Country singer with North Yarmouth roots works with Grammy winner on debut album

Shannon Selig performing at Pat’s Pizza last November. (BDN file photo by Seth Koenig)

You might recall that last November, I wrote a piece about Shannon Selig, formerly of North Yarmouth, who was performing in Portland in support of anti-bullying initiatives here. I followed up with a blog post here that featured some music videos of her original material, including “Show Me The Light,” written alongside Jimmy Buffett bassist Jim Mayer and inspired by the stories of teens who have committed suicide after intense bullying.

That story line, tragically, played out again in Thorndike last week in the death of 13-year-old Kitty McGuire.

To update the story of Selig, who is now pursuing her music career in Nashville, it’s worth mentioning now that she has an album due to be released on April 16. Grammy Award-winning producer and engineer Chad Carlson has reportedly agreed to mix the album, which will be titled “Perfectly Imperfect.”

Carlson, whose work on Taylor Swift’s explosively popular 2008 record “Fearless” earned him Grammy recognition, has also worked with Jewel, Trisha Yearwood, Chris Isaak and Alison Krauss. So the North Yarmouth product is in good company as a Carlson protege.

Selig and Carlson expressed mutual admiration in a recent release announcing their partnership. Said Selig of Carlson:

Chad is such a talented engineer. Not only does he have Grammy awards to his credit, but he is down to earth and genuinely cares about my album. He is so supportive and willing to help and I am honored to have him mix ‘Perfectly Imperfect.’

And Carlson of Selig:

This girl knows who she is. Great songs, strong emotional voice and confidence that can be heard on every track.

By way of background, Selig has some trophies on her shelf as well. Here are a few sentences from my November story highlighting her accomplishments.

In addition to a slew of Maine and regional awards — including New England Country Music Awards for Female Vocalist of the Year and Female Entertainer of the Year in 2011 — she earned North American Country Music Awards Horizon honors as one of the continent’s top up-and-coming female vocalists and songwriters this year.

Seth Koenig

About Seth Koenig

Seth has nearly a decade of professional journalism experience and writes about the greater Portland region.