Having garnered attention performing in bands across Manila, Singapore and Palawan, the talented Shellem is beautifully poised for a long and fruitful solo career, with her dynamic approach to music offering a novel experience for music listeners around the globe.
Fusing elements of reggaeton, dancehall, pop, and hip-hop, the singer’s debut album, ‘My Latin Lover’, is graced with heavenly vocals and infectious grooves, combining her eclectic taste to exude an overwhelming sense of joy. A concise tracklist consisting of elegant instrumentation and soothing melodies, ‘My Latin Lover’ is characterised by a collection of personal experiences, conveyed by Shellem in tantalising fashion.
Embracing the warmth of the Latin grooves on the album’s title track, Shellem delivers a sensual vocal performance, with her delicate harmonies emphatically complementing the track’s quirky rhythms. A similar style is adopted on the atmospheric ‘Tequila on the Rocks’, where the lush instrumentation and tranquil reggaeton grooves stunningly capture Shellem’s euphoria, as she can be heard yearning for “music and tequila”.
An appetising crossover between her Filipino roots and Western contemporary music, the songwriter’s calming presence provides everything you desire from laid-back pop inspired reggaeton. ‘Lost in Palawan’ epitomises these qualities, with Shellem’s reassuring vocals accompanying the staccato beat and exquisite rap verse, transcending the listener into a hypnotic state, encompassed by the beauty which lies within the island’s breathtaking landscapes and incredible biodiversity.
But while typically drawn to the serene, heartwarming end of the musical spectrum, the songwriter remains equally as enthusiastic while experimenting with more contemporary R&B sounds. The steady ‘Nanjan Ka Lang’ welcomes this contrasting side to her art, with the track’s hazy, restrained grooves laying the foundation for the singer’s evocative vocal tonalities, whose melancholic delivery provides an intimate atmosphere across the track.
Whether indulging in the vibrant sounds of reggaeton or embracing her own individual experiences, Shellem’s passionate delivery ignites a warming atmosphere, as her innovative approach to music becomes increasingly impossible to ignore.
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