Shura Tiana Fru came into the spotlight and made her official entrance into the music industry in 2016. The singer who recently parted ways with her record label Steven’s Music Entertainment after over five years, is now ready for the world. She has been finding her voice over the last year and believes she has finally found it with a new 20 song album titled PRIMED, set to be released on November 11, 2021.
This will be her first album in her musical career as she had not released any album under her former record label Steven’s Music during the five year period she was with them.
In an emotional write up, posted on her Facebook page yesterday (on her album launch day), Shura expressed how music is the love of her life and that it also broke her heart at some point in time. Read her emotional write up:
“Music is my life. But music has caused me a lot of pain and disappointment. I grew up with a passion to sing, make good music. Getting signed was like a dream come true. Getting a hit song and making fans was the icing on the cake. But the experience taught me that not all that glitters is gold.
In the process of chasing my dream, I had lost my voice, lost my willpower, even lost control of myself and everything I held dear. I felt like everything I did was monitored, controlled, cooked up for me, even if against my will – right up to my relationships (I couldn’t even keep a boyfriend). I’d go out there and sing, make people happy, come back with money, but inside I was lost, sad and unable to express myself, unable to sing what I wanted to sing, unable to connect with anyone or anything real.
Who would even care to listen? Who would even understand? Suddenly, I saw that the world that the fans saw and admired was not my reality. I felt trapped, caged like an animal.After my contract expired, I decided to go solo and find myself. What did I know? A young and naïve girl taking on the music industry with nothing but her love for music. I sank into a depression. Yes – don’t be fooled by the smiles and actions of famous people on social media; it is a crazy world where you work hard to get known and spend the rest of your life trying to keep up with your own hype.
Fortunately for me, I decided I would not compromise any of my own values. I found faith in God and in myself, and a renewed rage to become somebody other than the singing diva and crowd pleaser.
When I started making my debut album, for the first time, I came alive. You could say I got my groove back. I started making the music I really wanted to make, doing the things I really started to do, talking to the people I really wanted to talk to – and I think I found the road to happiness. It was a struggle financially, physically and emotionally, but I felt fulfilled. I am still on the path of redemption – one day at a time. But I am happy. Think of it, I am about to unravel to the world, my first ever album – and it carries the imprint of my own label – SHURA Muzik.
Shura ended by emphasizing on sacrifices she made and the importance of her personal values and how it impacted her career and opportunities that came her way. This revelation speaks loudly to the many young women out there in the music industry who are caught between holding on to their moral and personal values and moving forward with their careers which most at times conflict with their personal values.
As a young black woman who refused to sacrifice her values, who turned down golden opportunities because they demanded of her to sell her body, and who fought hard to stand out in a cruel industry – I am very proud of myself. I hope I inspire other young women that they too can do it.
That is why I feel I am ready. I feel PRIMED. To take on the world on my own terms, to go out there and discover new possibilities because I can, and to express myself musically, emotionally, and yes, sexually – even if it makes me vulnerable to hurt, hate and abuse. This is my historic moment, and I invite you to share it with me. I have thrown all my emotions and inspiration into every one of the 20 songs in this album. I believe that music is bigger than you and I, so I tried to make music that will stand the test of time. And I want you to cherish this music – because, just like me, every woman, and even every man, deserves that feeling of being PRIMED.”
