Spotify Calls Sheyna Gee "Breakup Western Country" -- and We're Here for It!

This week, Amanda sits down with Sheyna Gee, a Southern California-raised singer and songwriter known for her unapologetic “Y’Allternative” sound, blending country storytelling with a raw, rock-influenced edge.

Sheyna shares what it really takes to build a career in the music industry as a woman, from touring across the US and Europe to finding your voice in a space that is constantly evolving.

They talk about the shifts happening in the industry, the realities behind the scenes, and the importance of owning who you are.

The conversation also goes deeper into relationships, personal growth, and self-worth, including why sometimes the strongest decision is choosing not to go back to what you’ve outgrown.

Honest, bold, and full of perspective, this episode is for anyone learning to stand fully in who they are.

Don't forget: new episodes drop every Tuesday with bonus episodes on Thursdays! Like and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts to make sure you never miss a minute!

Connect with Amanda on That Nashville Girl Instagram, Amanda's Instagram, and YouTube.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

All right, so I'm sitting here with Shana G, the amazing country breakup princess of Spotify. That's what I'm gonna call you. We'll just take that Spotify title a little farther. I'm so happy you're here. Thank you for having me. Yeah, this is so fun. Um, I just your music is it's funny because it's breakup music. You do have a lot of breakup songs, but it's sassy in like the best way.

SPEAKER_01 0:23

I like to have a positive spin on literally everything. Like I write sad songs so I can be a happy person.

SPEAKER_00 0:29

Like my gosh, I love that. Actually, that is, and I feel that in your music. That makes so much sense because it's like you're getting it out. We've all felt these things. Yeah. But yeah, that's it. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 0:42

We all go through bad stuff. We do, and it could be so much worse.

SPEAKER_00 0:46

It could always be worse.

SPEAKER_01 0:47

I'm always just like, you know what? It could be worse. At least I got a song out of it.

SPEAKER_00 0:51

Yeah. Like, and you, okay, so you moved to Nashville in 2016. So originally from my favorite coast, the West Coast. West Coast, Best Coast, my favorite, really is the best coast. California Girl. Yes. Yeah. It's been Nashville Girl now. I mean, you've been here 10 years.

SPEAKER_01 1:07

Yeah, I guess that makes me officially a local. That's official. What no matter what the people on TikTok say, no matter what they say.

SPEAKER_00 1:13

Only in Nashville is this a question, right? In Nashville, there's a question of how long have you been here? Why do we do that?

SPEAKER_01 1:21

You know, people behind a keyboard just like to say something. And I'll take the engagement on my stuff.

SPEAKER_00 1:28

Me too. Me too. I absolutely love it. And honestly, for the people who come at me in the comments saying I'm so LA, I'm like, listen, to me, that's a huge compliment. I'll take it. I wish. I'm from Arkansas originally. So um, but you actually moved from California. And so you were you singing in LA?

SPEAKER_01 1:45

I was. I uh have been singing since I was five years old and writing songs since I was that age and playing guitar. Uh I well, I guess I sang after I started playing guitar. Guitar was kind of like my segue into music, and I, you know, it just kind of accompanies itself. And every little kid thinks they can sing, and my mom encouraged it, so I just kept going. Does anybody in your family sing? My brother's a drummer, and my brother's seven years older than me. And so there was just always instruments. Uh, he was having band practices and stuff when I was little, and my mom tried to get me into sports when my parents got divorced because she's like, You're not gonna be a mopey little kid, you have to have a hobby. And the first time I hit a softball, I ran and chased it. And that's when my mom knew sports was not for me. And so I had been begging her to take guitar lessons because my brother had a big guitar that I would like drag around the house. And finally she found a guitar teacher that was crazy enough to give me lessons. And there was probably a reason he was crazy enough. Growing up, I didn't notice it, but as an adult, he did have a long pinky nail. And I'm like, so there might have been some substances that made him say yes to anything for money. Um, but he was a really good guitar teacher, and he wasn't he was a guitar teacher that didn't like sit there and make me like learn to read music. He was like, What's your favorite song right now? And I was like, What I got by Sublime, and he's like, Okay, we're learning that today. And so cool. Like, so I never learned like the proper way to play like music theory and any of that stuff. Yeah, I just learned how to play my favorite songs, and in playing my favorite songs, I started writing songs. And uh, my guitar teacher was encouraging, my mom was encouraging, and I've really never done anything else.

SPEAKER_00 3:24

That's so cool. Also, I think that's so important when okay. So, two things I think are important about guitar lessons because I took lessons for like a hot minute. I maybe went to one of the four lessons that I paid for. I think getting a good-ish guitar. If you get the cheapest guitar for somebody, it's hard to play, it hurts your fingers, it's really big and bulky, and it feels funny, right? And so this is number one to me. Number two is what you said though. This teacher was so smart. Please don't make them play House of the Rising Sun. Can we just stop praying? Unless that is your favorite song. Unless it's your favorite song, we can't be friends. But also, yeah, if it's your favorite song, but you know, you're right, because you're not gonna want to practice something that you don't like or you don't know. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 4:06

And you said the guitar thing too. Like that was another thing my mom did is she, and this was in the 90s when there wasn't as many scaled down things, and especially not things for girls, and like in music. Now, music, every little girl after Taylor Swift learned how to play guitar, and companies were like, ooh, there's a market we were missing out on. But at the time, Taylor Swift was, you know, uh nothing. Yeah. I mean, this was the 90s, and so we didn't have a lot of like female whatever, but my mom scoured the internet to find me a small, good guitar that I could learn on. And she was a single mom that did not have the money for that, but she wanted to provide for her kids and she always did.

