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Shannon K Isn’t Asking for an Explanation on “Not My Shade”
Shannon K’s new single “Not My Shade” opens with an image most people know too well: lipstick on a collar that isn’t yours. But this is not another song about heartbreak. It is about the exact moment someone stops needing an explanation and starts trusting what they already know.
“The story starts with seeing lipstick on someone’s collar and knowing immediately that it isn’t yours,” Shannon says. “But instead of turning it into this huge heartbreak moment, the song is more about choosing yourself, walking away and realizing that somebody losing you is their loss.”
For Sanskar, “Not My Shade” gives us a chance to Celebrate an artist taking a creative risk, Explore the choices behind a changing sound, and Connect with the confidence at the center of the song.
That mindset did not come out of nowhere. “Mentally, I was in a place where I was thinking a lot about self-respect and how sometimes you don’t need closure from another person to move forward,” she says. “Once you see something for what it is, there can actually be a lot of power in just trusting yourself and walking away.”
One line in particular carries the attitude of the song for her: “Lost the baddest, now you gotta go and settle for less.”
“I love it because it captures the whole personality of the song in one line,” Shannon says. “It’s confident, a little cheeky and playful, but underneath that there’s still this message of knowing your value and not allowing someone else’s actions to make you question it.”
Finding a Bolder, Darker Sound
Sonically, “Not My Shade” takes Shannon somewhere different.
“This one feels a lot bolder and more unapologetic for me,” she says. “Sonically, it has this darker pop, dance and electronic energy that feels very late-night and very club-driven, but lyrically I’m also being much more direct. I’m not overexplaining the emotion. There’s almost this sense of, ‘It happened, I’ve made my decision, and now we’re moving forward.’”
Finding the right delivery took some experimentation. “The first time I recorded it, I was almost overperforming it,” Shannon says. “I was adding a lot of articulation and attitude, and looking back, it felt a little forced. Then I realized the attitude was already in the lyrics. I didn’t need to push it so hard vocally. The song actually worked better when I sounded more unbothered than affected.” Once she relaxed into a darker, more effortless tone, she says, “everything clicked.”
Producers Moritz Von Kreamer and Christian Kozomora helped build the sound around that performance. “They really helped build the darker electronic and dance pop world around the song,” she says. “I already knew I wanted it to feel bold and high energy, and they brought in that polished, late-night sound that gave the lyrics even more attitude.”
Her sister Annabelle was also closely involved in the process. “My sister Annabelle is always really involved in my creative process,” Shannon says. “She knows my voice and my instincts really well, so sometimes she can hear when something feels slightly off even before I can explain what it is.”
Their shared playlists even helped lead Shannon toward the electronic influences behind “Not My Shade.” “My sister Annabelle and I were sharing playlists and listening to each other’s taste in music, and that’s actually how I started coming across more of this darker electronic sound,” she says. “It opened me up to a genre I hadn’t really explored before.”
The record could have sounded very different. “The first version felt much more polished and performative, but somewhere in the process we realized the song was stronger when I sounded almost casually unbothered,” Shannon says. “That little shift completely changed the record for me.”
Stepping Outside the Box
For Shannon, “Not My Shade” also represents a change in how she thinks about herself as an artist. “I think ‘Not My Shade’ represents me being more open to experimenting and not putting myself in one box,” she says. “I think I’ve evolved by becoming more comfortable with taking risks. With my earlier projects, I was still figuring out what felt natural to me. Now I’m more willing to experiment, step outside of what people may expect from me, and trust where the music takes me.”
That change has affected her creative process too. “I think I’ve stopped chasing what’s trending and started listening more to my heart, my emotions, and my instincts,” Shannon says. “Now the process is less about trying to fit into a certain sound and more about creating whatever feels honest and exciting to me in that moment.”
Asked to sum up this era in one word, Shannon chooses “Real.”
“I think this era is about not being afraid to share what I’m actually feeling,” she says. “I’m exploring different sides of myself through the music, being more emotionally open.”
That same confidence is what she hopes listeners carry with them after hearing “Not My Shade.” “I want people to feel confident,” Shannon says. “I want them to hear it and maybe dance, laugh at some of the attitude in the lyrics, and leave feeling like they deserve more than being somebody’s second choice. More than anything, I hope when people hear it for the first time, they feel a little more powerful afterward.”
Giving “Not My Shade” Its Moment
Shannon has more music on the way, but she is not rushing past this release. “I definitely have more music coming, but I also want to give ‘Not My Shade’ its own moment and really let people live with it,” she says. “I’ve been experimenting with a few different sounds, so I’m excited for people to hear where I go next.”
She is also stepping into a project with a very different message. “I’m really excited about a song I sang called ‘Step Forward’ for the documentary Step Forward in Sisterhood: Where Hope Finds a Home, directed by Dr. Shellie Hipsky,” Shannon says. “It follows powerful stories of women across Africa, Jamaica, and the U.S., centered around resilience, dignity, and the strength of sisterhood. The film is screening at the LA Tribune Film Festival, so I’m really looking forward to being part of something with such a meaningful message.”
With “Not My Shade,” Shannon sounds increasingly comfortable trusting her instincts and giving herself room to experiment. That same sense of purpose carries into “Step Forward” and whatever she chooses to explore next.
It is also what makes this chapter fit naturally into what Sanskar Savvy is here to do: Celebrate artists finding their voice, Explore the stories and creative choices behind the music, and Connect our community with the people shaping what comes next.
“Not My Shade” is out now.
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