Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittany Shane.
Brittany, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started my music career my Senior year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I had a dream of having all my poetry published but wasn’t really sure where to start. I also had a guitar that my dad gave me laying in the corner of my apartment that I didn’t know how to play. I decided to get some guitar lessons and then start putting my poetry to music. I became obsessed with playing guitar, practicing so much each day until my fingers hurt. Part of me felt like I didn’t fit in during college, but as soon as I started making music and playing the guitar, I just felt like I had a purpose and belonged. I’d play fun cover songs like “Wild Thing” at parties at our college apartment and get everyone smiling and laughing.
I had enough poetry to make a bunch of songs, so that’s what I started doing. My aunt and uncle Terri Nelles and John Nelles in Elgin, Illinois had a basement studio and they invited me to come over and start recording my songs and they gave me the little push I needed to get everything started with my career. I recorded two albums with them and they actually had really great reviews from the college newspapers and the Wisconsin State Journal. I formed a band and started playing around town. My little brother Dustin Safranek was in my very first band. He plays guitar and my great friend still today Jay Iverson played Drums.
Once I felt like I went as far as I could go, I decided to jump on a one way plane to San Francisco, CA. It’s a good thing I did because that’s where things just started to really take off for me. Not too long after moving there, I started playing in the Poster Room upstairs at The Fillmore between sets on the main stage. Acts like Chris Isaak, Liz Phair, Natalie Merchant and more played on the main stage. While I was playing out, I started working on a few albums. I released “Decked Out” which was named Top 20 Local Album by Aidin Vaziri of the San Francisco Chronicle and not long after that, I made a record with Zack Smith (founder of the 80’s band Scandal, “Goodbye to You”, “The Warrior”). The album I made with Zack was called “Have Heart Live Young”. I gave a copy to the booking manager at The Fillmore and once he listened, he promoted me to the Mountain Winery Main Stage opening bands like Heart, Foreigner and Peter Frampton! I went on a tour after that circling the U.S. 4 times to promote the record. I also played in Austin, TX four times and just fell in love with the city and the music community. That was the summer of 2010.
I’ve been in Austin since moving here in the summer of 2010 and just love it. I have released two albums here and I’m now releasing singles every couple of months. In March 2021, I released my new single “Where’s the Moon?” The song was inspired/written about my five years old son Oliver. He always likes to walk up to the window at night and say, “Where’s the Moon?” and then we’ll both lookout and talk about how beautiful it is. The story of the song is about Oliver and what happens after we read books at night, turn the radio on and I close the door and he drifts off to dreamland on his bed that turns into a boat in the ocean, and he’s looking up at the moon. You can hear “Where’s the Moon” on Spotify and iTunes and it’s also available on my website www.brittanyshane.com.
All of my albums are available on iTunes and Spotify and you can keep up with me at my website.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I had some struggles in the very, very beginning with singing. Luckily, my dad noticed and gave me a gift certificate for singing lessons when I was starting out.
There have been some issues with stage freight at times. Even after all these years of being on stage!
I had a very challenging pregnancy in 2015/16 and I’m very open about speaking about anxiety/depression during and after pregnancy. Not many people talk about this challenge during pregnancy. It was difficult to find support or even any answers to my questions. I’m here for anyone going through these challenges now. They can contact me anytime and I would be happy to help share what I’ve learned and help them any way I can.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I write poetic songs. I feel like what sets me apart from others is that you could read my song collection like a poetry book. I’m proud of the albums I’ve written. I feel like some of my best work as a writer is on my album “Have Heart Live Young” and I’d love for everyone to check out that album. It’s on Spotify and iTunes.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
First, I’ll wake up and doing a heart-opening yoga class and then I’ll follow it with even just 10 minutes of Qi Gong. It helps me start the day off in a very positive way. This is then followed by 1 hour of swimming. All of this together keeps me centered and ready for the day.
Contact Info:
- Email: brittanyshaneaustin@gmail.com
- Website: www.brittanyshane.com
- Instagram: @brittanyshanemusic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brittanyshanemusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9kWMVoVWRY
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/brittanyshane
Image Credits
Scott Sullivan (my awesome husband) took all photos
