Singer-songwriter Shani Rigsbee chatted about her new music, and being a part of the digital age.
How did “Oh My” come about?
I was at home actually during Covid when I was doing a bit of writing and recording from the home studio and trying to keep myself occupied with creative, good flow.
I was spending more time reflecting on things and listening to the music that I personally loved that made me feel really good when I was a child and learning to really love and appreciate music and I decided I wanted to commit to a full album as I had already recorded a few individual songs with a more live, throwback sound over the previous year or so.
During this time at home, I was able to zero in and just go from inspiration and run with it and record at home and also “remotely” with my collaborator Orbel Babayan on this and other tracks we were developing.
“Oh My” started with the chorus as I was just sort of walking through the house and doing mundane things, I heard it in my head. I quickly recorded it into my voice memos in my phone and then sent it out.
We talked about the feel of it, the approach and how I hoped it could sound and started to create a vibe to work from.
After some back and forth on the form, I was able to get the full lyric and melody for the whole song and we completed it and later brought in additional musicians who also worked remotely.
What inspires your music and songwriting?
Many things inspire me… sometimes it’s as simple as an interesting word. Sometimes it’s circumstances not only mine but others I know or have heard about and I want to play around with that.
In some cases, a melody will happen and words come with it and then it’s about creating a story from that. That was the case with “Oh My”, for example. I had the chorus but didn’t know what it was about!
I had to dwell a little on it and the sassy character it conjured when saying that repeatedly… it made me think of how someone would react when sort of “surviving” something kind of dramatic, sarcastically.
In this, I thought it would be fun to make it about running into an Ex who you hadn’t seen in a long time that suddenly crosses your path and the flood of various thoughts and feelings that occur with something like that. It was light-hearted but full of colors but hopefully just makes you feel uplifted at the end of the day.
Every song is different and I try to let it just be what it is supposed to be and not worry about how it fits with everything else I’ve done.
I don’t believe in really forcing labels on an Artist at all – each piece of music should stand on its own.
How was your experience in “Dark Asset” thriller?
“Dark Asset” has been a rather long journey for me in that I was an original producer from the earliest days of development.
We started the project pre-Covid with a group of female friends initially who wanted to do this story about the technology affecting humans but we wanted to be sure to have strong female characters and feature diversity.
And our team was expanded with other close friends who I had worked with over the years and we knew we wanted to do our own things together.
It was great to develop from that place and start to pull together the different departments. I knew that I would be playing a spy-type character which I wanted to do and that I would be creating the film’s theme song.
It was a ton of work and juggling those different duties which happened simultaneously at times was tricky and challenging.
Making a film is a team effort but Producing requires leadership, management and business concerns and the different departments have to bring their creativity to the table.
So there’s a different hat being worn in these jobs but I think when you’ve participated in films enough times, you start to notice patterns both good and bad and try to double down on what you know is good and surround yourself with people that will help the whole engine run smoothly.
That’s rewarding when it’s working! It’s a fun movie that is not just sort of one tone. It’s a thriller but it makes you think and I’m proud of the fact that we accomplished what we set out to do.
And I’m really happy about how the theme song “Upside” turned out.
I really hoped it could help be a “through-line” and provide some cohesiveness to it as it’s also featured early in the main title sequence, as well.
How does it feel to be a part of the digital age? (Now with streaming, technology, and social media being so prevalent)
Being truthful it’s a huge blessing and a bit of a curse at the same time. On the one hand, the ability to reach an audience including globally is almost seamless and inevitable – unlike in decades prior where some people possibly were maybe never given a chance on a project to be seen or heard.
Now, there are so many outlets and it’s so easy for the audience to get access to materials they like.
At the same time, because of that access, there’s just so much out there that it’s really hard to stand out because there’s hardly the idea of “featured material” like before in a record store on a shelf or with television or magazines highlighting certain projects that seemingly everyone knew about at once.
Yes, there are still big PR machines for some releases but there’s also a ton of more independent releases all happening at once and it’s now almost just about word of mouth and algorithms that provide us with what’s happening.
It’s just a different world now. And of course, the next wave being A.I. likely in the driver’s seat, not just a tool being used to help creators but potentially being the content creator itself.
What is your advice for young and aspiring actors and singers?
For me, it’s always been about being flexible and open to newer, unexpected concepts and projects.
For example, as a girl from Arkansas – I never dreamed I would have an International career touring and performing, recording in other languages and creating various Internationally fused music but it was based on my exposure to these sounds when I moved to L. A. and became part of an International music scene.
I became more known in those circles which then led down the road to film projects with some International themes and I worked on those films both on screen and on the music.
None of this was planned or expected and yet it’s been an amazing journey and I’ve met so many people in so many places and that network keeps me updated and inspired to collaborate on all sorts of different things.
So keeping your eyes open and remaining free to new ideas is very important to grow. This and knowing the business as best as you can possibly know it are just as important as knowing your craft.
It’s a business at the end of the day – not just a hobby or skill you enjoy doing – if you are pursuing these areas as a career.
What do your plans for the future include?
Doing more collaborations in both music and film / tv and continuing to try new things and to also make sure to appreciate and smell the roses along the way. I do not feel the need to prove anything to anyone, including myself anymore…
I’ve made a conscious decision to sort of have that mantra. And so there’s a need to keep a good balance between work and living life and enjoy all of the good things that life offers us.
There’s so much sacrifice that comes with this industry so you have to know when and how to create boundaries where you can for yourself and those around you that need you.
I think we have all been taught that having hopes and dreams and goals is a great thing and manifesting them is so wonderful. And yet at the same time, we should not take what or who we currently have for granted.
This is the delicate balancing act. And I also want to continue doing the work in the non-profit and humanitarian areas.
What does the word success mean to you? (My favorite question)
The real definition of success for me now at this point is truly being able to live a comfortable and balanced life and be able to work with those you choose!
All of that is not easy to do – so if you can figure that out then you have truly succeeded and have made it! You do not need to define it with how much money or awards you have achieved, if you’ve lost many things in the process.
There’s a need to have that balance of loved ones surrounding you and keep growing as a person and still have enough time to give back.
So doing work that is “all consuming” is not living in balance. That can lead to running like a hamster on a wheel and it’s a lot of just non-stop moving but not necessarily growing as a person or with others.
It’s so important to seek a rhythm that you can experience all of it, so necessary for health and well being!
What would you like to say to your fans about your new music and movie?
Thank you so very much for listening and watching. Your time spent on these things is so appreciated and I hope that you enjoy the ride, you feel something maybe learn something and that you will stay connected with me on this whole journey we do together!
To learn more about Shani Rigsbee, follow her on Instagram.
