A look through my lens...

Although I have been lacking in the blog arena-
I still have been living a life of fabulousness (of course)!

I am always taking pictures.
Although I'm on the road now (as always)-
(and bored in my hotel room in Greenville, S. Carolina),
I was going through my camera and looking at
all the moments in time I've captured...














Since my blogging has been lacking and
I'm trying get the spirit back,
Since I know I probably won't go backwards
with old stories,
ANNNND
Since I love taking pictures (obviously) :)
I'm going to show you some of the pictures
on my camera- not all - just some :)

Sangindiva presents-
A Look Through My Lens...












So let's start with this one:















I MET BLOGGER WILL!!!! -----> (His site)
after a few sad attempts at taking a picture together...
we finally got it right :)

A trip to cold Canada...
(Hi bonku)




















On stage at the Zulu Ball '07
for Marti Gras in New Orleans
















Backstage with a maid of the Zulu court














Backstage with the Whispers in Atlanta















Me and Glam at our grilled cheese ladies night















Me and Joey...















Me and (another) band after a show














Me and Mike "BEAST on the Bass" Manson
-----> (His site)















Me and the Hot Boyz (producers) @ the studio















Me and Dub C (Westside Connection)















Me and Butch Cassidy




















Having a laugh....















And loving my life!!



Sangindiva~

Soul Searchin' and Seekin'...

Yes, it has been a looooong time since I've blogged.
In all honesty I was strongly considering
shutting this blog down.

It's so easy to go back to a life of anonymity...
...of just blog lurking,
...reading with no comment or opinion-
unless I felt like it.

I made it one year-
and my blog evolved,
as my life did-
sometimes in the open...
sometimes in secret.



















Over the past few months I have really been
doing some soul searching and life evaluating.
I've lost a few friends
and left a few friends;
lost myself...
yet gained a new perspective.
I even fell in love...

with myself!

and it has been a wonderful thing.



Through prayer and silence,


I have been seeking God,


seeking life


and seeking happiness...


I've found that and then some-






January was a month of loss for me,
So I really didn't feel like blogging.

I lost a dear friend and a part of our band...















*RIP* Doug Iten



I lost a tooth :(













(I wonder If I lost some wisdom too?!)


I lost my dang CELL PHONE!!!



















in a cab in Phoenix -
1 hour before my show.
I was crying and sad
because I don't know
my mother's number by heart...

or ANY BODY'S number by heart-

because of that dang cell phone,

that I LOST,
in a cab,
1 hour before my show....

{Insert lots of sobs and tears here}

I even got a comforting hug from
Jazz legend GEORGE BENSON















He said:"You have to smile big for my picture"
Because believe me yall... I was sad.
(look at me looking like a raccoon from crying)

Then ...

I lost my voice
and lost a week of speaking or singing!!!




















(but now it's found-
and I am SUUUPER busy!) YAY!

So now that I am NOT shutting down my blog...
I will update you on all the goods soon!




Sangindiva~

My Momma MADE Me Do It!

Hi everybody!!!!
First let me start off by saying....















I know it has been OVER a month since I
have blogged. Please forgive me!!

I went on an unofficial blog hiatus because
I was going to shut the whole thing down...
but my Mommy said "NO!"
(so I guess that was FINAL! hahaha!)















She called me on the phone-
went into her "momma speech",
made me feel REALLY GUILTY -
and thus...my blog today!















I have a post that I have saved from January-
giving all the details of my reasons,
but I will post it later.

On this day of love- I want to " show love"
to a few of our D.C. BLOGGERS!!!

I met BUTTA and CREOLE IN D.C.!!!

O.k. Lemme tell yall 'what had happened' hahaha!

On February 9th and 10th we did two nights at
Constitution Hall in Washington, DC.















I e-mailed Butta and Creole to let them know
I would be in their town, and to see if they wanted
to meet up... And they did!

Creole and I decided to have lunch on Sat. afternoon.















I could tell Ms. Thang was excellent at getting things handled!
She called the place, made the reservations, gave me addresses,
times and numbers! I MEAN she was ON IT!
(I'm actually very glad for that because I'm used to things
being handled for me! hahaha!) I'm such a spoiled diva :)

I got an even MORE special treat because
her handsome husband Robby came too!!!















