Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Shannin “Shining Rae” Watkins. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Shannin “Shining Rae”, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
The foundation of my confidence started with a big loving family. From kindergarten through grade school my mom and dad taught me positive affirmations. My dad made me stick to a daily regimen of speaking these positive affirmations before my mom took me to school. He had me repeat “I like myself. I love myself and I’m responsible” three times. Back then I didn’t quite understand the value and powerful affect this would have on my life, but as I grew into adulthood I realized that my strong foundation of confidence was heavily rooted in this positive self-talk. I remember doing a radio interview a couple years ago talking to the host about this which prompted me to ask my dad why he decided to do this with me at such an early age. He said “I knew you’d have to face a lot of obstacles in the adult world as a intelligent black woman, so I wanted to make you tough so no-one could brainwash you to doubt yourself.” He said “I was determined to brainwash you to love your self and have high self esteem so you could overcome any adversity the world may throw at you. Seeing how great you turned out, I think it worked!” This along with the love and support I received from my parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles made me believe I could be great. My paternal grandfather would constantly say to me “you are meant to do great things.” It was something my parents and I cherished and reminisce on with every step of success I achieve.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’m a “Rae of Sunshine” who grew up as an inquisitive artistic only child in an amazing musical family with a brilliant highly educated father who also played keyboard professionally. My mom is a highly regarded former CNO, critical care nurse and educator who also sings and plays guitar. In all I do in both the medical science and music industries I bring joyful energy to all of those around me. Both fields can be stressful at times, so I also want to keep the fun and exciting elements alive. In both careers I love to teach and share my wisdom to help the next generation scientists and musical artists succeed. As a musician and singer I love to create songs that connect to hearts by expressing my deep empathy and love for the world. After many years of working in the background as a vocal producer and songwriter for many other artists I feel like it’s time to share more of my story and let my authentic voice be heard again. Nothing feels better than making my own music.
My current focus is my recording artist career. On April 19, 2024, as country music’s rising cultural diversity made major headlines, I released my heartfelt country ballad entitled “I Can’t Help Who I Love,” produced by multi-platinum singer/songwriter and OC Hit founder Thomas Barsoe. About a week after my song’s release, it debuted at no. 45 on iHeart Radio’s aBreak Music Chart. aBreak Music is the leading playlist and radio station for indie artists around the globe founded by top advisor and former EVP of Sony Music Bruce Tyler and radio innovator Jay Stevens. Fans can help get my song to no. 1 via the radio website link abreakmusic.com/abreak58-playlist by clicking the thumbs up icon next to my song. I’ve been making country music since I first started writing songs at age 12, but would shy away from releasing it due to the fear of not being accepted in a genre I never saw very many people who look like me. I also had a fear of being boxed in one genre. It took me a while to find the right producer, and luckily, I was introduced to multi-talented musician Thomas Barsoe in 2011.
My most recent and most powerful inspiration came from my dear friend and hit country music artist Willie Jones, whose sultry voice is featured on “Just For Fun” off of Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” album. Recently, he and I talked on the day the news came out about him and several other black country artists receiving recognition from Beyoncé and charting No. 1 on the Billboard 200. I shed tears of joy while discussing how much he’s had to overcome in his musical journey to get to this amazing place in music history. Willie told me firmly ‘put your music out Rae,’ and I instantly felt the courage and excitement I’d been hoping for. That night I set up my music release, and the rest is history.”
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
he three qualities I developed that were most impactful in my journey would be self-love, tenacity, never letting anyone steal my joy. The latter was something that my parents always said to me that has helped preserve my self-love and tenacity throughout life. Having a joyful spirit at my core is my trademark and something I often hear that others love about me.
A relative of mine whose wisdom had a huge impact on my life is Maya Angelou. One of her famous quotes says “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” This quote embodies a principle I live by. Whatever I do in the world I try to make people feel good and inspired. Tenacity is what I consider an essential “survival technique” for anyone who strives to be great at what they do. I’ve always been taught to aim high and work to be the best I can be, so even if I fall a little short I’ll never be mediocre. Loving yourself will allow you to give love to others. This all ties together with having a great life journey and positive impact on the world.
My advice to people no matter where they are in their life journeys is to always be open to learning. Knowledge truly is power. Whether you get it from books, mentors, work experience, etc., always keep an open mind to learning something new everyday. If you want to master a craft or succeed in any facet of your life, gaining knowledge will empower you with the skills you need to win.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
It is hard to name one thing that is the most impactful thing my parents did for me, but I can name something that they gave me to remember my journey so far and to look forward to great things ahead. I always loved jewelry, so the first time I sang the National Anthem for a college baseball game, they gave me a charm necklace with a diamond heart on it. They told me that they wanted the heart to remind me of how much they love me and how much love I give to the world. Ever since then they’ve been giving me diamond charms for milestone moments in my life. I was MVP twice for my high school tennis team, so they gave me a tennis racket charm. When I started working for myself as a clinical laboratory consultant they gave me a diamond and gold 1000 poker chip. I remember my dad telling me that this charm was a symbol of me betting on myself. The ironic part about the chip was my first contract ended up paying me $1,000 a day. Now, I have a diamond treble clef, a gold Chinese panda coin, an Aries charm, and more. Friends and even random people often come up to me to compliment my necklace. They ask what the charms mean, so I started calling them my “lucky charms.” Fast forward to 2023, I co-wrote one of the most viral songs on social media called “Lucky” by Tish Hyman. What I love most about my lucky charm necklace is the constant reminder of past dreams coming true and it symbolizing something like a vision board for my future. I’ve had an unusually charmed life especially since moving to LA. To date I’ve not only met most of my musical heroes, but have personal connections to all of them. In 2019 my friend, whose name is on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Brett Ratner, surprised me with a visit and jam session with Mariah Carey. Most know Mariah is my all-time favorite and most influential musical artist in my career. I was able to hang out with Stevie Wonder on more than one occasion recently. To be able to tell my favorite legends how much their artistry means to me is a dream come true. The icing on the cake was in January of 2023 I was invited to sing the National Anthem for the LA Clippers at a sold-out game in front of 20,000 people. While wearing my same lucky charm necklace I touched it and remembered the first time I sang this song in front of a few hundred people. Years later I’m singing it on national television for an NBA team in from of thousands. I really think there’s magic in manifesting amazing things in my life, and maybe my lucky charms necklace my parents gave me have a lot to do with it.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.shiningrae.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/shiningrae
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Shiningraemusic
- Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/shiningraemusic
- Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/shiningrae
- SoundCloud: http://www.soundcloud.com/Shiningrae
Image Credits
Image 1: Rae with icon Mariah Carey Image 2: Rae with Country star Willie Jones Image 3: Rae after singing the National Anthem for the LA Clipper 1/8/23
