Interview Bits: 12 Random Questions With Shontelle
Shontelle - shontelleonline.com
There are several things that made us fall in love with 24-year-old pop singer Shontelle Layne instantly. Last year, her hit single “T-Shirt” showcased her sweet voice and insatiable thirst for Jimmy Choos. Win! She comes from Barbados, and seeing how we’re freakishly in love with another talented Bajan (see here), this was a real selling point.
But the biggest reason we love Shontelle? She’s so damn down to earth. She’s ...
an unapologetic twitter junkie, who’s flunked out of self-imposed “tweehab” too many times to count. She’s constantly offering inspiring words to her fans, and she’s quick to defend an artist she loves — and even admits to “stanning” for quite a few people, like the woman she opened for on tour last year: Beyonce.
As she prepares to hypnotize the clubs with her new single, “Licky,” we went on a quest to get to know more about her. Which rapper would be the Jay-Z to her B? Whose leading lady would she like to play in a music video? (You might be surprised!) And what would she call her reality dating show?
The answers to these questions and more can be found in Neon Limelight’s 12 random questions with Shontelle!
1. Beyonce and Jay-Z are an amazing couple. If you could pick any rapper for a husband, who would you pick?
[Large sigh] T.I.! I love him so much. Dear T.I., when you get out, please call me. We need to have a conversation. That is all. Drake is hot, too, though…
2. What’s one question you really hate answering in interviews?
That’s hard because there really isn’t any question I hate answering, cus like I’m the weirdest artist on earth. I love doing interviews. I would say…
Well, you mildly dislike?
Yeah. I would say the question that probably is the most, I don’t want to say irritating, but when people say — and this usually doesn’t come from international journalist or bloggers or what not, when I do interviews at home [in Barbados] I really hate it when people say “Are you gonna do like Rihanna and ditch your roots and stop doing reggae and soca?” I’m like I want to choke you for that! Like, what are you talking about? Have you ever heard a Rihanna album that she didn’t do at least one song or something that has [Caribbean influences]? Like, can’t you just be happy that people are repping for your country? Honestly, things hurt the most or become the most irritating when it comes from home. The drum beats loudest at home. As much as you want love from everywhere else, when it feels like there’s even one person from home that is saying something negative, it really hurts. I’m like, don’t say that. Just do not ask me that question. Do not ask me about the music I’m going to make. I just love music. I make all kinds of music. Do not try to make me feel like just because I don’t do the music you want me to do that I’m, like, ditching you or dissing you. They try to make it out like you got this get rich and switch sorta thing. That’s probably the question that I hate the most.
3. Who would you like to play in a biopic and who would you like to play you?
Hmm. Who would I want to play? I feel like…you know what, I thought about this before. Crap! Someone asked me this randomly and I was like…I said it the other day. What is it, man!? I was like I would love to play somebody, and I think I said it on twitter. Now I don’t remember! My brain is not working! But who would I like to play me in a movie? Well, a lot of people think that Megan Good looks like me. I don’t see it, but some people think that. So, maybe if there was someone who was going to play Shontelle, it would probably be her. She’s pretty good. Who the hell would I play? Like who, who, who would I play? It would have to be someone who could sing. Or would it be a singer? I don’t even know.
It could be anyone.
Yeah, it doesn’t have to be a singer, huh? I really wish I could remember who I was talking about on twitter the other day.
Was it Whitney Houston?
Dude! I would totally play Whitney! She would have to voice-over the singing, cus, like, I know I can’t sing like Whitney Houston, but I feel like — you know what, in my first [promo photo shoot], when I had shorter, curlier hair, a lot of people were saying you know you look like a young Whitney Houston. And I was like, I could totally play Whitney, man. I would play her in a movie. I would. Movie people of the world and Hollywood, when you’re ready to do the Whitney movie, please call me up. I would do it. I totally would.
That would be awesome!
I wonder who would be my Bobby [Brown].
Who would you cast to play Bobby?
Who would be Bobby? It would have to be someone hot if I’m going to be hanging around this dude a lot. He needs to be hot. Would it be fair to let Tyson Beckford just stand there and be Bobby? Like, he doesn’t have to say anything.
Totally! He can be Bobby.
[Laughs] He can just be like, “I’m Bobby.” This movie is not really about Bobby anyway, so you would just see a random shot and it would be Tyson Beckford. Maybe Tyrese! Tyrese would probably be a good Bobby. He acts and sings, so that would be cool. [Laughs]
4. What’s one thing you think people would be shocked to learn about you?
People usually assume that because you’re an artist that you’re out there and you party a lot and stuff like that, but you’d realize you’ve never really seen that many pics of me anywhere. I think I like burned out my clubbing days between the ages of 16 and 21. So, as much as I love making music for the clubs, I really don’t party that much. It’s so weird. I’m such a social creature but I tend to prefer just sitting at home and chilling with friends, or going to a movie, or the beach, or something rather than clubbing. You spend a lot of money and you see the same people all the time and it’s like the same music. It’s not really that much different every time you go, so I think a lot of people would be surprised to find out I’m not into clubbing or the party scene as much as they think.
It’s so much fun when you don’t do it all the time. It’s more fun because you’re like, yeah! I’m about to wild out right now! You know, it’s like a release. When you let everything build up and then you go to the club, you’re like AAAAAAAHHH! You’re on the tables and you’re like I don’t even care if a picture of me on this table gets out, cus you know what, your ass is on the table when you’re in the club too! So stop it! Stop acting like you don’t party too. If you catch me happen to walk out once and I stumble, like, act like you don’t stumble out of the club too! You know you went to the club to have fun and so did I.
