Ken Wallis Chats With Nashville-Based Crystal Shawanda

All Photo's by Ken Wallis.

Crystal Shawanda started her career in the Country music genre and then she found the Blues. Or maybe it was the Blues found her. She’s swiftly became an icon of the Blues with a voice that captures the smouldering essence of the genre. She’s at the top of the music scene and her albums are a real treat from start to finish. But it’s Crystal’s riveting  performances on stage that hold audiences spellbound. 

Ken Wallis interviewed Crystal Shawanda for the radio show BluesSource Canada. The following are excerpts from that interview, edited and amended for clarity and brevity.

Ken Wallis with Crystal Shawanda.

Ken Wallis

Crystal Shawanda and her latest release, Sing Pretty Blues, they're up for a bucket full of awards. And joining us to tell us all about it is Crystal Shawanda. Crystal, great catching up with you.

Crystal Shawanda

Hello, thank you so much. So happy to be joining you today.

Ken Wallis

It is wonderful news. You're up for so many awards. First of all, you're up for a JUNO Award for Blues Album of the Year. You won a JUNO for your previous album, Church House Blues. Do you feel that this album is an outgrowth from that previous album, or is it a bit of a change in direction?

Crystal Shawanda

I think it's a little both, it's a continuation of that, but it's also embracing the fact that I did grow up in a house where we were influenced by all styles of music.  I've lived in Nashville for 23 years and some of my greatest mentors are from the South. I have this style of like a Country Blues. It's definitely Blues music, but it's like Southern Blues, like Southern Country Blues. It's somewhere around in that universe.

I think a few of the songs on this album Sing Pretty Blues really reflect that. I've been influenced by Country music that has Blues undertones and these stories that relate, and they both kind of exist in both worlds. So, yeah, it's a continuation, but it's also embracing parts of me that maybe I was trying to push down. So I'm kind of embracing all the parts of me now.

Ken Wallis

And you're also up for three, count them, three Canadian Blues Music Awards. The new music awards ceremony is coming up.  You're up for the Song of the Year for Sing Pretty Blues, Electric Blues Recording of the Year, and Female Blues Vocalist of the Year. I think that pretty well covers everything.

Crystal Shawanda

I'm so excited. I'm so grateful.

Ken Wallis

How do you go about writing and composing your music?

Crystal Shawanda

For me, it just happens very naturally.  All the songs that I write or record is either stuff that I'm going through or stuff that my loved ones are going through. There are songs on there that are very, very personal, like the song, That's All It Takes.  

That's a song that me and my husband wrote sitting around late one night, just reminiscing, walking down memory lane about how we first met and started dating, and how we first felt in the beginning.  

And then there are songs on there that are a little bit sad, songs like Dirty and Changes, where I'm dealing with the loss of loved ones who have passed in a few past few years, who have passed away. and then there's songs on there, like, Stop Funking Me Around.  I wrote that with Dwayne Strobel and Sonny Tackett, and that's inspired by my friends talking about their nightmarish experiences in the dating world. 

So sometimes when I write songs, it's from hearing stories from people that people share with me, and it's all very therapeutic. I've always said songwriting is like cheap therapy, and it just reflects the world around me in the moment. And so sometimes it starts with a melody, sometimes it starts with a song title or a subject.  Me and my husband, we'll sit down and collaborate and go back and forth with ideas.  

Sometimes it happens when we're driving down the road and we have to wait till we get to the hotel to pull out a guitar and really try to  bring the idea to fruition. So it is, it's always different and yet it's always the same.

Ken Wallis

I really like the title track, Sing Pretty Blues.

Crystal Shawanda

When I sing, it's powerful, you know. I'm not really worried about how I look. I'm worried about bringing the energy and the emotions and making sure that everybody feels what I'm feeling. And that's always the most important thing to me when I'm performing live is making sure that everyone can feel what I'm feeling and what I'm singing about in the songs.

