SharaLee is a Canadian soul singer and songwriter who was named after the 80’s Christian singer, Sharalee Lucas. She grew up in a musically inclined family and made her first appearance on the church stage at the age of five, with her mom accompanying her in harmony. Many of her family gatherings were filled with music and everybody played an instrument or sang. Although she was a part of her choir in school, she was often teased for being too loud and twangy. Her earliest musical influences were from her grandparents and extended family. SharaLee uses her early inspirations for her evergreen sound that will leave its listener speechless!
We took a listen to the soulful release of “DejaVu” and this song will leave a lasting impression on your memory. The sound is timeless, ageless, and transporting. It has this nice fusion of vintage blues mixed with contemporary soul and jazz. SharaLee’s vocals are riveting, and detailed. You’re overwhelmed by the sensational elevation you feel from her piercing voice. “DejaVu” was sweet mixed with sassy. It gave me the environmental setting of the 60’s while soothing in the current age of love and companionship. The song was beautifully executed and we can listen to it over and over again. SharaLee compels us with a consistent approach to this magical record!
Listen to “DejaVu” here and get to know more about SharaLee below!
Introducing SharaLee! Welcome to BuzzMusic. You grew up in a musically inclined environment, would you consider this heavily beneficial for your music today?
The musical inclination in my family was always toward a church environment which was incredibly influential on how I write. Any amount of encouragement to express yourself musically as a kid is beneficial. In my case, there was, I think a certain expectation to stay within the church environment and my initial tendency was to just go with what I was familiar with. But I wanted to do more. I wanted to go deeper in different genres of music.
We loved the release of your single “DejaVu”. What was the meaning behind these beautiful lyrics?
I’m so happy that you liked the song. This one is definitely my favorite as well. Some songs come together really quickly and the lyrics are just there. That was certainly the case with Dejavu. I’ve been on a personal journey of working through some relationship hurts from my past and there are good days and bad days. I was having one of those bad days where I felt like I was 15 all over again dealing with unrequited love. On the other hand, it seemed absolutely ridiculous because I’m not a teenager, I’m a grown woman in her 30s and happily married. We just celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary this month! Lol. So the concept for the song is having all these adolescent feelings about someone, and yet realizing I am not that person anymore. So the experience is not real at all but simply dejavu.
What inspired you to write this single?
The journey I am on inspired me to write the lyrics. The actual music was inspired from listening to a whole lot of 60’s Motown Soul music. Otis Redding’s classic “These Arms of Mine” is one of my favorites so that was the reference for the song.
What would you consider some major challenges you have to face as an artist and how do you overcome these obstacles?
I think staying a genuine and authentic as possible is one of the biggest challenges for most artists. Especially sync artists like myself. There is so much pressure to sound like what is current or trending. That’s one thing I never try to do. I have a retro sound and that is what is authentic for me. It was so freeing when I finally figured out what I was good at and what worked for me. I never feel like I’m in competition with anyone because there is no one else like me. And that goes for every other artist out there. Just be who you are.
What’s next for SharaLee?
I’m writing some new tunes and things are picking up with licensing songs. I’ve made a lot of great relationships and connections with publishers and music supervisors over the past several months, so great things are on the horizon.
Connect with SharaLee on social media
www.instagram.com/SharaLeeMusic
www.twitter.com/SharaLee-Ward