Originally Published on May 13th, 2026

Last week, I listened to an EP by Shannon Jade and immediately knew I wanted to write about it. That is pretty much the start of how my process goes. From there, I dig into the artist to find the story. There is almost always a story. Last week, I was moved to share Shannon’s music. Today, I am privileged to share her incredible story.

Australian-based poet and singer/songwriter, Shannon Jade, has dedicated much of her work around her love of nature and the preservation of the environment. She has a bachelor’s degree in creative writing, professional writing, and publishing, and a master’s degree in environmental science. She is the award-winning author of the lyrical novel, A Song for the Earth, which was a bestseller on Amazon AU’s nature poetry hot new releases and IngramSpark nature Poetry. Jade earned a Regal Summit Book Award in 2025, as well as a bronze medal from the ABLE Golden Book Awards (also in 2025). She is a contributing author for Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Inspiring Young Changemakers, which was featured on Oprah’s Favorite Things List for the year in 2025.

As an environmental scientist, she plans to continue her work as a woman in STEM. She is an amputee. She proudly supports environmental causes, and is passionate about diversity and inclusion in literature; particularly stories with characters with finger and partial hand loss who are living their best lives.

Shannon Jade, in her young life, has achieved so much already. That is before learning how capable she is seated at a piano bench performing her earthy organic folk pop music.

Jade debuted as an independent recording artist earlier this year with February’s release of Jack & Rose, a song inspired by the famous love story from the iconic film, Titanic.

Starlit Dreams

Starlit Dreams is the debut EP of independent recording artist, Shannon Jade. It is 3 songs, and runs at seven and a half minutes. The EP primarily features Jade on vocals and piano. It is a minimalist folk pop project that emphasizes Jade’s skills and passion for storytelling.

The lead single from Starlit Dreams is In This Light, and it is a good song. However, the highlight for me is absolutely How is Anyone Going to Love me? The depth of the honesty and inward reflection is a moving moment to experience as a listener. The first verse goes right in with the lyrics “I never feel pretty. I never feel wanted. I’ve got a face people forget or love to hate that’s being honest.” Regardless of how the outward world perceives us, we have our own perceptions of ourselves and, if I could wager a guess, I think we all have moments where we feel or have felt this way about ourselves. It was at this moment, Shannon Jade had established credibility and rapport with me in the songwriter/listener relationship.

This entire work is a special exhibition in songwriting. I loved it. It’s not big or anthemic musically. It is very intimate which gives the lyrical content the attention it so deserves.