Shayla McDaniel is a singer-songwriter and multi instrumentalist from Knoxville, Tennessee. "Depend On" is a soul-drenched, indie-rock love letter to that special someone that we all are hoping to connect with who—romantically, in business, or a friendship—can offer stability in times of need. With an organic drum sound and a prominent electric guitar, combined with her signature vocal flow, she pokes fun at the cycle of disappointment and resilience, knowing that it only takes the one success story to change your life.

Shayla draws influence from a diverse range of artists that includes the band Joseph, Lianne La Havas, Andraé Crouch, and Deep Sea Diver, among many others. She grew up playing music in church and elementary school orchestral programs while exploring multiple instruments in her parent’s basement. She continued her self-education by learning bass at church and accompanying the gospel choir after the bassist went off to college and left his instrument behind.

It took a little prodding to get her onstage, but Shayla soon found that live performance was something that came to her naturally. She released her debut single in 2016, and since then has released 2 EPs and a long string of successful singles. In recent years she has performed at Rhythm N’ Blooms Music Festival, the Waynestock Festival, Sunset on Central, Women in Jazz Jam Festival, and live on-air at WUTK 90.3 FM, WDVX 89.9 FM, and WOZO 103.9 FM, while also earning features on Knoxville Music Warehouse’s Top 16 song charts, getting voted Knoxville’s Favorite Band, and winning numerous titles from the Knoxville Music Awards, CityView Magazine, and Knoxnews.

I got burned
And I learned
To go it alone
I got hurt
I got scared
Because I’m not that strong
I want someone I can depend on
Like my heart keeps the beat
Somebody I can really lean on
Like my crutches after knee surgery

Visit Shayla McDaniel on Instagram.