“The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, …who strives valiantly, who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming” – Theodore Roosevelt
Sheyda Fassari’s lifelong dream was to be a professional singer, writer, and performer. So, you can imagine how much being accepted into Belmont University’s Vocal Performance program meant to her. While she was studying though, she was told that she had vocal nodules and that these nodules could only be removed through surgery. For anyone else, this could have meant the end of her dream, but for Sheyda this was just the beginning. When she switched to a double major in songwriting and business trying to switch gears from singing, one of her songwriting teachers encouraged Sheyda not to give up on herself or her dream. Fast forward to today and Sheyda is not only actively playing in the arena and pursuing her dream, she is also releasing her third single “Wish I Could Want You”.
When I heard the intro, I thought I was going to be listening to a straight-up pop song. The shaker and synthesized vocal tracks at the beginning are catchy and set up a rhythmic structure that gave me Justin Bieber “Sorry” vibes. Suddenly a programmed snare sound comes into the song and completely flips the rhythmic structure of the song on its head. At that point, the song started giving me all kinds of R&B/Hip Hop vibes that blend with that already existing pop feel. I appreciate how minimalistic the production stays in the first verse because it allows the genre of the song to shift seamlessly and for Sheyda’s warm and resonant vocals to shine. In the first part of the verse, Sheyda’s vocal lines feel very reminiscent of the way Drake structures his vocal lines in songs like “Hotline Bling”, almost sing-speaking the words within a very tight set of notes in the key of the song. However, all this changes again when Sheyda starts singing the pre-chorus. It’s almost as if She starts revving her engine here letting the listener know just how much horsepower her voice has. Her voice takes on a soulful, and confident quality as she starts shifting gears into the chorus going from that tight sing-speaking verse rhythm to more held, sustained notes. The warm rasp is still there almost like a trademark of Sheyda’s sound and a way to bridge all the different genre elements that come into play in the song. Aside from Sheyda’s voice signaling to me that we’re transitioning into a chorus, the production starts to change as well, building slightly while keeping its minimalistic structure allowing Sheyda’s vocals to be the driver of the song and maneuver through the different genre elements she mixes into each of her songs.
I’m very impressed by Sheyda’s vocals in her new single especially given her vocal journey so far, and I can’t wait to see wait to hear more from her moving forward.
Stream “Wish I Could Want You” here.
Listen to “Wish I Could Want You” on YouTube –
Comments