She writes folk but sings soul
Music is in Shantel Leitner’s blood. “My grandfather has been in a country music band since I can remember,” she says during a recent phone interview. “I grew up singing with my mom and aunt. As far as writing, I’ve been doing that since I was 19 and I’m 26 now.”
Leitner is touring in support of her first release, “Indigo,” which took a few years to put out. She says the actual recording process flew by but it was getting the material together that took the longest.
“I wish I could say it was an easy process, but I had to get introspective with it all,” she explains. “I had been writing all of those songs for years and it just took time for them to come together.”
Leitner grew up on the plains of a small, idyllic town in Kansas. As she began singing as a child, she was drawn to country music, but she also developed a liking for soul and folk music.
“It’s a weird combination because when I write, it’s very folksy,” she says. “As soon as I open my mouth, there’s the soul influence. It surprises a lot of people.”
Leitner studied music. She transferred from a community college in Kansas to Berklee College of Music in Boston to study songwriting.
“I loved Boston, and moving there from a town that has 1,000 people was jarring,” she explains. “At Berklee, I met a lot of amazing musicians and learned from them, as well as in class. This was the best learning experience I could have asked for as a musician.”
When writing, Leitner admits she waits for inspiration. She says she will stop everything that she’s doing and concentrate on the idea.
“What’s great is that with technology I can record everything into my phone. It’s a lot safer than the days of me writing on napkins. I’d always lose those and then my ideas were lost forever.”
Leitner began her nearly monthlong tour on May 1 and will make five stops in New Mexico. In addition to playing shows in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, she will also perform at 7 tonight at The High Country Restaurant & Saloon in Chama; 7:30 p.m. Sunday, May 5 at The Compound in Alamogordo and 7:30 p.m. Monday, May 6 at Capitol Bar in Socorro.