During these times of social distancing and self isolation it provides opportunities to catch up with some our talented singers and songwriters in Saskatchewan. I caught up with Shantaia Poulin, originally of Spiritwood, to talk about her latest song ‘I Wish You Would,’ a song that she says she instantly wanted to include on her debut E.P..

“We were in the process of just finding the best songs and when that one was sent to me, I immediately heard it and just kind of stopped in my tracks and knew that I needed to sing it,” stated Shantaia.

‘Chapter One’ is the name of her latest E.P. which has been a three year project for the singer who now calls Saskatoon home. “I Wish You Would” is the first single from that new E.P. which has been a labour of love for the singer.

“It’s definitely a bit of a reflection process for me, just looking back on the highs and lows and the bit of a roller coaster ride that I had to go through to get here and being able to move on to the next chapter and writing new material for the next E.P.,” she said. “It’s kind of a really exciting time right now.”

Shantaia won one of her first major singing competitions when she was only 14 years old when she walked away with first place in the 620 CKRM Big Country Talent Contest which earned her a spot on the main stage at Craven, SK. Unfortunately a storm cancelled her spot on the stage, but as makeup, CKRM allowed her to open for the Bellamy Brothers at the former Pump Roadhouse in Regina.

You can listen to our entire interview by clicking here.