Nothing's Real
​There's nothing that screams talent and passion like "London based singer/songwriter", it's a phrase you'll find on any website describing Shura. A pop star for the 2010's who defiantly breaks and embraces the mold of what it is to be a female singer.
Shura does not have the cheerleader body of Katy Perry or the voice of Celine Dion, but much like Jewel her charm comes from her personal musings. She has a hand in writing every song off of her new album Nothing's Real.
​Most of the songs play with being on the brink of love and not quite getting there. Her attention gathering song "Touch" finds her running into a past lover and seeing the love but recognizing that something's changed. They can't be what they were.
​"Touch" was released almost two years ago, but just as recently as February found itself given the video treatment with some extra verses from rapper Talib Kweli. It's jarring to find him parring off against, Shura's light breathy vocals. That's possibly the reason that version was left off the album, but it shows a record labels well defined need for a radio hit.
Buy "Touch"
​The well versed "2 Shy" deals with youth and friendship and a want for something more, but the fear of anything changing. It's blissful and sweet and it's no surprise it was chosen as a single from the album.
Buy "2Shy"
​Nothing's Real finds her not only writing, but producing on the album along with the help of Joel Pott most well known for his work with the band Athlete. Greg Kurstin also stops by for a few tracks. He's the man who helped Adele break records with "Hello". He's worked with a host of other pop stars, but most notably Tegan and Sara in regards to Shura.
The eighties synthpop Shura has achieved runs consistent with everyone's favorite lesbian duo. It's the easy to hear bright eighties synthpop influence of Heartthrob and Love You To Death. Albums that helped inspire Taylor Swift's 1989.
​It's no surprise then that you can find Shura opening for Tegan and Sara when they tour North America this year. Her music will coincide with what their fans already listen to.
​The album standout is "What's It Gonna Be?" The same questions are asked. Do I tell I love you? If you say no let me down gently. The song itself never answers the questions, but that's what we have music videos for. It has a high school setting. It plays with our heteronormative values. Shura and her best friend find love. Her with the beautifully intelligent girl in Chemistry and him with the preppy boy with the good hair on the sports team.
Buy "What's It Gonna Be?"
​Shura doesn't play the sad lesbian and she doesn't envelope the melancholy that is so trademark of Troye Sivan's releases. Instead she gives us music about being young and gay and in love. Nothing's Real is truly heartwarming break from the norm.
The album has not found a physical release for the CD or vinyl in the United States, but you can always order it online or purchases a digital copy.
#NeverTrump
Buy Nothing's Real
​It's been a few weeks since the massacre occurred in Orlando that killed 49 people, and the United States is once again stubbornly pushing through to decry that "guns don't kill people, people kill people". Our politicians continue to send their prayers and put in no effort to try to solve the problem. We seem to think that if we turn a blind eye the problem will correct itself. It hasn't worked yet.
It's certainly not lost on me that the deadliest mass shooting in United States history was a culmination of homophobia and prejudice against the Latino community.
​And, maybe that's why our politicians really don't care. The people hurt so often in mass shootings are already marginalized by society. The gunman is just upholding our preexisting sexist, islamaphobic, racist, homophobic, and transphobic view points.
​The Planned Parenthood shooting that took place last November left 3 dead and 9 injured. 3 Muslims were killed in Chapel Hill, North Carolina early last year. The Charleston Church shooting left 9 black church members dead. And, these were just the shootings I recalled from a single year. There were 372 mass shootings last year, leaving 475 dead.
The Pulse nightclub shooting shook the LGBT community in the United States. We've been bullied and singled out our entire lives, but we have never had our safe places violated in such a way. The last time something of this magnitude occurred was in 1973 when 32 people were killed in an arson fire in New Orleans at a gay bar known as the Upstairs Lounge.
​Gun violence is an epidemic in the United States that doesn't seem to be going away. President Obama has given 18 speeches during his presidency addressing these national tragedies and still we haven't fixed anything.
That same weekend, social media was still reeling from the death of popstar Christina Grimmie, when we found out about the Orlando shooting. By December 23rd in 2015, 12,942 people had been killed in the United States as a result of gun violence. On an average day in America, 36 people are killed by guns.
The U.S is in desperate need in of gun reform. Whatever that is. Just as long as we do something. We need to try to fix this crisis.
​As Dan Hodges noted last year around the time of the Charleston Church shooting, "in retrospect Sandy Hook marked the end of the US gun control debate. Once America decided killing children was bearable it was over." 20 children were killed that day. 27 including the adults.
​In the United States we directly link guns to masculinity and our masculinity to violence. We have more guns per capita then any other country in the world. In the United States we have more guns then citizens. And our guns have more rights then our marginalized groups.
​13 days after the massacre at Orlando, republican Andy Holt made the decision to give away an AR-15 at a fundraiser. The weapon involved in the United States most deadly mass shooting. According to columnist Helen Ubiñas it took her 7 minutes to purchase this same semi-automatic rifle. God bless the United States.