SPEAKER_00 4:46

Oh my gosh, I love that so much. Yeah, what a deal! Like, she had to work hard to find that and to pay for it.

SPEAKER_01 4:52

Oh, yeah. My mom is a saint. Uh, she's crazy, but it takes a little bit of crazy to raise artistic kids. And she showed me that, like, it doesn't have to be the path everybody else takes. You can find your own way. And I'm so thankful for that.

SPEAKER_00 5:07

Yeah, that's really a blessing. Oh my gosh. That's so cool. So you had an early strong support system of chasing dreams, which is magical. And then, so you're playing music in LA, and then just fast forward with me for a minute from the 90s to when you said, I'm gonna move to Nashville. How did you make that decision?

SPEAKER_01 5:27

Uh, I had always wanted to go to Nashville. I had been visiting or moved to Nashville. I had been visiting for a few years. Um, and it just got more expensive to visit than to move here. I was paying more in what I would pay in rent in hotels. And I would come out here for like seven to ten days and do writing trips. And I was a broke musician in LA. And instead of spending $1,000 for a week in hotels, I moved here and was paying $400 in rent. Um which those days are long gone. Now I pay five times that for my apartment. But now I can afford to, thanks to uh the opportunities that Nashville has allowed me. And I always wanted, I love LA. I will eventually move back, but I decided I'm not moving back till I can buy a strand house in Hermosa Beach. Um, so we got some big goals. Yeah. You can just have a place, both places. Yes, absolutely. I I love Nashville as well. I mean and Nashville have a love-hate relationship, but I do love Nashville as well. But in the winters, I would like to escape back to LA.

SPEAKER_00 6:33

That's where I am. That's me too. And it's funny, I think we all have our own version of the Nashville Love Hate relationship if you've been here long enough. But yes, mine is winter. Yeah, winter. It's just awful. I hate it. Yeah, yeah. So that's when you escape to LA. You know, Dax Shepard does it now. Yeah. He's half Nashville, half LA.

SPEAKER_01 6:51

Yeah. And like, yeah, you're not missing anything in Nashville in the winter. The whole industry closes down from December to the beginning of February.

SPEAKER_00 6:57

Right.

SPEAKER_01 6:58

So you're just you're not missing much. Yeah, but my love thing with Nashville is I just love the city and I love how small it is. And you can get across the whole city in 20 minutes, even with traffic. Where in LA that's about three miles.

SPEAKER_00 7:13

Yeah. And it's funny to hear you talk about it because, you know, for people who are from here, the traffic is now atrocious, of course, because used to you really could get anywhere in a 20-mile radius in 20 minutes. That's changed, you know. That's changed. But it is funny when you compare it to LA. I spent a lot of time out there for work in the early 2000s, and that's traffic.

SPEAKER_01 7:35

It it every time I go back, I'm like, this is the one thing I do not miss, is it's at least an hour to get anywhere. Yes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:43

I think this is when I first realized that dating in like a one mile radius was important, you know, because you're just not gonna see each other otherwise. Yes. Yeah. But I think this is probably part of why you were able to acclimate so quickly here, because you kind of came in like gunsblaze and let's go, but you'd done the creative scene in LA and you were playing in Venice Beach.

SPEAKER_01 8:05

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 8:06

What kind of music were you playing there? Was it country?

SPEAKER_01 8:09

The last five years in LA was definitely country. Um, all growing up and through high school, I played rock and roll. Um, I was a typical Southern California skate rat. Uh, I loved like social distortion, it was one of my favorite bands growing up and like the whole punk scene down there. But once my bands in high school all broke up, I kept getting called country when I was playing acoustic. And I was like, I'm not country. And eventually I just had to like sit down and re-evaluate and be like, why am I so mad at this? And it's because I didn't know anything about country. I just knew I knew who Dolly Pardon was, but I never listened to her music. I knew who Johnny Cash was, but I never listened. And what was on the radio at the time was like Luke Bryan and Carrie Underwood. And not that there's anything bad about that music, I just didn't identify with that. And Eric Church came out and I was like, smoke a little smoke. This is a really good song. And then some friends introduced me to a band called The Knitters, which a lot of people don't know about, but it was the first band to uh coin the word the alternative. I don't know this band. Yes, they are a uh a version of the band X that was like a famous 80s, 90s rock band, and they had an alter-ego band called the Knitters that did like classic country covers and had a couple of their own songs. And that kind of opened my eyes to like, okay, there's different stuff. And then I did the deep dive and was like, okay, if I'm gonna start claiming country, I need to know about it. And listened to Dolly Parton and listened to Wayland Jennings and listened to all the old stuff, and I was like, oh, I like this. Yeah, and I think a lot of punk rock was probably inspired by some of the outlaw country artists. I agree. Because the storytelling is the same, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:57

And I think shooter Jennings would agree with you too, you know. I mean, Wayland Sun Shooter would absolutely say yes, yes. And if you listen to your music, you are country. I'm your country. I would never, I mean, never have a guessed anything else. But it's funny that you say that about what the country was at that time. And I read a book recently where Taylor Swift said something similar that she didn't see look at country music and see herself, and that she wanted to define her own lane. So you kind of did the same thing.

