los Angeles that ponders whether it’s possible to actually find love in the city. It was produced by the accomplished producer and songwriter D’Mile, who is also featured in SCENES: SoCal Soul. Fittingly, Shawn performs a subtle, guitar-driven rendition of “Cali Love” at the end of the documentary, showing how the city where she fell in love with R&B is still influencing the music she makes now—even after several years away from the city. Shawn has gone on to do big things (her single “Not Too Deep” features 6lack and has over 300,000 plays on SoundCloud to date) but when it comes to music, all things lead back to California for her.
LISTEN TO INDIA SHAWN
Check out India Shawn’s music here, then give our SoCal Soul playlist a listen to get familiar with more R&B artists from Southern California who are helping the genre turn the corner.
WATCH SCENES: SOCAL SOUL
Credits: Directed by C.T. Roberts. Portraits by Ira Chernova. BTS by 70mm.
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