Single Review: Shannon Hynes – I’m NotPretty
With any set of lyrics placed over a melody, you are delivering a story. The key to any good story is to make it relatable to your audience which is exactly what Shannon Hynes has looked to deliver with her debut release “I’m Not Pretty”. A British perception of day to day life may be very different from how people in the country music heartland may encounter the world but some instances can be encountered by anyone in any situation and these become more relatable to a larger audience. Shannon told me this was one of the main reasons for choosing this as her first release which also shows how honest her writing style is. The song incorporates a more traditionally sounding country melody full of the instrumental sounds that would not be out of place in music city delivered with very contemporary lyrics that achieve this relatability and honesty.
One of the reasons these factors come across so well is how natural the song sounds. In today’s climate with varying perceptions of what classifies as a country sound it does allow songwriters and artists to be more creative and natural in their portrayal which Shannon achieves by infusing a more traditional country melody that would not be out of place being heard in music city along with a very natural vocal sound. I really like the girls over here that are not trying to sing with an American accent as it does make it feel more believable and really emphasise they are not trying to be something that they are not.
This is a song that Shannon wrote by herself which she said came to her very raw so was written very quickly which is why it is so pure. The song is about feeling a bit lonely when it seems like all those around you are on some sort of romantic outing (she told me it was written on her parents wedding anniversary when they were cooking steak at home also her flat mates were dining out at a posh restaurant and another of her friends was out on a tinder date) and you don’t really feel you can interrupt anyone. The song is nice and catchy where like I said previously infuses a more traditional melody but from a natural and believable British standpoint.
When Shannon talked about writing songs and her leaning towards country music as a genre she described how lucky she feels to have it as a passionfor writing with the pride and joy she gets from it along with just how special the genre makes everyone involved from fans to the writers to the performers feel which draws you to the genre. Country has always been her musical inference since she began writing songs at 15 which is when she learnt to play guitarwhich she feels helps her as a writing instrument having previously playing piano from childhood.
I have always been a little hesitant in writing about my friend’s music as there is a danger to see the world with rose tinted vision and say really nice things because of that but the sound of the track is not trying to bring across anything that she is not and is a nice balance between a natural British element and the more traditional country sound which surprisingly few singers over here manage to achieve. Shannon’s first release reflects a lot of her personality as it is a quirky little number that is open, honest and instantly likable.
I’m Not Pretty by Shannon Hynes is available for download and streaming from today (21st September) inall of the usual places and you can find out more about her on her socials below.
https://www.twitter.com/s_hynesmusic
https://www.facebook.com/ShannonHynesMusic/
https://www.instagram.com/s_hynesmusic
