We recently connected with Shelbie Pittman and have shared our conversation below.

Shelbie, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

During the pandemic, I started creating videos of myself singing and harmonizing. I got a lot of positive feedback and support from these videos. I then decided to record a Christmas song, (Winter Wonderland/ Don’t Worry Be Happy by the Pentatonix ft. Tori Kelly). The video was viewed by thousands on Facebook and gave me more exposure. I received a call from William Edwards asking me to be a featured performer for the Midsouth Black Film Festival. The festival was virtual. I recorded a mini concert and decided to stream it live on Facebook. I performed an original song on this concert called “Cry” which was written by my friend Diamonique Jackson and me. I received so much support from this concert, and many encouraged me to release the original song as a single. After releasing the song, I decided to take the biggest risk of my life. I moved to Atlanta, GA to pursue a career in music. After moving there, I won an award for “Best New Artist” by the U.N.G. Radio Station. I auditioned for the Maverick City Gospel Choir, and I have been touring with Maverick City Music and Kirk Franklin. I have also had the opportunity to perform with a traveling corporate band called “Big Swing and the Ballroom Blasters” under the direction of Jerry Freeman, Jr. I have also met so many amazing artists and have had incredible opportunities to perform and travel. I was scared to move away from my family and live alone in a new city, but I am glad I took that risk and stepped out on faith. I am so grateful for where God has brought me, and I am excited to see what the future holds. To anyone reading this, don’t be afraid to take that leap of faith to get to the next level. It may seem scary, but your future self may thank you for it.

Yours musically,

~ Shelbie Pittman

Shelbie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a singer, songwriter, and music director from Memphis, TN. I graduated from Overton High School, the creative and performing arts high school in our city. I then attended Murray State University and received a degree in music education. From there, I returned home to Memphis and became a choir director. I love teaching, but my dream is to become a singer full time. I want to tour the world singing background vocals for major artists. So far, I have received amazing opportunities to perform behind artists like Beverley Knight (platinum selling soul singer in the United Kingdom), Kirk Whalum (gospel jazz saxophonist), David Bryan (keyboardist of Bon Jovi), Micah Stampley (gospel artist and actor), Glenn Jones (R&B/soul singer), Maverick City Music, Kirk Franklin, etc… I have also been able to record backing vocals for various artists. I have been the music director for multiple musicals including “The Wiz” and “Dreamgirls” for which I won the broadway world regional award for best musical direction. I am also a contracted singer. I perform at various events including weddings, corporate events, parties, etc… as a solo artist as well as a background vocalist.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Growing up, I was a bit of a perfectionist. I was always hard on myself when things didn’t come out as expected. When I was in my high school choir, we auditioned for something called the All Southwest Tennessee Honor Choir. My freshman year, I made a huge mistake in the audition and made the last chair (25th) in the choir. This means I had the lowest score of everyone who made the choir in my section. I was devastated, but the next year, I made adjustments. I practiced with more intention, and I made 12th chair. The following year, I made 2nd chair. My senior year, I made 1st chair in the All-West Honor Choir as well as the All-State Honor Choir which consisted of the best high school singers in the entire state of Tennessee. I literally went from the bottom to the top. In recent years, I’ve learned that mistakes are needed to be successful. Making mistakes pushes you to tackle new strategies that get you further than you’ve ever gone.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I had known how accessible music technology is. I always thought that producing music was this daunting task that few people could do. I wish I had known about music software like logic and fruity loops that makes it easy to make your own beats and record music.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.shelbiepittman.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/shelbie_pittman
• Facebook: facebook.com/shelbiepittman
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/shelbie_pittman

Image Credits
Alexis Maddin