Chevel Shepherd Interview by Christian Lamitschka for Country Music News International Magazine & Radio Show
Lamitschka: How was the last year for you? What were
your highlights?
Answer: The last year for me has really been a
blessing. I’ve had a lot of opportunities come my way. I have grown as an
artist. I’ve released music. I’ve toured in a lot of different places around my
state and a lot of different places around the United States and Canada. I have
met a lot of my icons. I love Loretta Lynn. I got to meet her at her Birthday
Bash. I went to the ACM Awards and I’ve released music, so this year has been
just a blessing and I thank God for that.
Lamitschka: What is your latest CD and how’s it
doing?
Answer: My latest music. I just released two
singles, “Mama Got The Chair” which was written by Dave Fenley, Nora Collins
and Nick Donley. Dave Fenley was also on ‘The Voice’ with me. That is the
latest call back to George Strait’s number one 1985 hit, “The Chair.” And then
I have “Everybody’s Got a Story” which was written by Kacey Musgraves, Shane
McAnally and Brandy Clark. That song, I love that song. It really has a story
to it and a lot of people can relate to it. And I love both of them. They are
on all streaming platforms right now, currently, and I’ve gotten a lot of great
feedback from them so I love them and I’m glad to finally have original music
out.
Lamitschka: How much creative control do you have
over your music?
Answer: I have total creative control over my
music. Whenever I was in the studio and was recording my EP songs, I was able
to tell the band that I want this instrument in it, I want it to sound this way
and I was just able to create my own art and have it sound exactly how I want
my music to sound and how I want Chevel to sound. I love that. Being in the
studio with a live tracking band, I sang and they played and it was all live
and we all were able to connect and they sound so real and so raw on the
record. So, it’s really cool to be able to create your own art and have the
total, total say in how you want it to sound and be.
Lamitschka: Who inspires you musically and how deep
do your musical roots run?
Answer: Musically, the people that inspire me
are Carrie Underwood, Loretta Lynn, George Strait, Alan Jackson, Tanya Tucker,
Patsy Cline. I love them so much. Their music is so real and they all tell
stories and I love people relating to what you’re singing and what you’re
saying. I love to see the emotions that people feel. I think music is the food
of the soul and I think it can heal people in a lot of different ways and that’s
one of my favorite things about music. I love country music and I love rock
music. I love lots of different genres. Country music is definitely where my
heart is set. I grew up singing. My mom sings and my sister sings. I always
wanted to follow in their footsteps and be like them. I just kind of picked up
singing and fell in love with it and have been singing ever since I was about
two.
Lamitschka: What do you think about today’s music
scene versus its past and where do you see it going in the future?
Answer: I am a country music singer. I’m
seventeen years old and I’m really influenced by the classic country sound,
such as Loretta Lynn, Tanya Tucker, Patsy Cline. I love that classic sound and
I’m really influenced by them. I’m wanting to incorporate my own style into the
country music scene now because the classic sound isn’t really there anymore so
I’m wanting to bring back my own version of that.
Lamitschka: What message would you like to send your
European fans?
Answer: The message that I would like to send
to my European fans is that I love you so much. Thank you so much for
continuing to support me and continuing to stream my music, it really means a
lot. I hope to get over to Europe soon. I’d love to see your country, I’m sure
it’s beautiful. Just thank you guys for supporting me along this whole journey,
it truly means a lot. Stay safe during these unprecedented times and I love you
all. Thank you so much!
Lamitschka: How do you feel about being winning the The Voice? What has it done for your career?
Answer: Being on ‘The Voice’ was insane. It
was so surreal. It had been a dream of mine for a while and I finally got on
there. My biggest takeaways from being on the show was being surrounded with
people that love the same thing you do. I got to make a lot of great friends.
All of the contestants, we pretty much keep in touch. It’s really cool to see
after you’re off of the show, how everyone just supports one another. We all
were there and we all were doing the same thing, doing what we loved. The
coaches, it was great to make friends with them. They taught each contestant a
lot. Kelly Clarkson taught me a lot. When my blind audition aired, I was up
there singing and she told me I was in my head a lot. She really just helped me
break out of my shell a little more and be more confident in myself and trust
myself and not be in my head and not think about what I was going to do next
because I knew I should just trust myself. Being on The Voice was just an
amazing experience and it still doesn’t feel real but I loved it and I wouldn’t
trade it for the world.
Christian Lamitschka (Ch.Lamitschka@t-online.de)
for Country Music News International Magazine & Radio Show