They make the cutest couple...
and are WONDERFUL hosts!
I was treated to a superb Italian lunch at
the beautiful Cafe Milano. And I must say
Miss Creole is a FASHION DIVA- yesssir!
She was lookin' cute from head to toe!
*LOOK!*




















(and she KNOWS it cuz she's got mirrors!) *inside joke*
I told her we are going to have to go shopping because-
her sense of style is FABULOUS!

And did I metion she is sooo pretty?
*LOOK!*
















Later on that night...
I met up with the infamous BUTTA!














I was really excited to meet her because she is the
VERY FIRST BLOG I READ!! *Look at my links*
Ms. Butta is beautiful!
Her smile just lights up EVERYTHING :)
*LOOK!*















She hung out with me backstage,
in my dressing room, had dinner with me ANNND
heard all the road gossip :)
(she knows that the PASS HAS POWER!) *inside joke*

I'm so glad we all got to meet up!
FUN times were certainly had by all!















I'm still on the road yall-
I will try to blog more frequently but
I'm working... A LOT so bare with me.
I love you guys!!



Sangindiva~

New Year...Old Business

SHHHHHH!!!
I'm trying to quietly blog through my
alcohol induced hangover.
(Most people had hangovers from their
New Year's celebration- my hangover
STARTED around Halloween...)

I know it's the new year but I have to wrap up
some of last year's OLD business.
I know... I know... if I would have kept up with
my blogging- I'd be current- BUT
I have to have time to actually LIVE the life I
write about :)

Let's see-
It has officially been one year...
since I started blogging!!



















YAY!! It's my Blog-a-versary!!


The last trip I left off with was Indianapolis, Indiana
and I must say... it was pretty fun :)
Here are few of the pics...














Me and Jack
















Me and Darryl ("Footz")
(one of THE best drummers in the industry)




















Me and Ann-Marie from Chi-Town!!!
(she is the QUEEN of French Martinis...
but I am the PRINCESS!)















Me, Leone and Charlette

and of course....
A STAGE SHOT!!!




















Since it was the last show of 2006
(with this band) of course we had to party...
but I can only show 1 pic from that! :)

So here it is:




















Me, Jeffrey, Scott and Mikey

Then the next day I got a call from
my friend Marcellina,
(who is a FANTASTIC vocalist-
and sings with Natalie Cole)
to be a singer in the Colors of Christmas show
with Pebo Bryson, James Ingram, Stephanie Mills
and Denise Williams.

I won't post a lot of pics... cause' I'm lazy :)
These pics were taken the last day
of the tour... and I was lookin' crazy!














Marcellina, Pebo and Me















James and Me

THEN the NEXT day- I taught a class!
I snapped this picture as they were coming in-















Here is a Sangindiva "real life" fact-
Before I decided I was only going to sing
for a living- I was a teacher.
So (when I can fit it in) at the end of the semester,
I give a master class to Beginning
and Advanced vocal/music high school students.

Then the NEXT day...

I had a studio session with Howard Hewett
and Ralph Johnson (of Earth,Wind and Fire)
to work on two more songs for Howard's album.















Ralph, Me and Howard

Because I live in Los Angeles-
I was able to see Dreamgirls before it came out
on Christmas- So my sister and I went to see it.
We got souvenir books and numbered lithograph pictures
too- We also bought the T-shirt that was only available during
the special pre-screenings.














Me and Kymia

I spent Christmas with Dionne Warwick and clan.
(It's a long story how I know them...)
but I took no pictures because-
well, it would have been weird...
I mean, that's Auntie Dionne n' nem.
AND NO-WHITNEY WASN'T THERE!!
(but if she was -I would have taken a picture of THAT!!)

I brought in the New Year partying with the homies @
the Friar's club in Beverly Hills.
If you like basketball players then New Years Eve was
your night! I personally know NOTHING about sports
and didn't know 90% of the players there...
I ONLY took pictures with people at MY table...
(cause I didn't know anybody else!!)

My friend Kim Johnson (of the group J.S.),
Corey Maggette and I started the night off
with the PRE-drink photo...
(Although if I were to be honest-
I had already had 2 sex on the beaches
and a couple of dances :)















Me, Corey and Kim

A couple of martini's later...















Me and Quentin Richardson-
(He'd better be glad I don't do athletes!)

The party was CRACKIN' ...















