Singer, songwriter, rising star and aspiring lawyer? Not the combination that one would normally expect. But then again there is nothing ordinary about Shontelle - the 23 year-old Bajan singer-songwriter who's set to take the world by storm after signing with music mogul Steve Rifkind's SRC records.

Shontelle's upcoming album "Shontelligence" - to be released in the Fall of 2008 - is destined to call upon her Barbadian roots, as well as showing her own incredible range and diversity, with sounds firmly grounded in everything from reggae to classic R&B.

"Shontelligence" merely defines the knowledge that I have acquired throughout my life, the knowledge yet to be absorbed and ultimately the product of all my experiences which I then translate into my music. Singer, songwriter, rising star and aspiring lawyer? Not the combination that one would normally expect. But then again there is nothing ordinary about Shontelle - the 23 year-old Bajan singer-songwriter who's set to take the world by storm after signing with music mogul Steve Rifkind's SRC records. Shontelle's unique story begins in the West Indies on the beautiful Island of Barbados.

On songs like the Reggae-Soul influenced "Life Is Not an Easy Road" she takes the beats down a gear, back to the sun drenched beaches of her native Barbados, while the lyrics punctuate the song with hard hitting social commentary. 'I jumped out of bed in the middle of the night with this beat in my head. I started writing straight away just thinking about society, poverty and the underprivileged". The Stargate-penned "Superwoman" is a world -- beat anthem of liberation for women everywhere. On the snake-charmer influenced "Focus Pon Me" Shontelle delivers a dancehall pop smash of the kind we have come to expect her to craft for other artists. Showing the degree of her versatility, she tells a poem of yearning and desire over bittersweet guitars on "I Crave You", while "Cold Cold Summer" is a soul-drenched instant classic that reveals her love of traditional R&B.

Shontelle's upcoming album "Shontelligence" - to be released in the Fall of 2008 - is destined to call upon her Barbadian roots, as well as showing her own incredible range and diversity, with sounds firmly grounded in everything from reggae to classic R&B. Shontelle may have put the law degree on the back burner for now, but she certainly has no regrets. " I think I've known all along that it was my destiny to perform on stage and give something to people with my music", she says with calm conviction. Shontelle will soon arrive on the world scene, and she's eagerly anticipating the excitement and challenges that lie ahead. " I love music, it's my passion, and I can't wait for people to hear what I have to say.....And I've got a lot to say!