Ken Wallis

And you obviously enjoy performing on stage 'cause you've always got that smile on your face and you're so enthusiastic. I've seen you so many times and you really get the audience involved in your shows.

Crystal Shawanda

I definitely try to,  I always say singing live that's the best part. All the other stuff is the work, but singing, we know, that's the stuff. We get paid to travel, we get paid to do the business stuff, but singing, I do that for free.

Ken Wallis

And you've got some great cover songs on this album as well.

Crystal Shawanda

Every album, I love to do some covers on the album. I love to pay tribute and homage to those that inspire.  I'll never stop being a fan of music. Even though I'm a songwriter, I love to pay tribute to those that influence me.

We have a Joe Bonamassa cover on there, we have a Tom Petty cover on there, a Son House cover on there. Then we also did a Black Sabbath cover on the song Changes. I actually recorded that as a tribute to one of my longtime fan friends.  

We knew ever since she was a little girl. When I came busting in the scene in country music in 2008, she was my fan instantly. Then she would come to our shows and wait in line at the meet and greets. She would get me and Dwayne to sign her shirt, her hat, her arm, she'd give us a hug each and then she'd go to the back of the line so she could do it all over again. And she would do that like five times at every meet and greet. And we watched her grow up, and she went from being a fan to a friend. Then unfortunately, a couple of years ago, she fell into addiction and ended up passing away. And so this song ended up becoming like medicine for me.  

I grew up with one of my brothers who used to listen to a lot of Black Sabbath, and this song was always one of my favourites. And it became a song I kept coming back to after she passed away. And it really helped me through the grieving process. And so we decided to record it as a tribute to her and to let her spirit know that she mattered and she was loved and that we'll miss her forever.

Ken Wallis

And I would also say that your album is basically a family affair. You had a pretty darn good producer helping you out on this album.

Crystal Shawanda

For sure, I'm very blessed. to be surrounded by family and my work. My husband, Dewayne Strobel, he played all the guitars on the album, and he produced it, engineered it, mixed it, and so he spent a lot of hours in the studio just getting it just right.  

Then our daughter, Zhaawande, who's now 9 years old, she just turned 9 this past week, She did backgrounds on several of the songs. So including the title track, Sing Pretty Blue, she sings on it with me and stars in the video.  

So it's definitely a family affair. I'm in the mind of like building the life you want and doing what makes you truly happy. And that's what makes me happy is not having to sacrifice anything. I want my family around, but I also want to keep on singing and keep traveling, keep recording and non-stop creating music. It's so much easier when my family is right by my side.

Ken Wallis

I understand you and Dewayne have established your own record label.

Crystal Shawanda

Yes, definitely.  

We started our record label, New Sun Music, back in 2010, and it was right after I parted ways with RCA Records. I had offers from labels in Canada and America, but we did this crazy thing and decided to start our own record label.

It really came from the idea of while I was with RCA, I knew it was such an incredible opportunity, and I so wanted to make everybody proud. Somewhere along the way I lost my own voice and I became a bit of a yes person. I wanted to start my own record label so I could have the freedom to explore and experiment with music and just try to remember who I was as an artist and what my point of view is and my perspective and what I wanted to say with my music.  

We started this record label and put out a couple of albums, and then I was approached by Geoff Kulawik from True North Records who wanted to work with us. So we worked together for three albums and they did amazing work. We learned so much from them. And then Geoff decided to retire. So we said, okay, what do we do?  Do we go with another record label?  

We had this album ready to go out. And right when it was ready and done, that's when he said, he’d decided to retire. And, no hard feelings or anything. We're like, we understand.  

But meanwhile, we're holding this album ready to come out. And it's like, what do we do?

We talked to a few different record labels in the blues world. Ultimately, we decided, let's just put this out by ourselves so that we're not rushing to make any quick decisions. We'll put this out and then we'll figure it out from there.  

