Forms of artistic expressions such as a painting, a poem or a song can be created when there is inspiration present. The age of a person rarely matters, for one is never too young or too old to pursue a creative passion up to its fruition when visited by inspiration.
For Shaniah Rollo, the 18-year-old Filipino singing sensation based in Ireland who became a standout in Ireland’s Got Talent and a Junior Eurovision 2018 finalist, the inspiration to become a singer came to her at an early age, falling in love with singing as a toddler.
At her age, inspiration once again paid her a visit, this time motivating Shaniah to explore songwriting, enabling the teenager to write her first composition, a song called “Just Stay.”
And now, while her career as a singer is moving forward at a steady pace, Shaniah’s ability as a songwriter is also being realized as well, with the release of “Just Stay” under RJA Productions, the talent management company that signed her.
Asked about the song, Shaniah said, “I started composing when I was 14 with "Just Stay" as my first composition. My inspiration was American singer-songwriter and YouTuber, mxmtoon. Her song, "Feelings Are Fatal" is my favorite because the lyrics are simple but I still felt an emotional connection with it. That's when I decided to write something simple too but very memorable. I wrote the lyrics of "Just Stay" with my ukulele as musical accompaniment. The song is about admiring someone and asking that person for reassurance to just stay. It was supposed to be just a creative outlet for me that I recorded on my cell phone as a type of memento.”
“I thank my manager Tita Rosabella Jao Arribas, head of RJA Productions, for encouraging us, her talents, to provide her with our own original compositions. She listened to “Just Stay” and liked what she heard. That led to the song becoming an actual single, which was given a new arrangement and style. The new version of “Just Stay” will be available on Spotify this August 5,” she added.
The release of “Just Stay” is the beginning of more original songs from Shaniah. She shared, “When I compose songs, I draw inspiration from my life experiences. I wrote some songs that deal with such themes as change, overthinking, friendship, self-care, and growing up. Hopefully, I can release these compositions as well. I really enjoy singing, though songwriting gives me a different kind of enjoyment. I find it delightful to create a song that expresses my thoughts and feelings.”
Shaniah stated that her family serves as her inspiration to continue pursuing her dream of becoming an accomplished singer and songwriter, “Music has been a big part of my life. My mom used to be a singer with my dad as her guitarist. My dad lived here in Ireland alone for many years, working as a musician to support us who were in the Philippines then. I will persevere with my singing and songwriting career so that I can repay my parents for all the sacrifices they made for our family. I plan to perform regularly in gigs, do busking, as well as join other singing contests here in Ireland. I like to go back and visit the Philippines in the near future to perform there too. I will do all these things because I know talent is not enough to make my dream a reality, it also takes a lot of hard work.”
Listen to “Just Stay” on Spotify. To know more about Shaniah Rollo, subscribe to her social media channels. Visit the website of RJA Productions for more information.