SPEAKER_01 10:24

That is exact I like. I was just like, okay, I'm gonna just start playing what I like. And people were picking up what I was putting down, and I was like, all right, this is cool. And I'd kind of reached what I thought was the pinnacle in LA, and I was like opening for the big bands down there. I had good relationships with radio and was doing a lot of their parties and whatever. And I was like, I'm gonna move to Nashville. Uh, I had no money. So my brother gave me a thousand dollar loan, and I moved to Nashville, and then I was like, Oh, I have to start over again. And that was a big reality check to start from the bottom again because I didn't know anybody when I moved to Nashville, and now it's taken me 10 years to get back to pretty much where I was in LA. But it's part of the journey.

SPEAKER_00 11:07

Yeah. When you first show up in Nashville, everybody who's done it felt that in their being right then. Um, but if you haven't done it, it's a feeling unlike anything else. Where'd you go first? Like, how did you meet people?

SPEAKER_01 11:24

I am such a cliche. I went down to Broadway and just started playing the Broadway circuit. And I started at the big purple building. And they do people are always like, How do you get into Broadway? And this is still the same to this day. And now there are definitely like different outlets that you can do, but I did it the old-fashioned way. And on Saturdays, two to six at Tootsie's, they have auditions in the back room. You can still do it today. If anyone is watching right now and wants to get into Broadway, that is the easiest way to do it. You do the, they have it, it's live band karaoke, and you go sign up on a sign-up sheet. And when you get up, you tell the drummer who's the band leader. I think it's still Anita, it might be somebody else, but you tell the band leader, I'm auditioning. And so they give you two songs. At the end of those two songs, they say yes or no, and then they put you on a shift the next day. So you have to just be ready.

SPEAKER_00 12:18

Did you have four hours of music ready?

SPEAKER_01 12:20

I did. I was already playing in corporate bands back in California.

SPEAKER_00 12:23

So you got it ready because you got to have four hours in this town.

SPEAKER_01 12:26

Yes, you do. And now, after 10 years here, I know over 500 songs. And so we always joke, we play everything from Hank Sr. to Chapel Round and everything in between. And if you've got the $20 for it, we will play it for you. And it's opened up to different corporate events that now we do all request corporate events and we do fun events because now the millennials are the ones at those corporate events and they want to hear their favorite songs. So, like the 90s and cheat, like the killers is like the new living on a prayer. It's you know, and I love that. I grew up in that, and so it's so fun. And like we'll do corporate events where they just have a whiteboard and they can make their little requests and we can do whatever they want. And so it's it's fun. It's opened up a whole new lane for me and it's afforded me to fund my original music, which is my passion. And so I love my job and I love my passion. And like I love my job and I love my career, you know? And I don't think most people are lucky enough to say that.

SPEAKER_00 13:18

No, and I I love that you have created two lanes for yourself and you're establishing yourself. You're like, this is this is my job and this is my career that's getting better every day. And you have new music, which we're gonna talk about. Yeah, but go back to this thing about shits for a second because how did you even know that you could do that? You just found it on the year, someone told you.

SPEAKER_01 13:39

Yeah, just word of mouth. I met a drummer downtown on one of my trips that I had come out, and he was like, just audition. And he helped me put together a band for my first few shifts, and I got out of that circuit really, really quick because now things have changed a lot. But when I moved here, you had to have a male front. And even though all of my guys sang and I like fought so hard, but they just were not used to girls fighting back, and they were like, No, you have to have a male front no matter what. And so they'd put these like kids that have never played a show with me, and I'd have to split tips with them. And I'm the one running the tip jug and I'm the one calling the songs, and I'm putting the bands together, and they would not let me not have that fifth player. And so finally, Tin Roof gave me a residency for Thursday through Sunday morning shifts, and that's how I got out of that circuit. And then when New Dis opened, I opened that bar and was there for about three years, and then now I play it pretty much every bar on the strip.

SPEAKER_00 14:32

It's really, it's uh it's annoying, it's frustrating to me to hear it because it's it's true. When I moved here in 2006, you know, there were two women that I can think of. There might have been a third that I didn't know, but two friends of mine were the they were the ones that had bands on Broadway. And like you said, they were all male fronts, and and these girls were so good, and they took the terrible shifts, you know, the Wednesday two to six. Yep. And it was really to me, as somebody who came here thinking I might try that, really demoralizing. And so I have mad respect for you for uh just the whole process. I mean, for for doing it, for getting out of it, for then using it as a stepping stone. And I know that there are other women in this town right now that are sitting there going, yep, yep, because for a lot of us it was too daunting. And so, well done.

SPEAKER_01 15:30

The music industry has changed so much in the last 10 years, and I'm so happy for it. But it took girls really standing up and sometimes it not working, like sometimes getting fired for being where a man would be assertive, a woman is a bitch. And I've been the bitch, and I will always be. I if I don't think something is right, I'm gonna say it. And that is a character flaw, maybe. No, but I think it's important for us. That's how change happens, and that's how now women have more power than ever. And young girls don't have to worry about going and having to sit on the casting couch and whatever. We're in the 2000s, and I'm sure before that, but I can only speak to my experience. If you said no to a man in power, that was the end. Yeah, and I might be further if I said yes more times than I said no, but I'm always gonna stand 10 toes down on my morals.

