Article Contributed by Gratefulweb
Published on 2026-11-01
Photo Credit: Ryan Nolan | Artwork Design: Grace Kirkman
Saskatchewan-raised, Nashville-based artist Shantaia has released One Trick Pony, an eight-track album that brings the full scope of her musical identity into focus. Co-produced by Shantaia, Curt Chambers, and Brad Hill, the record moves from country and country-soul into soul, R&B, and blues, uniting the influences that have shaped her voice since childhood.
Rather than presenting that range as a departure, One Trick Pony is structured as a deliberate reveal. The album opens with “Faster Horses,” “Rose Colored Glasses,” “Why On Earth,” and the title track, establishing the country and country-soul foundation audiences know. At the midpoint, “Risk You Run” opens the door to soul, R&B, and blues, with “Loud,” “Find Out,” and focus track “Grace” carrying those influences through the album’s second half.
That range reflects Shantaia’s upbringing in a small northern Saskatchewan town, where the country music on AM radio shared her attention with Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, Whitney Houston, Eminem, and Dr. Dre. She absorbed each genre’s approach to melody and lyric, developing the musical curiosity that now runs throughout the record.
“I love this album because it starts out country, which is where everybody knows me to be, and it transitions into soul, R&B and a lot of blues influence,” says Shantaia. “When I was creating it, I wanted to challenge myself musically again, not be afraid to try new things, step outside the box and give people a taste of that upbringing of listening to all different kinds of genres.”
Shantaia can trace that shift back to the release show for her 2023 debut album, Exes and Friends, where the only cover in her set was Janis Joplin’s “Me and Bobby McGee.” When an audience member told her afterwards that her voice “lived in” that soulful space, the comment stayed with her, eventually making her question whether she had been playing it safe. The further she followed that instinct, the more freely she experimented, and the more fun she began having with music again.
That same tension eventually gave the album its name. After a series of industry meetings kept circling back to where she could be placed and how her music should be categorized, Shantaia left thinking, “I ain’t a one-trick pony.” The phrase captured exactly what she wanted the record to say and became the title of a project that makes room for every side of her artistry.
“This project really means resilience, not letting somebody tell you what you are and knowing you don’t just have to be one thing,” Shantaia says. “You can be many things, and many things can be true at once.”
Over the past year, she has gained more than 100,000 followers and generated over 35 million social impressions, driven in large part by a viral cover series featuring her horse, Dally. The series has caught the attention of Spotify, Shania Twain, Julia Michaels, and Kelsea Ballerini, while French electronic duo French Fuse organically duetted one of the videos.
The response reinforces what One Trick Pony makes clear: Shantaia’s authentic Western life and a voice naturally drawn to soul, R&B, and blues are not competing identities, but parts of the same artist.
Watch Shantaia's Dally series: Ella Langley Cover | Shania Twain Cover | Olivia Dean Cover | French Fuse Duet
The new album arrives amid a year of significant momentum for Shantaia. She was selected for Spotify’s 2026 Fresh Finds Forward class, named one of Nashville Briefing's 25 Artists to Watch in 2026, returned to her home province for performances at the CCMA Songwriters Series and CCMA House, and was named the runner-up in the SoFi Amplify Your Ambitions Contest, created in partnership with Kelsea Ballerini and the Country Music Association.
That recognition builds on a career that has generated nearly 10 million cumulative streams and earned five Saskatchewan Country Music Awards, including back-to-back Female Artist of the Year wins and Song of the Year. Onstage, she has toured in support of The Washboard Union, Hunter Brothers, and Kane Brown, and appeared alongside John Mayer at the PRS 40th anniversary at the House of Blues in Anaheim.
With One Trick Pony, Shantaia is not leaving one sound behind for another; she is bringing the full picture into focus. The album is available now across all digital streaming platforms.
For more information on Shantaia, new music, and live dates, follow @shantaiamusic across platforms or visit ShantaiaMusic.com.
SHANTAIA – ONE TRICK PONY
TRACKLIST
1. Faster Horses
2. Rose Colored Glasses
3. Why On Earth
4. One Trick Pony
5. Risk You Run
6. Loud
7. Find Out
8. Grace
