Rising Stars: Meet Shakira Chinchilla of Nashville

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shakira Chinchilla

Hi Shakira, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
Both of us are big city natives from opposites sides of the country – me from Los Angeles, CA and Gregorio from Nashville, TN. I moved to Nashville the day I turned 18 to establish myself as a musician. The first two years of my stay included writer’s rounds, open mics, and the trials and errors of networking. In 2020, I had my first out-of-town gig and I needed session players. I put out an ad on a facebook group where someone recommended Gregorio for drums. Who, at the time, was making a name for himself playing with bands on the East side.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
We initially started off as a four piece but quickly realized everyone had their own definition of success. Actually, our biggest challenge was figuring out how to sound like a full band with only two people. We had to reconfigure a small 4-piece pedalboard to a 10 piece pedalboard with a split signal. With the split signal, we are able to emulate a bass sound that follows the guitar.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
We’ve put an incredible amount of effort into making the energy of our live set match our recordings. We are one unit. It took adversity, failure, and many humbling experiences to get there.

We’re proud of the people who’ve worked in our corner and have helped forge our sound. We are proud to look back on our journey so far and see the hills we once thought were mountains. Most of all, we are proud of each other.

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
It’s important to us that our listeners are able to find a safe space in our music. A place where they can find peace when life gets too heavy. We write about parts of the human experience that, often times, get buried- intrusive thoughts, deep rooted effects of trauma and emotions that feel too embarrassing to share. It’s okay to feel these things. You never had to do it alone.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.shakirachinchilla.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shakira.chinchilla?igsh=MWdsdXB1OHBnNWJwMg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1AyAPLRfUg/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@shakirachinchilla?si=XircijNV3N3zedN2
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@shakirachinchilla?_t=ZT-8ua1EgF44Mw&_r=1