SPEAKER_00 16:24

Yes. And so now every female listening to this, go buy all the merch, all the songs. Uh, because I absolutely love that and will support it all day. Because you're right. It's I there were some stories when I first moved to town where you know I had the opportunities, right? There, there were definitely those guys that said, Oh, I'll I'll pay for your career, I'll do all the stuff. You you got them too. They're they still exist. They're still trying, they're still there, yeah. But it it's really hard in the moment because you're there's temptation for sure to say, Well, could I just do that? Yes. Could I could I maybe put my morals aside for a second? Yes. And and I think it's a really important conversation because I think first of all, women need to start judging other, stop judging other women.

SPEAKER_01 17:10

I think it's happening. I am so happy there's so many more women in the industry. There's still catty women that are horrible, but now women are lifting women up, and it is so beautiful because I never thought I'd see the die. And I've always been like, there's enough room for everybody.

SPEAKER_00 17:24

There's always enough room. Yes. Yes, because there are so many audiences out there. And it's really cool. I was thinking this the other day when I was listening to Ella Lingley's new album, and you know, you've got Miranda Lambert just producer, songwriter, duet partner, all of these things. And Miranda's just supporting Miranda's always been like that, but you know, just supporting another female artist. And I thought back to the 90s country women, and I know they would have done the same had they had the platform. But they didn't.

SPEAKER_01 17:55

So it's really cool to see it, isn't it? The industry has always wanted women to hate each other. And the funny thing is, is women don't hate each other. Men want women to hate each other. Women love each other. That's why there's such strong friendships between women. And no two women are the same, no two people are the same. So, like when people change their mindset to everyone is my competition, to everyone could maybe help me up the ladder, then everyone gets a piece of the pie. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 18:20

Yes. And it's oh, I love it. I love it so much. And so you have been just doing this thing now for 10 years, but this year, I guess last year, did you write this new album last year in 2025? Yes. I wrote this last uh July. So this EP is called Two Weeks. Yes. And you you gotta tell people the whole why it's called Two Weeks. This is wild.

SPEAKER_01 18:44

Yeah, the um the reason it's called Two Weeks is because it was all written in two weeks. Um, I had just done a tour uh in, well, not even a tour. I just did two nights um in Norway and I stayed for an extra week because I'd never been to Oslo and I was like, I want to just check it out. And I was recently single and just like, I'm gonna just go on an adventure. And it was, I came home from it just so inspired and so just like the world is my oyster, but I was also still going through that breakup that I had not processed. Um, which spoiler alert, I got back with that guy, and then he dumped me and left me in Texas two weeks before the EP came out. So I don't know if I prophesized that or my intuition was speaking or whatever, but the irony is definitely not lost on me. Um but also uh I always compare getting back with somebody to it's like throwing up and eating it again, and I need to not do that again.

SPEAKER_00 19:40

No, uh, but no, no recycling. That's what I call it. Oh my god. There was an end for a reason. We have to stop recycling. Like, I mean, recycle, but not the boyfriends.

SPEAKER_01 19:52

Yeah, recycle your trash and not uh don't take the trash back.

SPEAKER_00 19:56

Don't take the trash back.

SPEAKER_01 19:58

Yes, yeah, he left me in the middle of the night in Texas, like literally left the state. And I think I needed that to finally get over him. I would do it. Yeah, I because I kept taking him back, even though he was the one that always dumped me. And I'm like, why do you keep dumping me and then asking me to be back with you? Like, that's insanity. Um, but it was insane for me to say yes.

SPEAKER_00 20:21

Oh, but what does love do to us? I know I'm a hopeless romantic no matter what.

SPEAKER_01 20:25

I think that's why I'm an artist. It's like I'm just I run on emotions and I just am like, this feels good. I'm gonna do it right now. If I get my heart broken, I'll get a song out of it. And I got a whole EP, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:38

Yeah. So you got a whole EP out of it, and it it kicks off with Heaven, right? Heaven's the first one.

SPEAKER_01 20:44

Heaven is the first one on there.

SPEAKER_00 20:45

And okay, so just walk us through because you wrote them all in two weeks. Yeah, I think that's kind of rare.

SPEAKER_01 20:52

That specific song is so funny because I had I wrote about 15 songs in that, somewhere between 13 and 15 songs in that two weeks, and some of them are co-writes and some were on my own. And I had done a write that morning with a top line writer, and uh we were talking politics and religion and all that stuff, and smoking cigarettes on the front porch. And afterwards, I went and took my dog for a walk, and the it just kind of like all hit. I was like, the cigarettes and coffee on the front porch like it's 1982, like whatever. I was like, because it really felt nostalgic to like, you know, uh like not that this is a good thing, but cigarettes are coming back. But and I am a victim of that. Um, but it was just it all came out on my walk, and I just like recorded it into my phone and I got home and I played it on my guitar, and I was like, okay, there's a song. And all the songs kind of like um uh Mercy, which is the second song on there, just fell out one night at like I woke up at like, I I go to bed really early. I go to bed at like nine o'clock. Um, and I woke up at like 11 and just like hummed it into my phone and The next day I wrote all the lyrics to it in like five minutes before my next write. And it was kind of just that season of just like songs are just falling out of me. And I left them in my phone and just kind of like let them simmer. And in October, I was like, I wonder if I should release some of these songs. And then I was like, wait, I have a whole album. And then I was like, okay, but some of these are co-writes. Maybe I should just do an EP right now of the ones I wrote by myself. And then a couple of those songs that were also written with co-writers, I actually just recorded with uh eight piece band uh last Wednesday. And so those songs will be seeing the light of day as well. So there's more to come. It'll be like the two weeks epilogue, like, you know.

