One of this year’s best R&B albums came from Nigerian born British singer Shae Universe with her second project Love’s Letter. Released back in February, the 10-track project is a beautiful display of what love looks and feels like in its purest form. At its conclusion, listeners are left with no doubt about Shae Universe’s full and thorough approach to love. She free falls into optimism when the door for romance opens and she yearns for more when that door suddenly closes.
Love’s Letter is birthed from the classic, tender ballads that R&B greats like India.Arie, Lauryn Hill, and Brandy delivered in their careers. These are artists that Shae Universe is heavily influenced by, and the influenced gained through listens of Brandy, The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill, and Acoustic Soul are undeniable on Love’s Letter. Still, Shae makes the project her own to deliver something that is nostalgic yet up-to-date and refreshing in today’s R&B landscape.
Months removed from the arrival of Love’s Letter and ahead of more music on the way, we put Shae Universe under the Uproxx Music 20 to learn more about her inspirations, influences, aspirations, and more.
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What is your earliest memory of music?
My earliest memory of music was hearing Nigerian praise & worship music around my house around 4 years old.
Who inspired you to take music seriously?
My community and supporters.
Do you know how to play an instrument? If so, which one? If not, which instrument do you want to learn how to play?
Unfortunately, I don’t. I used to take piano lessons for a period of time in my teens but I wasn’t interested in it enough to keep it up at the time, I definitely regret that.
What was your first job?
Working in a retail shop called River Island.
What is your most prized possession?
My faith in God.
What is your biggest fear?
It’s a secret.
Who is on your R&B Mt. Rushmore?
Brandy, D’Angelo, Lauryn Hill, and Usher.
You get 24 hours to yourself to do anything you want, with unlimited resources: What are you doing? And spare no details!
I’ve been sitting here for 10 minutes trying to think of all the things I’d do. I’m too much of a Gemini for this question lmao. You gotta just put me in the situation and let me be spontaneous.
What are your three most used emojis?
What’s a feature you need to secure before you die?
Brandy!
If you could appear in a future season of a current TV show, which one would it be and why?
Issa Rae’s Insecure purely because that show is genius and I love it.
Which celebrity do you admire or respect for their personality, and why?
Tems. I love how she’s humorous and humble but effortlessly assertive. I also respect how she’s protected her privacy amidst her superstardom.
Share your opinion on something no one could ever change your mind about.
God is real and our existence is spiritual before it’s physical.
What is the best song you’ve ever heard in your life, and what do you love about it?
There’s too many, however “Borderline” by Brandy is up there. I love the unconventional groove of the song and her pen was crazy, as usual! I also love “Nothing Even Matters” by Lauryn Hill & D’Angelo and “Message In A Bottle” by Ty Dolla Sign.
What’s your favorite city in the world to perform, and what’s a city you’re excited to perform in for the first time?
I haven’t been to enough places yet to decide that one yet, but so far it’s been Austin, Texas. I’m also super excited to perform in Brazil for the first time.
You are throwing a music festival. Give us the dream lineup of 5 artists that will perform with you and the location where it would be held.
It would have to be held in Houston, Texas and I’d have an all-female line-up consisting of Tems, Jazmine Sullivan, Brandy, Tiwa Savage and Lauryn Hill.
What would you be doing now if it weren’t for music?
I’d probably be an Olympic athlete running the 110m hurdles.
If you could see five years into the future or go five years into the past, which one would you pick and why?
Five years into the future, for sure. I’d love to feel the comfort of seeing how happy and stable my future self is, seeing how abundant and seamless life will be. That image would be a constant encouraging reminder to keep me going in present moments when I feel discouraged.
What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?
I’d tell her there’s no need to be so self-conscious. I’d tell her she’s beautiful and a natural-born leader, then I’d hug her.
It’s 2050. The world hasn’t ended, and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?
I’d love for my music to be remembered as being timeless and bringing about healing. I hope it’s described as a sound that never goes “out of fashion” with lyrics that penetrate every time that make a long-lasting, healing impact.
Love’s Letter is out now. Find out more information here.