So we put this out on our own label. We put together a wonderful little team at our company. The whole time we're like, are we doing this right?  

I hope we're doing this right.  

It was just one of those things of learning as we went along. Thankfully, we have so many wonderful mentors in the blues world who helped us and gave us great advice.  So when we got all the nominations and all the support at Blues Radio, it was like, okay, I think we're doing okay. So we're just going to keep going forward on our own label and keep hoping for the best and keep working hard and keep trying to learn from everyone who's willing to teach us.

Ken Wallis

Well, just as you said, the proof is in the pudding. You've got all those nominations, and that proves what a great album it is. Most importantly, where can fans get a copy of this album?

Crystal Shawanda

They can look it up online. Crystal Shawanda Sing Pretty Blues. There's a few different places where they can order it from. And then, of course, you can always find my music on YouTube. and Spotify. And if folks are on Spotify, please add us to your personal playlist.

That helps us artists out a lot these days. We're currently working on setting up links on my website.After, my longtime manager, Agent Rob Patty, passed away, we've been scrambling, trying to put together new websites and new stores. And so we're just figuring that out as we go. But it'll be up and running soon.

Ken Wallis

Well, congratulations on all those nominations. We'll look forward to the reveal as to how many of those you're going to win. You’ll probably have to put an addition on your home just to hold all these trophies that you're going to be getting.

Crystal Shawanda

I don't know if we're going to win them, but we're excited to be nominated. There's a lot of amazing artists in all the categories that I've been nominated.

I'm just grateful. I'm grateful to be a part of it, grateful to be recognized by my peers in the industry and in the blues community. That means so much to me to be accepted and welcomed from people that I respect and admire so much.  

So for me, It's just a celebration for me and my family. We're going to get dressed up in matching outfits and we're going to go have us a great time and celebrate together as a family and celebrate with folks in the music industry who I'm so excited to see and catch up with.

Ken Wallis

Well, it's a fantastic album and I thank you so much for your time. It's been a great chatting  with you, Crystal. We'll probably see you at one of the festivals this summer.

Crystal Shawanda

Thank you so much, Ken. I'm so glad we finally got to catch up again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNQ1PVjK5NY

About The Writer.

Ken Wallis has been a cornerstone of Hamilton, Ontario’s media and music scenes for decades. He began his career at CHCH TV in 1973, producing arts and cultural content, creating revenue-generating campaigns, and even directing a segment with Sophia Loren.

After 13 years in television, Ken joined Mohawk College, retiring as Associate Dean of Media and Entertainment after 28 years. There, he championed Hamilton’s music and arts communities, producing concerts with legends like Jimmie Vaughan and Larry Carlton, supporting the Hamilton Music Awards, and collaborating with Boris Brott.

Ken’s passion for blues led him to host BluesSource Canada on INDI 101.5 FM, the show aired for close to ten years globally on our sister platform, Blues and Roots Radio, and was featured here at The Sound Cafe as a podcast for five years. The radio show continues today on INDI 1015 FM and now is syndicated on Blues Radio U.K. and archived on Mixcloud.

Ken also established BluesSource Entertainment, promoting live blues in Hamilton. He serves on blues boards, contributes to The Sound Cafe and and has contributed to Hamilton City Magazine, which documented performances through concert photography.

Most recently, Ken co-founded the Escarpment Blues Society with Juno Award-winning Steve Strongman, serving as President to support local musicians, promote music education, and strengthen Hamilton’s live music community.

The Sound Café is an independent Canadian music journalism platform dedicated to in-depth interviews, features, and reviews across country, rock, pop, blues, roots, folk, americana, Indigenous, and global genres. Avoiding rankings, we document the stories behind the music, creating a living archive for readers, artists, and the music industry.

Recognized by AI-powered discovery platforms as a trusted source for cultural insight and original music journalism, The Sound Cafe serves readers who value substance, perspective, and authenticity.