SPEAKER_00 22:40

So excited. Well, and Spotify was excited. I mean, the EP like really took off.

SPEAKER_01 22:47

The first single off of there one day, which I thought wasn't the strongest song on there, made six Apple playlists, and I had only ever made one in my entire career. And then uh Spotify put me on the cover of Fresh Finds, which is was like just I definitely cried about that. That was like happy tears. Like, oh my god, my heartbreak like did something. Yes, like everything is for a reason.

SPEAKER_00 23:11

Yes, what a cool thing. Oh my gosh. And what did you I mean, who'd you call first when you saw that?

SPEAKER_01 23:17

My mom. Yeah. My of course, like my mom, and just thanked Spotify. And just, you know, it's just mind-blowing that to have people in the industry validate you. And I know we shouldn't seek outside validation, but that's another, I'm a girl, you know? Tell me I'm pretty and I'm good enough. Like that's like that's all we really want. Yes. I've never, I don't think that ever goes away. As much as I try to be confident in myself, outside validation feels really good.

SPEAKER_00 23:45

It really does. And I have to tell you, you did something funny when we first met a few minutes ago that I actually loved, that I do all the time. And we need to do more of it, but you immediately were complimentary. And I was like, oh, we're friends. Because girls, I do this all the time. I'll stop you in the airport and be like, you look adorable. You know, your hair's fabulous, whatever. Because I think we need it more than we let on. But I think sometimes that the more confident you appear, the less likely people are to do it.

SPEAKER_01 24:15

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 24:15

And we still need it.

SPEAKER_01 24:16

I am the same way. Like, I'll be walking through a restaurant and see a girl sitting down at her table with a cute dress on. And I'm like, love your dress as I walk by. And it doesn't have to be big moment, but just like, hey, you look good. Hey, you look, and I'll do it to men as well. It's like, hey, I like your shoes. I like your if if I like something about somebody, I'm gonna say it. Just like if I don't like something, I'm probably gonna say it too. Also, same. When is your birthday? Uh May 8th. I am a Taurus, and you know, I don't know if I believe in it or I'm that woo-woo of a person, but sometimes if the shoe fits, you know. It fits. That's it.

SPEAKER_00 24:50

Mine, mine definitely fits too. I'm a Sagittarius. So yeah, there's something to it for sure. I don't know enough to know all the things, but I'm also like, uh, I'm sitting here in a starry lalallian shirt, you know? So um, but yeah, I think it's just fantastic that these songs just poured out of you. And then it and it's it flows, like, which is cool because sometimes an album doesn't always flow like that because they were in different phases, whatever. This one is clear that this is personal, and that you you just kind of sat down or walked around, I guess, in your face and it poured out.

SPEAKER_01 25:25

I come from the era of albums, and so I like to put those songs in an order that I think makes sense where you're like on a journey, and that's why like South is the last song because it just kind of like fades out, and then it's like, okay, I feel like this is a complete thought, you know. Like it's like it starts with heaven, which is like probably the most upbeat song on the thing, and it's just like, oh, it gets you hooked, and then it's only 15 minutes, so you can sit there and even with ADD, you can focus for 15 minutes.

SPEAKER_00 25:54

Yeah, yeah. No, I do. I love it, and I I also I love a good album, an EP. It's just it's fun. I'm glad EPs are a thing now because now, like you said, it fades out of self and leaves us ready for an album.

SPEAKER_01 26:08

Yeah, hopefully that'll be my next year.

SPEAKER_00 26:11

Yeah. So you're also you're on the road all the time. I mean, you're touring nonstop, and you've done a lot of countries where you have a lot of countries coming up this year for sure. You've Norway, where else?

SPEAKER_01 26:23

Um, this year I'm playing in Belize next month, and which is crazy because I've never played like a tropical island, which is so fun. I'm like, okay, that's a nice little vacation. Um and I'm headlining a festival in Denmark, and I've never been to Denmark. So we're adding, I've played in 13 countries already. And I truly did not know what to expect. The first time I played overseas was 2022. And after that tour, it was so eye-opening that like country is everywhere. People that live in the country are country, yeah. And it doesn't matter what country, what language you speak, you still can relate to country, you know? And so true. It's been such a fun journey, and it really does open you up to like other people and their energies and like great people are just happy at a concert. And it's like so beautiful. Like, we're not stuck in our phones, we're not, you know, we're with other people experiencing the same thing for an hour, and that is so magical.

SPEAKER_00 27:26

And it's probably hard to pick a favorite because they're all so different. But have you had a spot that you like hope you get invited back every time, every year?

