Singer/Songwriter and Trinity College Student Shehxna Shares Her Excitement for the Release of Her First Single

Annika Dyczkowski ‘25

Features Editor

Shehana, professionally known as Shehxna, is a 19-year-old singer and songwriter who just dropped her first single in November while also juggling her responsibilities as a student at Trinity College. Shehxna moved to the U.S. in August last year from London, as she wanted to pursue both her music career and a college degree in America. Shehxna says she wants to get a degree and make music at the same time. She is looking to earn a minor in music production, and puts in many hours at the studio from Thursday to Sunday every week. 

Ever since she was four years old, Shehxna knew she wanted to pursue a singing career; she knew she wanted to come to the US when she was nine. “It’s always been a dream of mine, [and] I’m willing to do anything to make it happen.” She started by posting singing videos on YouTube, and, in 2019, she was singing on InstagramLive, “I was doing anything to get my name out there.” From her livestreams, she got in contact with a team in New York City, and from there she knew she wanted to go to school in the US while producing music in New York. 

Shehxna’s story solidifies her independence and self-determination, echoed by a comment she made to the Tripod, “I did it on my own.” She moved when she was 18 in the midst of pandemic uncertainty. She says that being alone was nothing that phased her, “​​Anything would be worth it to me if I knew I was pursuing my music.” 

Upon arriving in the US Shehxna did not know anybody. She says finding a contract was a struggle at first, but coming to the US by herself was a “sacrifice [she was] willing to make to build a platform, [in order to] get further than a London audience.”

After getting in contact with her team in NYC in 2019, Covid was posing a significant barrier for her music. In order to travel during the pandemic, Shehxna applied to Trinity as an international student; her application was accepted, and she could come to the US for the first time in 2021 for her freshman year. 

Shehxna was grateful to meet and begin producing with a platinum record producer, DocOnDaBeat, who eventually helped her release her first single, “That Night.” In her single, Shehxna takes the rhythm of Lord Huron’s “The Night We Met,” and transforms it into her own. Her inspiration stems from “the idea of mixing a drill beat into a song that’s that slow,” in addition to the thrill of “breaking conventionality [and] switching to a completely different genre.” Shehxna says the song is about coming to America and pursuing her musical dream. 

Shehxna says that 2023 will be a huge year for her music career. She is thinking of dropping her next single on February 3^rd—her birthday. Her goals for the coming year include releasing content more regularly, posting on social media, giving live performances, and seeing more of the US. 

Readers can stream Shehxna’s single on all platforms, and the music video dropped January 19^th on YouTubechannel Link Up TV. Although “That Night” marks the beginning of her music career, she also wants to “get people excited for 2023 and what we have planned.”