So, yeah. I think it would surprise people to know I’m actually much more of a home mouse than they think. I actually spend a lot of time at home. When I’m not working, I’m home.
5. If your CD player got stuck playing the same song over and over for the rest of your life, what song would you hope to get stuck on?
That’s hard. If I wanna keep it G, it would be “Run This Town.” I still can not get past that song. I can not get past it. It is still the most played song in my playlist. It has three of the most incredible artists and it’s just such a power song. It gets me — I’m like ready to go every time I hear it. Other than that, I think Donny Hathaway’s voice is like magic, and if I could just hear “A Song For You” everyday for the rest of my life, and hear that piano, it would not bother me one bit. I would love that.
But you have to pick just one. It can’t get stuck on two songs.
GOSH! OK fine! I’ll pick Donny Hathaway. You can’t always by hyped. Sometimes you gotta soothe the soul.
6. In whose video would you love to play the leading lady?
Um, whose video??? [long pause] I would totally…totally…like, play…because if I ever…you know what, who makes me tingle and I don’t know if it would be wise for me to play the leading lady but I so would…I really, really like — why do I like these young ones? They’re too young. I’m not gonna say it. Let me think of someone else.
No! Come on!
[Laughs] Cus the young ones are too hot and it’s not fair!
How young? Are you going to get in trouble with the Feds or will you be looked at as a cougar?
You know what? It’s not that bad. You could pick any of the Jonas Brothers and I would totally be their chick.
Not Nick! He’s only 17.
God! Do you have to remind me?! Why do these stylists have to make them look so, you know, hot!? It’s not right. It’s not right at all. And sometimes you forget that they’re only 17.
Well, Joe is 20.
[Sigh] I guess so. You know what, it’s just acting. I can pretend that I’m 17, too. They can make me look much younger. That’s one of the good things about me. I’m versatile. You can make me look 12 or 30. Dear Jonas Brothers fans, please do not attack me on twitter. [Laughs]
7. So, you were Snoop Dogg this year for Halloween–
Yeah! I was keeping it G!
What’s the weirdest Halloween costume you’ve ever worn?
I’ve never worn a weird one. Funny, like in Barbados, Halloween has only recently become a big deal. I guess Barbados is definitely becoming a lot more Westernized, for lack of a better word, or Americanized even more so. One year I did Halloween as G.I. Jane. I don’t really go that crazy. I think the craziest thing I did was the Snoop Dogg one. Normally, I just pick a character and go with it. Like, one year I was Laura Croft. I like to be the sexy, tough females. So, I pick a super hero and go with it. I’m gonna do Catwoman one of these days.
8. If you had a VH1 dating show — like Ray J has “For The Love of Ray J,” then there’s Flavor Flav’s “Flavor of Love” — what would the name of your show be?
Hmmm! That’s interesting! It can’t be Shon of Love. I don’t know! My name isn’t Tila Tequila so it can’t be like a shot of love. How would you get clever with my name?
Dude, I totally have one, but I’m going to let you pick.
[Laughs] You got one!? Maybe it could be like “Love Layne” or something like that. I don’t know! What is yours?
Mine is “Heart DominaShon.”
OH MY GOD! YOU’RE THE SH*T! And I’m so lame! I would totally go with that! I would so totally go with that! That is so tight! You are so creative. Heart DominaShon. I love it! That’s hot. They would probably make me really sexy and put me in black leather. As long as I don’t have to wear one of those scary little balls in my mouth, I’m cool.
9. Who would you love to see cover one of your songs and which song would they cover?
That’s interesting. I’ve never thought of that. You know what, it would be really cool just because Lady GaGa is so freakin’ cool and she is so versatile herself, it would be really amazing to hear Lady GaGa do a song like “Life Is Not An Easy Road” or like a reggae song. That would be really awesome. That would be so cool. And to see her sit and play it on the piano, that would be really, really interesting. I don’t think there’s anything Lady GaGa can’t do.
10. Do you have a girl crush?
Like if I had to be lesbian for a day, who would be my chick? Hmmm. Who do I think is just so hot? That’s hard. It would be a toss up between Alicia Keys and freakin’…shoot. I hope Brad Pitt doesn’t get mad. Angelina Jolie is so hot. It would probably be Alicia, because, you know what, she’s musical. We would just sit there and talk about songs. And then she could just play the piano for me and I would just cry and sit there. She wouldn’t even have to touch me. I would just be like I love you. I’m in love. [Laughs]
11. What’s the best purchase you’ve made all year?
I haven’t done that much shopping! I would have to say my new Macbook cus I really can’t work without it. I really, really can’t. It really isn’t that deep at all.
12. If you could write a how-to book, what would the subject of your book be?
I love inspiring people. I love motivating people, so it would have to be something along those lines. It would have to be an inspirational book really. I think I would just write a book on how to be happy. A lot of people really don’t know how to be happy and it’s really easy. Like that guy that wrote the book “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” — it’s just that simple. I would totally call up Rev. Run and be like, yo, lets write this book together. I would definitely want to motivate and inspire. That’s something I’m very passionate about. I love giving people hope. It would be “Hold On To Hope” or “How To Be Happy,” definitely.
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More on Shontelle: www.shontelleonline.com – twitter.com/shontelle_layne
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