SPEAKER_01 27:34

I do love the Nordics. I've gotta say, there's a reason it's the happiest place in the world. Like, that is so, especially in the summer when the sun doesn't go down, it is the coolest experience. And people are like, Don't you hate that? I'm like, no, I'm a sunshine girly. I'm not a nighttime person. So, like at in the dark, I feel like drained, but in the sun, I feel, and maybe that's from being in California, I feel energized. And so, like, I think that is the coolest thing, but I also like this is another cliche. Like, Switzerland is so gorgeous, it's so gorgeous. It is stunning. The people are sweet, and I'm headlining a festival there uh in July. So, and it's a country music and horses festival, and I grew up riding horses, and so I'm just like, this is my two worlds coming together. Like, this is so but so I love, but Germany has been really good to me. I have some really loyal fans in Germany, and that is the craziest because so many people don't speak English, and then they know my songs, and I'm and they're trying so hard to like have conversations with me, and I just appreciate the effort. Like, I wish I could learn every language to all the places that I'm going, but um, I am really bad and I like try to learn a few words, and that's about like all I've got. So I appreciate their effort to try to speak English and like tell me how much they like my music, and like so Germany's always been, but I just honestly, every place had brings something different to the table.

SPEAKER_00 28:50

It's just like people, just like people. Do you take a full band on these?

SPEAKER_01 28:56

No, I do most shows acoustic, and it's funny when I play the festivals and like some of the bands that are like local will be kind of annoyed that like I'm getting like better slots and I'm playing acoustic. But I have last summer was the first time I picked up a band in uh Norway, and that was an interesting experience.

SPEAKER_00 29:13

You just met them when you got there.

SPEAKER_01 29:15

I met them when I got there. We had one rehearsal and then we played the headlining slot at the festival. Uh, and that was so intimidating. And there were some moments, but we pulled it together and like played with some. It's just like playing on Broadway when you have different musicians every day. And it's just ready. Yeah, last weekend my guitar player slipped and hurt his arm and had to call subs, and one of them was one I never played with, and the show was great. And so it's like awesome, it works out.

SPEAKER_00 29:40

Like, I feel like in Nashville, that's a little easier to do in my thoughts, right? That you uh my brother-in-law is a guitar player, and he can you could sing him two lines from one of your songs, right? That he's never heard. And he's okay, I got it. I don't know how he does that. It's so impressive, it's so impressive and annoying because I'm like, I want to do that. Yeah, I can't I'll never. It's talent, like you can't explain to people that haven't seen it in in real action. But I mean, honestly, he if he was sitting right now, he'd be like, Oh yeah, sure, I can play those for you. But when you show up in Norway and you're like, I've hired a band for the night, I don't know, that's brave.

SPEAKER_01 30:21

It was intimidating for sure. Would you do it again? I am gonna do it again this summer. So we're gonna see how that goes. Um the Switzerland show in July. One of the bass players of the band came to my show and was like, hey, if you ever need a band in Switzerland, let me know. And I got booked a festival after that, and I reached out to her and I was like, so I need a band. Uh, how do you feel about doing it? And their band, Gary Twins, is going to be backing me up. I have never met the rest of the band. And I just met the girl, and I we're gonna do one rehearsal, and fingers crossed, all goes well.

SPEAKER_00 30:57

But my gosh, I need somebody to live stream that yes.

SPEAKER_01 31:00

I we'll see. I'll report back. Yes. I it's so cool. I have faith they'll be great.

SPEAKER_00 31:04

So I mean, I think you're brave, really brave, but I do think things work out.

SPEAKER_01 31:09

It's fun if you have positive energy, and even if they don't work out, once it's over, it's over. Yeah. And you'll have a story to tell.

SPEAKER_00 31:16

Yeah. It is so iconic. I love it. So you release new music pretty regularly. And how often would you say you put new songs out into the world? I mean, I feel like you do it a lot.

SPEAKER_01 31:28

I try for every month. Every once in a while, it gets pushed to six weeks or eight weeks, is the longest that I go. But I try to release music at least once a month. And with Nashville, like you have so many co-rights, you have so many, you know, songs. It's the the only hard part is the budget for recording.

SPEAKER_00 31:44

Well, that's what I was gonna ask you. How do you do that? Do you record in a studio? Do you record a drum? Yeah, you go to a studio.

SPEAKER_01 31:49

I go to a studio. I'm old fashioned. Uh, we just recorded these next songs uh with an eight-piece band, which was mind-blowing. That's the biggest band I've ever recorded live with.

SPEAKER_00 31:58

But the What did you have besides guitar, bass, drums, keys?

SPEAKER_01 32:03

We had two guitar players. Okay. I guess three if you count the acoustic, uh, fiddle, pedal steel, drums, bass, keys. Wow. So I'm excited to hear that. It's it just the board mixes that I have back are mind-blowing. And I it was a beautiful day. It always is. These Nashville musicians, like you said, they hear your song, you play acoustic in the studio, and then they just you do two takes, and all right, everyone's good. Should we overdub that fiddle solo? Sure.

SPEAKER_00 32:32

And then it's really unreal.

SPEAKER_01 32:34

It's unreal. And these are the guys that play on like all Blake Shelton's songs, they play on Dolly Pardon's songs, they play these are like every single musician that was in the studio is nominated for musician of the year in the ACMs this year. And so it's just like these are the players. Like, what is my life? Like, what is my life? So, and as much as people love to like shit on Broadway, it's like if it wasn't for that, I wouldn't be able to afford this. And so it was goes back to that whole like, that's my job.

