By: Rainy ” Country Cutie” Cates
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It was one of those nights that felt like a quiet celebration\u2014a gathering of people who believed in something more than just talent. We were seated around a table in an intimate Atlanta venue, the kind of place where the energy feels warm, like a shared secret between friends. The crowd wasn\u2019t huge, but the air was electric with anticipation. Tonight wasn\u2019t just about Shoniqua Shandai, the actress. Tonight, we were here for Shoniqua the artist, the singer\u2014someone we were about to discover in an entirely new light.
As Shoniqua entered the space, there was an undeniable glow about her, but it wasn\u2019t the kind of glow that comes from the spotlight. This was different. It was the kind of warmth that comes from someone who has truly embraced their journey\u2014the kind of warmth that tells you, \u201cI\u2019ve struggled, I\u2019ve grown, and I\u2019m here now, unapologetically myself.\u201d And that\u2019s exactly what we were about to hear, from the very first note.
She opened up to the crowd, speaking in a way that felt like we were confiding in an old friend. There was no pretense. She was real, raw, and fully in the moment. \u201cIn 2020, during the pandemic, I decided to get into the studio,\u201d she began, her voice soft but steady. \u201cI was playing a recording artist in Harlem, but I was terrified of the studio. I can sing without a mic, but when it came to recording, it never sounded the way it did in my head.\u201d
Her vulnerability struck a chord with everyone in the room. She wasn\u2019t just talking about a song; she was talking about something deeper. She was sharing the journey of self-doubt, growth, and perseverance that led her to this very moment.
\u201cYou can’t play a recording artist and not actually get into the studio,\u201d she continued. \u201cSo, I decided to do the work. I got intentional about what I wanted to create. And with everything happening in the world, I knew I had to write something that spoke to me\u2014and to the world around me.\u201d
What followed wasn\u2019t just a performance\u2014it was a story. It was a reflection of everything that had shaped Shoniqua over the last few years: the challenges, the growth, and the deep, undeniable belief that we all have the power to manifest the lives and love we deserve.
\u201cI believe life and death lie in the power of the tongue,\u201d she said. \u201cSo I wrote something that would bring into existence the kind of love I deserve, even though I hadn\u2019t experienced it yet. Something God-fearing, passionate, and healthy. This song… it makes me want to tell a man, \u2018Boy, I know your momma is proud of you!\u2019 And that’s “Feel My Love.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The song, four years in the making, was about so much more than melody or lyrics. It was the product of a journey filled with patience and growth. She\u2019d started writing it in 2020, but it wasn\u2019t until now, in 2025, that she was finally ready to release it to the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t the singer I wanted to be when I first started,\u201d Shoniqua admitted. \u201cI was comparing myself to legends like Aretha Franklin, and I wasn\u2019t sure if I could ever measure up. But I kept pushing. I couldn\u2019t let that stop me. So, I went through a cycle of home, train, and record. Home, train, record. For four years. And that\u2019s how I became the singer who could finally sing this song.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At that moment, I understood. This wasn\u2019t just about singing, it was about the power of persistence. The power of not giving up, even when the path isn\u2019t clear and the results don\u2019t come easily. For four years, Shoniqua worked through her insecurities, her doubts, her fear. And the result was more than just a song, it was a declaration of strength and self-love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As she played Feel My Love for us that night, the room fell silent. The music didn\u2019t just fill the space, it resonated deep within everyone who was fortunate enough to be there. It was an anthem for anyone who has ever had to fight through their own limitations, for anyone who has ever doubted their worth, for anyone who has ever felt that the vision they had in their mind couldn\u2019t possibly match up to reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it can. It does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s easy to fall into the trap of comparing ourselves to others, especially in the world of social media, where the highlight reel is everything. But Shoniqua reminded us of something simple yet profound: Growth takes time. It\u2019s okay to stumble, to feel uncomfortable, to take things slow. It\u2019s okay to not have everything figured out right away. But as long as you keep pushing forward, trusting in yourself and your process, the results will come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That night, I left with something more than just a new song to listen to. I left with a renewed sense of what it means to truly believe in yourself, to trust in the process, and to embrace every moment of growth along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shoniqua Shandai isn\u2019t just a talented actress or a gifted singer\u2014she\u2019s a woman who has learned to love herself through the struggle and triumph, a woman who continues to teach us that the journey is just as beautiful as the destination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so, as the night ended, I realized that Feel My Love wasn\u2019t just the title of her song\u2014it was the energy that she had brought into the room. Love, in all its forms. And it was something we all felt, something that left a mark on every heart in that intimate space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, tomorrow, and forever\u2014Feel My Love.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cI wasn\u2019t the singer I wanted to be when I first started,\u201d Shoniqua admitted. \u201cI was comparing myself to legends like Aretha Franklin, and I wasn\u2019t sure if I could ever measure up. But I kept pushing. I couldn\u2019t let that stop me. So, I went through a cycle of home, train, and record. Home, train, record. For four years. And that\u2019s how I became the singer who could finally sing this song.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":234478062,"featured_media":7347,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1363],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebs"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hypehair.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_5098.jpeg?fit=828%2C988&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/peLzWz-1Us","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hypehair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hypehair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hypehair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hypehair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/234478062"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hypehair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7344"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/hypehair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7344\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7348,"href":"https:\/\/hypehair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7344\/revisions\/7348"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hypehair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hypehair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hypehair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hypehair.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}