Artists you should know: Shauvone Guzman

Singer Shauvone Guzman is a diverse talent -- she's released music as a solo artist, sung in church choirs and performed in theatrical productions at Sunnyside High School.

Her latest venture is bringing her back to Sunnyside's performing arts theater, at 6 p.m. Saturday for the CD release concert for "He's the Only One." Tickets cost $5, or $3 for students. We got the scoop from Shauvone.

You started singing at 4. What captivated you about music? Because singing is a form of self-expression, it also became a release. It allowed me to express myself through my interpretation of lyrics and vocals.

Your music has influences of pop, R&B, gospel and Latin. How do you make it all mesh? These are all sounds that I was forever listening to around the house and at church. I think that when you grow up in a home that embraces the beauty of all genres of music, that blending these sounds together just takes place naturally. How have you changed as an artist between this CD and the last? The first CD produced was actually my demo CD. I didn't so much change my sound as I did go back and fine-tune. Any changes between then and now might be my maturity level as an artist. You always have to evolve as an artist if you want to always sound fresh.

What's your favorite thing about the new CD? It's just the satisfaction of knowing that whew, I really did complete this and people are just as excited about it as I am. These songs have such personal meaning to me. Each one is basically a chapter of my life, and they remind me of how I've overcome adversity with triumph.

What should people expect from this Saturday's concert? Saturday will be awesome! So many of the friends that I've grown up with or people that I've met along the way are all Christian artists like me whose only desire is, and I know this always sounds corny, but we just want to make a positive impact on our peers. We are coming together for some good music and worship in a very positive environment.

Is it more special for you because it's at Sunnyside? Absolutely. This is where it started. Teachers and peers encouraging me to reach higher, realizing my potentials in singing and acting. Sunnyside has a diverse population, yet I can always remember being encouraged to be a "family", and when you're part of a family, you're in it for the long haul.

For music and more: Go to shauvone.com.

Know a local musician that more people should be familiar with? Send the who and why to Mike Osegueda, mosegueda@fresnobee.com.