Jazz singer and Sunnyside resident Erin Shields has released her debut CD and will soon perform at the Metropolitan Room in Manhattan.
A native of Central Illinois, Shields said that, growing up, singing was the same as speaking for her. She began to sing at a young age and started lessons when she was nine. Her mother used to run the Miss Illinois Valley Pageant, and Shields would sing the songs she heard the contestants practice.
Shields, who has lived in Queens on and off for about seven years, first came to New York to pursue musical theater, although she said her voice didn’t match it well. She then tried opera.
However, she got involved with jazz music when she met her husband, jazz pianist David Shenton.
“I like the freedom of jazz,” said Shields, who graduated from the Indiana University School of Music.
Shields said that one of the things she never loved about opera was that everything was stylistically the same, whereas with jazz songs she is able to perform them in different ways.
In December, Shields released her first CD, “I’d Rather Be Lonely.”
“It’s mainly just famous jazz standards but they have just really clever interpretations and arrangements by my husband,” Shields explained.
Shields said that she had wanted to do her own CD for a while now and just had to wait until the money had been saved to produce it. She also said that she thinks her voice is served best on recordings, and noted that she and her husband know a lot of jazz musicians, so they were able to get some of the best players on the CD.
When Shields picked up the finished product, she said “it felt really good” to have her completed CD.
“It’s gotten a great response so far but I’m trying to get the word out now,” Shields said.
Shields will have a CD release part at the Metropolitan Room on Saturday, January 23 at 7:30 p.m. She will also have a performance and CD signing at the Barnes and Noble at Lincoln Center on Wednesday, February 17 at 6:30 p.m. Within the next few months, Shields said she also wants to start hitting all of the big jazz venues.
For her future as a jazz singer, Shields said that she would be able to do a tour, including performing at the many jazz festivals that are held all over the world. Shields also wants to eventually start making more CDs and start writing original jazz music.
Shields said that “I’d Rather Be Lonely” is currently available through cdbaby.com and at April Glass in Sunnyside. It will also eventually be available through iTunes and on amazon.com.
To find out about other upcoming performances, visit www.shentonmusic.com.
