Song Premiere: Shayna Leigh, “Drive”

The Artist: New York City singer/songwriter Shayna Leigh
The Song: “Drive,” a mix of country and pop from her upcoming sophomore EP
Fun Fact: Before getting into NYC’s music scene, she attended New York University as a drama major.
Songwriter Says:  “Drive” was inspired by a combination of two things: a lesson I learned from my mom about driving up hills in ice – you have to keep your foot on the gas the entire time otherwise you’ll start rolling backwards (I am from Florida…hills are not something we really contend with down there) To me, this also felt like a metaphor for life. Even when, or especially when, things get difficult and you feel like you’re not making any progress, you have to keep your foot on the gas…keep moving forward. That’s the only way you’re going to get to where you’re going next.

My second inspiration for the song actually came from a quote I read on Martin Luther King Day, a few days before we began writing. It simply blew my mind. “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”

To me, it’s not what we do when things are going great that matters. I think it’s what we do when the going gets tough that defines who we are. I want to convey that with “Drive.” I wanted to get people to think back to when they were kids, dreamers – when everything seemed possible. I think the world could use some more dreamers, and we all could stand to be reminded of how innately special we are. To me, simply put, “Drive” says this: we’ve all been down, seen how hard life can be, but we’ve got this. Just remind yourself of who you are, where you’re going and keep moving forward.