We had the good fortune of connecting with Shana Halligan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Shana, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
I used to have no work life balance. My life was my work. It was the only thing that gave me an identity . My work was what I needed to lose myself in so I didn’t need to feel too much in my every day life.
It was my love, my passion, my sex, my self esteem, it was everything.
During that time, I was in a marriage that wasn’t working and it felt easier to use my music as an escape.

Now, I am ALL about balance.
From the moment my son was born and I entered in to a healthy , loving relationship with my partner, I quickly realized there is nothing more important.
My son Otis is my heartbeat and my reason for showing up in the world as the best possible human I can be.
I love that he sees me pursue my dreams and I include him in every step of the way. He also knows that he is number one always.
I don’t say yes to everything. Only things that bring my joy, and that I know will make a difference in my life and in our life.
It’s not always easy. I can get swept up into the momentum when things are taking off but I always recalibrate, pause, and ask myself how I can be managing my time more efficiently. It’s a life long learning I think.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m a singer songwriter who’s been in the business for as long as I could speak!
My father was a multi grammy winning , founding member of Blood Sweat and Tears and had me in the studio singing since I was about 3 years old .
Since I was about 7, I started singing on multiple Barbie commercials and numerous other projects which set the ground work for being an actual professional musician. Really gave me my ear, and my obsessive perfection when it came to pitch. It was a gift and a curse because I was so focused on the precision of studio singing , it took me a while to find my way to what would later become my art. That was anything but perfect in the best way.

It wasn’t until I started writing my own music that my art was born.
I was a bit of a late bloomer when that happened. I think having such a brilliant dad made it feel a bit more daunting to find my own voice with confidence. How could I possibly compare to him? HE was the genius.

After working with multiple producers , looking for my own sound, I finally understood what I needed to do. I’ll never forget the first time it all made perfect sense. I started crying uncontrollably after writing a song about something I had never shared……and I knew.

Then In 2006, I released my first album under the name Bitter:Sweet. A fierce Bond-Girl flavored sound that went on to sell over half a million albums , Bitter:Sweet was truly built from the ground up and combined all the sounds I had grown up with and became attracted to later in life. Jazz, Trip Hop, Bossa, Dance, big horns, strings, Bombastic joy, Portishead doom. All of it.
I toured a bunch around the globe and simultaneously became the flavor of sync music for a long while.
There was a period of time when you couldn’t turn on the TV without hearing our music, From Victoria Secret, to Korbel, to countless tv shows, cult films such as Devil Wears Prada… It was a super fun.

Sadly, the band broke up at the height of our success a quick 5 years after our first album.
My then musical partner had a lot of substance abuse issues and it made it impossible for me to continue . That broke my heart after all that we had built. My first marriage ended at the same time. That was not a good moment.

After that, I toured with several other acts including Nouvelle Vague, and Thievery Corporation.
I still play with TC and have written some lovely gems with them.

I was forced to jump into many different projects trying to prove to myself that I didn’t need Bitter:Sweet to validate my artistry. One of which included an orchestra called LA String Theory that got me a grammy consideration.

What I would love the world to know is after many years of exploring every crack and crevice of musical experiences, I am now back as my most authentic self , as Bitter:Sweet.

I’m about to release a new Bitter:Sweet album early 2025! The first single Baby Is Back will be out Jan 24th and I couldn’t more excited!

After years of writing and touring for a multitude of things, I am fully immersed with more confidence and clarity than ever and bringing back the project that ultimately made the most sense to me. My first love. 🙂

The sound reflects the nostalgia of what I believed people loved about Bitter:Sweet back then, but has morphed and evolved into a more modern and colorful sound. The producers I have worked with on this project have lent so much magic to it and I can’t wait to share with y’all!!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Dedicating a shout out to my hub Eric, my son Otis, and my manager Jared for supporting me and my musical journey over the years!

Website: https://www.shanahalligan.com

Instagram: @shanahalligan

Twitter: @shanahalligan

Facebook: @shanahalligan

Other: Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/artist/28bLlI81wfpcHUSUPgktlx

Image Credits
All images are from Lacey Terrell

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutHTX is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.