Shanae Unveils ‘reset’: An Odyssey of R&B, Authenticity, and Artistic Evolution

But Shanae’s greatest coup may be clearing a Big Freedia sample for cloud 9—the Queen of Bounce chanting “Shake, shake, shake” on a track co-produced by NY’s Aire Atlantica (famously credited for SZA’s hit “Low”) and 18YOMAN.

Shanae has been busy promoting reset—hosting a listening party as well as performing a live acoustic pop-up show at Salon de African Pride. She’s also premiered a video for the sublime amapiano “favourite song.” However, Shanae isn’t sitting back. She’ll head overseas shortly to complete her next two projects.

We chat to Shanae about her new music, creative transformation, and the inspo behind that JD Sports Adidas Terrace takeover. “The biggest thing that I just want people to know is you can always, always reset, no matter how far you are into something,” she says. “I genuinely believe running and working really hard is only effective if it’s in the right direction. So make sure that you just take time to reset—double-check as you’re moving.”

You’re ushering in a new era as Shanae. What can you tell us about that?

I’m definitely really happy with all the things that I had achieved prior [as MADAM3EMPRESS]. But, when you are young—and I was 21, 22—you’re still finding your identity and I just really speak to that all the time as a person. I think, when you’re a young artist and you just wanna be successful, sometimes you can be quite influenced. 

I was really happy with everything that I achieved, but I felt like it wasn’t really me. So I decided to take some time away and just kinda figure out what I wanted and what I wanted my art to be about and sound like. That’s essentially the whole project—and it’s called reset. That’s what it’s all about; it’s about going back to who I am and what I want. 

The music on the project sonically represents me. I’m an Australian-born South African. So you’ve got Afro tracks, you’ve got R&B tracks, you’ve got dance tracks … It’s really just sonically me. Everything about the project feels like me in seven songs.