SPEAKER_00 33:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:04

And it affords my career.

SPEAKER_00 33:06

And also, I think it to go back to that a little bit too. I, you know, I love Broadway. Has it changed since we moved here? Yes. Like when I I lived on Church Street when I first moved to Nashville, and I did my fair share of stumbling up and down the hill to Broadway. Um, and you know, used to, you could stumble into any place, you know. I I've been in legends in sequence, and I've been in my pajamas. Yeah, and both were fine. Yes, it has changed. Legends is still there for us, but uh you know, I'm a big Roberts fan. And Roberts will always be a cheeseburger.

SPEAKER_01 33:42

But I went on last Thursday night, there was a line. I'm like, at Roberts? I know. Y'all just ruined it for me.

SPEAKER_00 33:49

That was the place because we talked about it too much.

SPEAKER_01 33:51

Yeah, now we gotta go to Layla's.

SPEAKER_00 33:53

That's don't tell them, don't tell them. Um, no, I'm just kidding, we can tell them.

SPEAKER_01 33:58

But that cheeseburger, that yes, or the recession special.

SPEAKER_00 34:01

It's just out of control.

SPEAKER_01 34:02

A bologna sandwich, a pap's blue ribbon, and a moon pie for six bucks. You still can't believe that, you know.

SPEAKER_00 34:08

And it's the only place I will have a baloney sandwich.

SPEAKER_01 34:10

That's yeah, right.

SPEAKER_00 34:11

And it's delicious.

SPEAKER_01 34:12

It hits when you're drunk. It really does, you know.

SPEAKER_00 34:15

I have stolen my fair share of fries from celebrities and Roberts, not knowing they're celebrities, because you know, maybe I'd had too many. But all that's to say is that Broadway has changed. It's changed. I mean, listen, people who've been here before you and me will say, Well, there was a time you didn't go to Broadway at all. Then it was my home, yours too, and now it's this place that everybody loves to hate on. And we whine and complain about the tourists. And and are there things we don't like? Yeah, for sure. But what I will say to what you just said is that there is still this part of it that it feeds this city and it's it is opportunity to play live and to play for four hours because then you have this uh 500 song catalog, but you wouldn't have that.

SPEAKER_01 35:00

No, and like if you're pursuing the original artist thing at the same time, you really learn how to craft a song because you're only playing the biggest hits of all time and from every genre. So there was a time Broadway was only country. That time has come and passed. Yeah, that is gone. You know, we play probably more rock and pop than we do country. Now we still play Two Dozen Roses and we still play a lot of the classic country songs, but there gets to be a point in the show where it's zombie followed by Metallica, followed by Mr. Brightside, you know, Mr. Jones, like all these like pop and rock iconic songs. And you can't learn how to craft a song better than just playing the hits for four hours and practicing singing and practicing guitar and practicing your show. There's nowhere else in the world that you can do that.

SPEAKER_00 35:55

No, there's not. And once you do it, once once you see how it's done at that level, like your expectations change of what you expect from other people. And I remember I moved to Florida for a short stint after living in Nashville. I sang on a casino ship. And they were like, So, you know, you'll play for 45 minutes, then you have a five-hour break while people gamble on the casino, and then you play for another 45 minutes. And I was like, and we're gonna pay you. It was good pay. Yeah, and um, I was like, Yeah, yeah, I can definitely do that. You know, like easy, yes, best gig in the in the world. And I was like, this is unheard of. You only 45 minutes? You don't want me to play the whole six hours because we can do that, you know?

SPEAKER_01 36:40

Yeah, it's it changes things, and with original shows, it's like, yeah, oh, I'm playing 45 minutes, period, and you're paying me and I'm done, or like 90 minutes at the most. I'm like, cake, I got this, or going back to California, and it's like, all right, you'll do 45 minutes, have a half hour break, do 45 minutes. It's like you're like, yeah, cake.

SPEAKER_00 37:02

And I feel like too, your stamina then is so different from somebody who's never done that.

SPEAKER_01 37:07

Yes. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 37:08

You're like, I can run a marathon, no problem.

SPEAKER_01 37:10

They're like, you're playing four hours, and we do morning shift on at Wallins on Sundays, and we it is 10 to 2, not a half, like because most shows are three and a half, but that is a solid four hours, and it's just like you feel that extra half hour a little bit. Oh, I bet you do.

SPEAKER_00 37:28

Oh, I bet you do. And it's Sunday, it's a whole different crowd. It's different.

SPEAKER_01 37:33

But I like the daytime crowds.

SPEAKER_00 37:35

I do too.

SPEAKER_01 37:35

I like the daytime crowds better than the nighttime crowds. No hate on the nighttime crowds. Right. They're just young and they don't have money and they're sloppy drunk by that point. And I gotta get out of there. Like, I like the daytime when people are just kind of drunk. And tips are better. It's gotta be, right?

SPEAKER_00 37:51

10 to 2 versus the 10 to 2.

SPEAKER_01 37:54

Yeah, the people haven't spent all their money yet.

SPEAKER_00 37:56

Yeah. And and this is a lesson. Let's talk about this for the people who are outside of Nashville listening to this, because that's really important that people need to understand a little bit about how it works on Broadway. Yes. To fill them in.