Me and Elise Neal

The clock strikes 12, the Patron was passed,
and I should have just said NOOOOOO...
but I didn't. *sigh*
THAT is why NO "after Patron" pictures will be shown.

On New Years Day-
My friend and blogger GLAM prepared a wonderful brunch!















So I stopped by to feed my hangover with food
and CHAMPAGNE!!!
We must have killed at LEAST 3 bottles! hahaha!














Ms. Thang is the greatest hostess!!
She made Greens, Mac & Cheese, Yams,
Black Eyed Peas (for good luck) and cornbread
that was TO DIE FOR!! Thanks Glam!!

Well,
The holidays are over- back to work!
I am on my way to Mississippi and Memphis.
See yall when I get back!!

Sangindiva~

HAPPY NEW YEAR YALL!!!

I just wanted to wish everyone a
WONDERFUL, BLESSED, SAFE
and PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!!

May your 2007 be filled with more
blessings that you can handle...
so that you can pass them on to bless others!



Sangindiva~

MERRY CHRISTMAS YALL!

I was "lovingly" reminded by my friend
MALCOLM that it has almost been 20
days since I've blogged...

Well, yes, this is true.
BUT-
because God is soooo wonderful,
and has been blessing me so much-
I have been busy living the extrodinary life
I've prayed for...

So,
I wish YOU-
bloggers, family and friends
A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY!!

Regular postings will be back soon :)

Sangindiva~

Cayman Island Fun!

Hey Everybody!
I'm back from the Caymans :)

I absolutely LOVE the Caymans Islands!
This was my 2nd time there.
I sang in the festival last year with
Al Jarreau and also with George Duke-
(can we say DOUBLE $$ DIP?!?)
I would have shown the pictures but I don't
feel like looking for them so...
Let's get to THIS year.. SHALL WE?

Since I had been there before- ALL and I mean ALL
of the production team remembered me!!
I couldn't believe it when I got off of the plane
and heard- "Shannon? Oh my gosh- you're back!!"
and was greeted with hugs and screams... like a
for REAL celebrity! hahaha!

Here is a photo of Me and Patrice (my island assistant)
as soon as I got off the plane...















I was cheezin' hard huh? hahaha!

Then I thought to myself - it is sooo humid!
I'd better wrap this head up before I have an
afro...

So I wrapped my head in a sarong...
before I jumped in the limo with Jeffrey...















After we checked in-
we went over to catch the rest of KEM's set.














We have done at least 5 shows with KEM,
but I always see the show from backstage.
It was interesting to see the show from the
front. I think his night was the 1st night, so
he didn't perform on the beach like the rest
of us- he was in the Ballroom.

Here I am at soundcheck on Showday-
with my friend Kim- who sings with Pebo Bryson.
She came to hang out- Hey Kim!! : )















As you can see I was make-up free and greasy...
(I've been told that look is called "the Island Glow")
I guess I had the "island glow" the WHOLE week!
















Our drummer brought his friend Marque : )

Show Night...















Me and Kim

Me and Joey backstage...














and our CLOSE-UP!!















The show was fun!
It was taped and will be shown on BET-J, I think.
You'll have to check your local listings to see when.
Since I have friends in high places (hahaha)
I've "acquired" some footage from the show.
I have to figure out how to you tube it...

I spent A LOT of time on the beach-















a lot of time hangin' out-
















and laughin'...















This girl is crazy!
She tickled me right before the picture was taken-
and said it makes the picture more "natural" hahaha!

I even hung out with Darren (from Soul Food)















He's a really nice guy...

Since a few of us stayed for a mini-vacay,
a lot of the photos I took are for my private collection...
But I'll let you see some :)















Me and Mikey (our road mgr.)















Me and Jack-o (Jeffrey's mgr)















Me -initiating Penny (Jack's wife) into the band...
by rubbing my whompies on her head : )

Yeah... fun times were had!

I had the greatest view from my balcony,
so every night I would try to catch-















A Cayman Sunset...


I am so grateful to God
for all of the wonderful blessings
I receive and live everyday-
and for wonderful friends like you to
share the experience with!

I leave tonight (Wed.) for Indianapolis, Indiana.
So have a great weekend!



SANGINDIVA~


Oh! P.S.

My girl P <----- who is apart of "TEAM SHANNON"
found this on You Tube. I didn't even know it was there!
It is a clip of me singing with George Duke in D.C. this
summer. Yay!