I’ve been following SHIR for a little while but it took me a minute to feature her on my music blog. I guess I was waiting for the right song? I automatically loved her latest single “Lifetime”. It’s a GREAT pop song. It has great melodies, honest lyrics and effortless vocals. Co-written with Maria Naylon and produced by Spencer Rabin, “Lifetime” is about finding a soulmate that you can be authentically yourself around.

“When people listen to this song, I want it to remind them that there’s someone out there that’s going to love them for who they are- flaws, chaos and all,”

SHIR is not only a good artist, she is also a brilliant songwriter.

Go stream “Lifetime”, now available worldwide.

Hi SHIR, how are you? What's your story?

Hi, I’m doing great! Thanks for asking. I guess my story starts in Scottsdale, Arizona on March 30, 1999- the day I was born. My twin brother, Amir, and I were born three and a half months premature and a little after we were born my parents found out my brother had a severe case of Cerebral Palsy. I also have an older sister and between the two of them- the house was pretty loud all the time so I became really shy as a kid. When I was 14 I asked my mom to buy me a guitar. I rarely asked for anything so my mom said “of course” and we went to the music store down the street to buy one.

What did you grow up listening to?

Honestly in middle school I was a die hard Directioner. Then I found out about Ed Sheeran and a bunch of British singer-songwriters like Lewis Watson, Gabrielle Aplin, Nina Nesbitt and Daughter. When I was in high school I really got into pop music and I’d constantly be analyzing what was on the radio whenever I was in the car.

When did you start feeling connected to music? When did you know it was more than just a hobby?

Ever since I was 12 I was really drawn to music and lyrics but I didn’t start playing guitar until I was 14. Music was a way for me to escape the world I was living in. When I was 16 I did this Berklee College of Music 5 Week Summer Program where I got to take a songwriting class there. My teacher taught me all about pop song structure and would give us feedback on our songs each week. I would say after that, I knew I wanted to be a songwriter. I was always super disciplined when it came to my songwriting but I think when I saw all the other amazing artists and musicians there- it made me want to push myself even harder to be the best songwriter I could be.

When did you know you could sing?

I knew I could sing a tiny bit when I started taking singing lessons when I was 15 but honestly I didn’t have the confidence to really sing in front of anybody besides my mom at first. I remember having to sing in front of my class for extra credit one time when I was in middle school and being so nervous that I turned my back away from everyone.

When did you start writing songs? What made you want to write in the first place?

I started writing songs around the same time I got into singing when I was 15. I was super shy as a kid and didn’t have that many friends at school so music kind of became my “friend” in a way. I would pretty much lock myself in my room for like 6 hours after school and work on a new song everyday. I remember listening to Julia Michaels’s songs and just being so drawn to her songwriting. I thought it was the coolest thing ever that she started out writing for other artists until she eventually gained the confidence to release music herself.

When did you know it was time for you to be an artist and release your original music? What/who gave you the confidence?

It wasn’t until I wrote my debut single “God For A Day” that I realized I was meant to be an artist. I wrote it for my twin brother when he had a really bad case of pneumonia and was in and out of the hospital. I was in LA interning during my senior year of college at Belmont University and I couldn’t fly back home to be with him because everything was so strict with Covid. I felt so helpless and didn’t know what else to do, so I basically processed my entire relationship with him in that song. As crazy as it sounds before “God For A Day”, I didn’t feel like I had a story to tell that was mine so that’s why I think I wrote for other people for so long. My family’s always encouraged me to follow my dreams and go after what I want. Anytime I doubt myself, I call my mom and she always gives me a pep talk which makes me feel better.

”Lifetime" is your new single - what's the story/inspiration behind this song?

“Lifetime” was actually inspired by the version of love I grew up around, unconditional love. My parents are still together to this day and watching them choose to stay with each other through all the ups and downs they’ve been through made me realize that that’s what love is. No relationship is 100% perfect, but they should make you feel safe and whenever you’re with them all of your worries should fade into the background.

Could you describe the songwriting/production process for this song? When did you start working on it? Who helped you create it?

We wrote “lifetime” in February 2022 and that was my first session with Spencer Rabin, a producer who was visiting from Nashville. I brought in my friend Maria Naylon to write with us that day. We all sat down and Spencer started playing this guitar loop he made. It immediately pulled me in and I was like, “We have to write to this today,”. We started talking about love and the idea that if I was in love I’d want to be the one to die first so I wouldn’t have to live a day without the person I loved. Then as we finished writing the chorus we realized it should be called lifetime and we wrote the rest of it.

What’s your favorite lyric on "Lifetime"?

The first lyric we ever wrote for it was “I don’t wanna live in a world without your kiss” so it’d probably be that one. It was one of those moments where the melody and lyric just flowed out at the same time, so naturally together- it was really special.

What did you feel when recording this song?

I was feeding off of the energy that was in the room the day we wrote it. I don’t know what it was but there was something in the air that day. We recorded most of the song in an hour right after we wrote it and just kept those vocals in because they felt so emotional already. I tried re-recording them in Nashville later on but it didn’t have the same magic it did the first time.

What do you want people to feel when listening to "Lifetime"?

I want them to feel like they're living in a rom com. Like it’s the last scene of the movie, and they're the main character that’s falling in love.

As an artist, what is the hardest part? And what is the best part?

The hardest part for me has been figuring out the visual side of things like thinking of cover art ideas, branding, or how I want to look in general. I think the best part is talking to fans. Whenever I get a message or see a comment from a fan who just found one of my songs it makes my entire day.

What are your thoughts on today's music industry? If you could change one thing, what would it be?

I feel like it's a really interesting time for the music industry right now. I think a lot of artists are realizing that it might be better to be independent right now opposed to signing to a label. I think one thing I would change is how songwriters are being paid. I’m making it a priority as an artist to give the songwriters I work with master points on any record I release.

You’ve also been writing for other artists - what do you like the most about writing for/with others?

I think my favorite part about writing for other artists is that I get to help tell their story. Sometimes they bring in an idea that they want to write about and other times we talk about what they’re going through for a while until we land on something that feels worth writing about. It’s honestly like putting together a puzzle every time until it feels like it's done.

What advice would you give to young songwriters?

I would say the only way you get better at songwriting is by writing songs every day and putting the work in. If you want it to be your job, treat it like one and find the people you love collaborating with. Community is everything. It's so important to have people around you that lift you up and vice versa.

In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?

If we tried to empathize with each other and put ourselves in someone else’s shoes.

What biggest life lessons have you learned so far?

Everything is temporary. The way you feel is temporary and your mindset is temporary. Whenever I’m going through a tough time or I’m down on myself, I know that whatever I’m feeling in that moment will pass eventually.

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