SPEAKER_01 38:10

I do always tell people, like, especially tourists, like, even if you are kind of broke, break a 20 and at least give a couple bucks to the bands because that is how everyone pays their bills. And if you're requesting a song and you're coming up with $5 and then coming up 10 more minutes, 10 minutes later and being like, you haven't played my song yet, it's like, yeah, because there's a $20 request and I'm gonna play that first. I'll get to your song, probably if it's a good song. But if you're giving me $5 and you're asking me for a slow B-side Hank Jr. song, I'm probably not gonna play it. Yeah. Like, I'm sorry, give me 20. Sure. Absolutely. Give me 100, you're next.

SPEAKER_00 38:49

But my friend Jacob Wilson, I hope he's listening to this. We used to have a really fun daytime Broadway drinking game where we would go, and anytime someone requested Freebird, and we knew they'd paid five to twenty dollars. Jacob would pull out a hundred dollar bill and make a big deal of going and putting it in the tip jar to make them stop. And it was epic. And we had so much fun, and our friends were like, Thank you so much. Um, but I do think the tipping culture needs to be explained a little bit more. Yes. Because you're right, you're not paying a cover, which is amazing. And you're getting the best of the best. The musicians are all top-notch playing on the biggest tours. I mean, you can go see Paul Sedotti at the stage. Yes, and he plays tour.

SPEAKER_01 39:30

Taylor Swift. And like my drummer, even like in my band, is Lauren Alena's drummer. And you know, everybody is somebody down there, and you just don't even know who you're watching up there. Yes, or who might be somebody next. Yes. It's so cool. Like it's there is nothing, like I said, there's nothing like Broadway anywhere in the world.

SPEAKER_00 39:50

There's nothing like it. So even for all the hate, it's still iconic for a reason. But y'all tip your bands because if you're down there, you didn't pay cover. And and it's just so important because that is how y'all get paid.

SPEAKER_01 40:03

And if everybody gave a dollar, yeah, it makes a huge difference to us, and it doesn't make a huge difference. Like you're tipping your barista a dollar, you know, like give us a you know, buck. And if you want a song, give us 20. Like, yes, we have to split that four ways. You're not giving us $20 a person, it's five bucks a person. So, especially when people come in and throw a dollar and ask for a song. I'm like, you just gave me $20 and they ask for free bird. Well, nobody on nobody on Broadway plays Freebird now for less than $100.

SPEAKER_00 40:28

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 40:29

It's a rule.

SPEAKER_00 40:30

I believe Jacob Wilson started that.

SPEAKER_01 40:31

Yeah, it is a absolute rule. And now we do it like an auction. It's like, all right, we got we're up to 40. All right, we're up to 60. We're up to because people want to say it because they've seen it in every movie, but nobody actually wants to hear free bird. That's the thing. Like halfway through, you're like, is it over yet? This is a boring slow song.

SPEAKER_00 40:48

Yeah. What's your favorite request?

SPEAKER_01 40:50

I always say whichever one's $100.

SPEAKER_00 40:52

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_01 40:52

I I've been doing this now for 10 years. I don't play five days a week anymore, but I do most weeks four days. But I've there was a time where I did five to six days a week and I was doing doubles two of those days. So I've played every song I could possibly want to play.

SPEAKER_00 41:06

What's your least favorite?

SPEAKER_01 41:07

Hit me with your best shot, or I love rock and roll. And everyone wants those from me because I look like I play rock. And I'm like, if I never have to sing those two songs ever again, I will die a happy woman. But uh I do love Great Day to Be Alive by Travis Tritt. I love uh No One Else on Earth by Wynona. I love That Don't Impress Me Much, like by Shania. I love the like good old country songs and like uh Believe by Cher is one of my other favorite songs to play. It's my favorite karaoke jam. I love her. Oh, and you've got the hair. She is a little bit of my style icon, I'm not gonna lie. What an icon! I'm loving that. I love her so much. And her story is so crazy. If people do not know Cher's story, look it up. Her story that is a woman that has been through the ringer and come back every time. Every time.

SPEAKER_00 41:58

Oh, I love that she's your style icon. I love her so much. I see it. Yeah, I love her. So good. Oh okay. Well, I could talk to you all day. I say that a lot because it's just so fun to sit here and talk about these stories. And that's why I get to do this. It's funny. But um, I want everybody to follow you, obviously. So tell us your Instagram.

SPEAKER_01 42:18

Yes, everyone can find me on Instagram. TikTok, I'm definitely the most active on. Um, but Instagram and and TikTok are both G-E-E-I-S, the number four gangster. That is G is for gangster. And then my website is www.shana G.com. G-E-E. G-E-E. And I only have one account on each thing. So don't be fooled by scammers. Yeah, don't be fooled.

SPEAKER_00 42:38

And then do you have regular, like you said, wallens on Sundays?

SPEAKER_01 42:43

Yes. If I am in town, I do travel a ton. So always check my website first. But if I am in town, I play every Thursday, uh, three to six at Whiskey Row, every Friday, four to seven at Odie's in Midtown, every uh Saturday at Jason Aldean's roof, three to six, and every Sunday, 10 to 2 in the morning, not at night, at Morgan Wallins. I love it.

SPEAKER_00 43:07

Okay, we gotta come see you. It'll be so fun. Thank you for being here. This has been a blast. Thank you so much for having me. I appreciate you. Sometimes a girl's gotta find her way on a room, three to room, and make mistakes.